J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2021, Vol. 67: 70-79.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2020.04.084

• Research article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Eco-friendly and degradable red phosphorus nanoparticles for rapid microbial sterilization under visible light

Qian Wua, Xiangmei Liua,*(), Bo Lib, Lei Tana, Yong Hanb,*(), Zhaoyang Lib, Yanqin Liangb, Zhenduo Cuib, Shengli Zhub, Shuilin Wuc,*(), Yufeng Zhengd   

  1. a Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
    b State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China
    c School of Materials Science & Engineering, the Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology by the Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
    d State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

Abstract:

Pathogens pose a serious challenge to environmental sanitation and a threat to public health. The frequent use of chemicals for sterilization in recent years has not only caused secondary damage to the environment but also increased pathogen resistance to drugs, which further threatens public health. To address this issue, the use of non-chemical antibacterial means has become a new trend for environmental disinfection. In this study, we developed red phosphorus nanoparticles (RPNPs), a safe and degradable photosensitive material with good photocatalytic and photothermal properties. The red phosphorus nanoparticles were prepared using a template method and ultrasonication. Under the irradiation of simulated sunlight for 20 min, the RPNPs exhibited an efficiency of 99.98 % in killing Staphylococcus aureus due to their excellent photocatalytic and photothermal abilities. Transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy revealed that the RPNPs exhibited degradability within eight weeks. Both the RPNPs and their degradation products were nontoxic to fibroblast cells. Therefore, such RPNPs are expected to be used as a new type of low-cost, efficient, degradable, biocompatible, and eco-friendly photosensitive material for environmental disinfection.

Key words: Antibacterial, Photocatalytic, Photothermal, Red phosphorus, Photosensitive, Nanoparticles