Photobiocidal activity of TiO2/UHMWPE composite activated by reduced graphene oxide under white light
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Herein, we introduce a photobiocidal surface activated by white light. The photobiocidal surface was produced through thermocompressing a mixture of titanium dioxide (TiO2), ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) powders. A photobiocidal activity was not observed on UHMWPE-TiO2. However, UHMWPE-TiO2@rGO exhibited potent photobiocidal activity (>3-log reduction) against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli bacteria after a 12 h exposure to white light. The activity was even more potent against the phage phi 6 virus, a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate, with a >5-log reduction after 6 h exposure to white light. Our mechanistic studies showed that the UHMWPE-TiO2@rGO was activated only by UV light, which accounts for 0.31% of the light emitted by the white LED lamp, producing reactive oxygen species that are lethal to microbes. This indicates that adding rGO to UHMWPE-TiO2 triggered intense photobiocidal activity even at shallow UV flux levels.
Date Issued
2024-07-31
Date Acceptance
2024-06-20
Citation
Nano Letters: a journal dedicated to nanoscience and nanotechnology, 2024, 24 (30), pp.9155-9162
ISSN
1530-6984
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
9155
End Page
9162
Journal / Book Title
Nano Letters: a journal dedicated to nanoscience and nanotechnology
Volume
24
Issue
30
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under
CC-BY 4.0.
CC-BY 4.0.
License URL
Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00939
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2024-06-25