Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Derived Hydrophilic Carbon Dots as an Excellent NIR-Triggered Phototherapeutic Bactericidal Agent
摘要
Herein, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, perylene was explored as a carbon source and urea was utilized as N-source for the synthesis of hydrophilic N-doped carbon dots (PN-CDs), as superior photothermal bactericidal agent. The strategic development of yellowish-green emissive PN-CDs was carried out following a nitration and carbonization of perylene via hydrothermal method. The PN-CDs exhibited polychromatic emissions in the range of 500–640 nm when excited at various excitation wavelength (340–590 nm). However, the maximum emission was located at 543 nm corresponding to yellowish green at the excitation of 468 nm. The as-prepared PN-CDs demonstrated outstanding photothermal property when radiated with NIR-light (808 nm), exhibiting photothermal conversion efficiency of ~ 56.6%. The superior NIR-radiation harvesting phenomenon was utilized to neutralize pathogenic bacteria, demonstrating it as a suitable bactericidal candidate invitro. The efficient antibacterial activity might be due to hyperthermia effect together with amplified reactive oxygen species causing rupture of bacterial membrane and concomitant leakage of cytoplasmic fluid. This study presents a possible alternative to image-guided phototherapeutic bactericidal agent.