NIR-Mediated Antibacterial Clay Nanocomposites: Exfoliation of Montmorillonite Nanolayers by IR825 Intercalation

Abstract

We report the exfoliation of montmorillonite (MMT) by IR825, a near infrared (NIR) active hyper-thermal antibacterial nanocomposite, constructed using polyvinylpyrrolidione-q-catechol with sultones (C-PVPS) through ionic exchange reactions. Studying this nanocomposite revealed a sharp increase in photothermal heat as a function of irradiation time, and the layered MMT structure is promising for optimizing the required thermal stability to increase the photothermal heat. Only 5min of exposing an in vitro suspension of bacteria to NIR-triggered local nanocomposite resulted in rapid killing of bacteria. Due to their considerable potential for photothermal applications, thermo-stable MMT-based materials have attracted tremendous attention for designing nanocomposites of pathogenic bacteria.