Gold nanocluster with AIE: A novel photodynamic antibacterial and deodorant molecule

Designing long-lasting yet high-efficiency antimicrobial and deodorant agents is an everlasting goal for envi-ronmental and public health. Here we present the design of AIE-featured Au nanoclusters (NCs) for visible-light -driven antibacterial and deodorant applications. Owing to the intriguing AIE traits, the good harvest of visible -light, and rich surface chemistry, the AIE-featured Au NCs unprecedentedly exhibit excellent visible-light-driven antibacterial activities against gram-positive (>= 98.5%) and gram-negative bacteria (>= 99.94%), which is resulted from their photodynamic producibility of abundant reactive oxygen species including O2 center dot-, center dot OH and H2O2 via O2 reduction and subsequent H2O2 oxidation. In addition, the Au NCs are demonstrated to be biocompatible, and easy to be deployed for downstream antibacterial and deodorant applications. For example, the Au NCs-modified domestic materials (e.g., latex, ceramic glaze, organic fiber, and clothings) achieve long-lasting antibacterial efficiency of 99% and deodorant efficiency of >97.9% under visible-light irradiation. This work may shed light on designing novel AIE-featured metal NCs with photodynamic antibacterial and deodorant functions, enabling metal NCs and corresponding downstream materials to step into the photodynamic antibacterial and deodorant era.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the design of AIE-featured Au nanoclusters for visible-light-driven antibacterial and deodorant applications, showing excellent antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility. The modified domestic materials with Au NCs achieve long-lasting antibacterial and deodorant efficiency under visible-light irradiation.