Virus-Like Iron Oxide Minerals Inspired by Magnetotactic Bacteria: Towards an Outstanding Photothermal Superhydrophobic Platform on Universal Substrates

Magnetic iron oxides, as the typical photothermal materials, possess the advantages of low cost, easy preparation, and biocompatibility, which impart great expectations in broad application prospects. However, the limited photothermal efficiency of iron oxides restricts their further use. Inspired by magnetotactic bacteria, a liquid film-confined strategy has been developed assisted by a magnetic field for mineralization and assembly of iron oxides on the surface at room temperature. Virus-like hierarchically micro/nanostructured iron oxides can be obtained on universal substrates which exhibit excellent photothermal performance, the highest among all iron oxide coatings and even comparable with carbon-based materials. Theoretical simulation demonstrates the promotion of light capture by these particular structures. Moreover, by virtue of this, the surface is endowed with superhydrophobicity by a simple modification to construct a photothermal superhydrophobic platform, which is demonstrated by two challenging scenarios: high-efficient antibacterial activity and defrosting/deicing ability controlled remotely. There is no need for harsh experimental conditions and templates, the strategy reported here is mild, environmental-friendly and adopts trace amount of liquid (55 mu L cm(-2)), which can provide a reference for the fabrication and application of other photothermal materials.

Automated summary

Inspired by magnetotactic bacteria, researchers have developed a liquid film-confined strategy assisted by a magnetic field to mineralize and assemble virus-like hierarchically micro/nanostructured iron oxides on universal substrates at room temperature. These iron oxides exhibit excellent photothermal performance and can also be modified to have superhydrophobicity. The strategy is mild and environmentally friendly, making it a promising method for the fabrication and application of other photothermal materials.