Photoresponsive Materials for Antibacterial Applications

Recently, photoactivated sterilization, as a rapid, effective, and antibiotic-free antibacterial method, has attracted increasing attention from researchers. Many outstanding photoresponsive materials, including photocatalysts, photosensitizers (PSs), and photothermal materials, have been developed and applied to microbial inactivation and to treat infectious bacterial diseases. This mini-review aims to provide insights gathered from studying photoresponsive antibacterial materials and systems, including (1) reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) and (2) hyperthermia-based photothermal therapy (PTT). In addition, potential application fields for these methods, the remaining challenges to using photoresponsive materials for microbial inactivation, perspectives for the future, and prospective research directions are discussed in depth.