Optically transparent antibacterial films capable of healing scratches and restoring transparency are fabricated by exponential layer‐by‐layer assembly of branched polyethylenimine (bPEI)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) films and post‐diffusion of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles encapsulated with antibacterial agent triclosan. The triclosan‐loaded bPEI/PAA transparent films can effectively inhibit the growth of gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria by the sustained release of triclosan molecules. Healing of multiple scratches on the triclosan‐loaded bPEI/PAA films can be conveniently achieved by immersing the films in water or spraying water on the damaged films, which also fully restores their transparency. The self‐healing ability of these transparent antibacterial films originates from the ability of bPEI and PAA to flow and recombine in the presence of water. The triclosan‐loaded bPEI/PAA films have satisfactory mechanical stability under ambient conditions, and thus show potential for application as transparent protective films with antibacterial properties.
The azide anion as an energy acceptor and an electron donor has been introduced into a metal-viologen compound to form a 2D layered viologen-based trifunctional material, which exhibits the rare discolored function of reversible photochromism and thermochromism. Interestingly, its fluorescence can be switched by visible light irradiation and heating in air.
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