Zinc oxides have gained exciting achievements in antimicrobial fields because of their advantageous properties, whereas their biological effects on bacteria are currently underexplored. In this study, biological effects of flower-shaped nano zinc oxides on bacteria were systematically investigated. Zinc oxide nanoflowers with controllable morphologies (viz., rod flowers, fusiform flowers, and petal flowers) were synthesized by modulating merely base type and concentration using the hydrothermal process. Their antibacterial power is in an order of petal flowers > fusiform flowers > rod flowers because of their differences in microscopic parameters such as specific surface area, pore size, and Zn-polar plane, etc. More importantly, the role of morphology in influencing biological effect on bacteria was examined, focusing on the morphology-induced effect on integrality of cell wall, permeability of cell membrane, DNA cleavage, etc. As for cytotoxicity, all petal flowers, fusiform flowers, and rod flowers show trivial cytotoxicity to the Hela cells. This work provides a guide for enhancing biological effect of the biocides on pathogenic bacteria by the morphological modulation.

N-Halamine-based antibacterial materials play a significant role in controlling microbial contamination, but their practical applications are limited because of their complicated synthetic process and indistinct antibacterial actions. In this study, novel antibacterial N-halamine-containing polymer fibers were synthesized via an one-step electrospinning of N-halamine-containing polymers without any additives. By adjusting the concentration of precursor and the molecular weight of polymers, the morphology and size of the as-spun N-halamine-containing fibers can be regulated. The as-spun fibers showed antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. After an antibacterial assessment using different biochemical techniques, a combined mechanism of contact/release co-determined killing action was evidenced for the as-spun N-halamine-containing fibers. With the aid of contact action and/or release action, this combined mechanism can allow N-halamines to attack bacteria, making the as-spun fibers wide in the application of antibacterial fields, whatever it is in dry or wet environment. Also, a recycle antibacterial test demonstrated that the as-spun fibers can still offer antibacterial property after five recycle experiments.

N-Halamine compounds have attracted great attention because they are recognized as promising antibacterial agents to control microbial contamination; however, most of the research interests were focused on N-halamines that contain N–Cl bond(s) rather than N–Br bond(s). In this contribution, we report the facile fabrication of N–Br bond-containing N-halamine nanofibers using the electrospinning method for antibacterial usages. The as-produced N–Br bond-containing N-halamine nanofibers (i.e., DBDMH/PAN nanofibers) comprise an antibacterial component of 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH) and a support component of polyacrylonitrile (PAN). When systematic characterizations were carried out, the as-obtained DBDMH/PAN nanofibers were proven to exhibit well-defined fiber-like morphology and be highly efficient in the killing of the selected model bacteria (Escherichia coli). Their morphology and size could be well governed by tuning the concentration of electrospinning precursor and the mass ratio of PAN to DBDMH. The antibacterial mechanism of the DBDMH/PAN nanofibers and their stabilities under dry, wet, and bacterial conditions were confirmed as well. Facile synthesis and antibacterial activity allow the feasibility of the final N–Br bond-containing N-halamine nanofibers for antibacterial-related clinical applications in practice. Our work highlights the development of the N–Br bond-containing N-halamine nanofibers as promising antibacterial agents for biomedical applications.

No abstract

Quantum dots (QDs) as potent candidates possess advantageous superiority in fluorescence imaging applications, but they are susceptible to the biological circumstances (e.g., bacterial environment), leading to fluorescence quenching or lose of fluorescent properties. In this work, CdTe QDs were embedded into mesoporous silica nanospheres (m-SiO2 NSs) for preventing QD agglomeration, and then CdTe QD-embedded m-SiO2 NSs (m-SiO2/CdTe NSs) were modified with Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to prevent bacteria invasion for enhanced anticounterfeit applications. The m-SiO2 NSs, which serve as intermediate layers to combine CdTe QDs with Ag NPs, help us establish a highly fluorescent and long-term antibacterial system (i.e., m-SiO2/CdTe/Ag NSs). More importantly, CdTe QD-embedded m-SiO2 NSs showed fluorescence quenching when they encounter bacteria, which was avoided by attaching Ag NPs outside. Ag NPs are superior to CdTe QDs for preventing bacteria invasion because of the structure (well-dispersed Ag NPs), size (small diameter), and surface charge (positive zeta potentials) of Ag NPs. The plausible antibacterial mechanisms of m-SiO2/CdTe/Ag NSs toward both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were established. As for potential applications, m-SiO2/CdTe/Ag NSs were developed as fluorescent anticounterfeiting ink for enhanced imaging applications.