Highly Crystalline Copper Aluminum-Layered Double Hydroxides with Intrinsic Fenton-Like Catalytic Activity for Robust Oral Health Management

As the main challenge of dental healthcare, oral infectious diseases are highly associated with the colonization of pathogenic microbes. However, current antibacterial treatments in the field of stomatology still lack a facile, safe, and universal approach. Herein, we report the controllable synthesis of copper aluminum-layered double hydroxides (CuAl-LDHs) with high Fenton-like catalytic activity, which can be utilized in the treatment of oral infectious diseases with negligible side effects. Our strategy can efficiently avoid the unwanted doping of other divalent metal ions in the synthesis of Cu-contained LDHs and result in the formation of binary CuAl-LDHs with high crystallinity and purity. Evidenced by experimental and theoretical results, CuAl-LDHs exhibit excellent catalytic ability toward the ·OH generation in the presence of H2O2 and hold strong affinity toward bacteria, endowing them with great catalytic sterilization against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. As expected, these CuAl-LDHs provide outstanding treatments for mucosal infection and periodontitis by promoting wound healing and remodeling of the periodontal microenvironment. Moreover, toxicity investigation demonstrates the overall safety. Accordingly, the current study not only provides a convenient and economic strategy for treating oral infectious diseases but also extends the development of novel LDH-based Fenton or Fenton-like antibacterial reagents for further biomedical applications.