Interfacial preparation of multi-branched magneto-plasmonic Fe3O4@Au core@shell nanocomposites as efficient photothermal agents for antibacterial application

We report the synthesis of multi-branched Fe3O4@Au core@shell nanocomposites through a template-free liquid-liquid interfacial growth reaction. The prepared magneto-plasmonic Fe3O4@Au core@shell nanocomposites exhibited outstanding SPR absorption in the NIR region, which imparts the nanocomposites with a superior photothermal conversion efficiency of 69.9%, making this material an efficient photothermal agent for antibacterial application. Our results indicated that the prepared Fe3O4@Au core@shell nanocomposites could effectively kill both Gram negative E. coli and Gram positive S. aureus under 980 nm laser irradiation and kept good photo-stability after multiple photothermal bacteria killing. We envision that the development of advanced strategy for high efficient antibacterial hybrid nanoparticles could have broad applications in therapy and medical devices.