Enhanced photocatalytic activity and photothermal effects of cu-doped metal-organic frameworks for rapid treatment of bacteria-infected wounds

Owing to the increasing drug-resistance, antibiotics-free strategy is urgent for the therapy of bacterial infections. Herein, Cu2+ is introduced into the porphyrin ring of PCN 224, which enhances the photocatalytic property of MOFs. The doped Cu2+ could trap electrons, thus suppresses electron-hole recombination and accelerates the transfer of carriers under 660 nm light irradiation, thereby enhancing the yields of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, the Cu-MOFs’ photothermal effect is strengthened due to the d–d transition. However, overdoping of Cu2+ weakens the photocatalytic and photothermal properties due to the trapping of more photo-electrons by Cu2+ and the decreased light absorption of porphyrin at 660 nm. Doping with 10% Cu2+ endows the MOFs with the best antibacterial efficacy of 99.71% against Staphylococcus aureus within 20 min because of the synergistic effects of ROS and heat. Furthermore, the in vivo results show that Cu2+-MOFs kill bacteria efficiently, thus accelerating wound healing.