Morphological structure engineering of organic-inorganic nanoflowers based on tunable bandgap enables to rapid photodynamic bacteria-killing

Organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers have made exciting achievements in the field of catalysis due to their unique morphology and structural characteristics. Nevertheless, their photocatalytic sterilization effects have not been fully explored. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) were used as "glue" and induced the formation of three nanoflowers. Experimental results show that under simulated visible light, nanoflowers can reach 100% bacteria inactivation within 30 min. Mechanistic studies indicate that adjusting the band gap can effectively improve the light absorption properties of photocatalytic materials. More importantly, the increase of BSA content in the material will cause the improvement of hydrophilicity, which greatly facilitates the adhesion of microorganisms to kill bacteria. In addition, the in vivo experimental results showed that the material has a significant effect on bacterial wound healing. This work provides guidance for improving the photocatalytic sterilization performance of antibacterial agents by adjusting the size and structure of the materials.