Ag/AgX nanostructures serving as antibacterial agents: achievements and challenges

Bacterial infections, especially the frequently emerging “superbugs”, seriously affect the quality of human life and even threaten human health. As the emerging antimicrobial agents that effectively eradicate pathogens, nanomaterials have been widely explored due to their effectiveness against wide-spectrum bacteria and “superbugs”. Of them, Ag/AgX nanostructures (X representing Cl, Br or I) have emerged as an excellent antibacterial agent because of their excellent photocatalytic performance in inactivating pathogens under light irradiation, which provides a new opportunity for the development of high-efficient visible-light driven photocatalytic sterilization. To date, Ag/AgX nanostructures have been widely employed in antibacterial associated fields because they are efficient in producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive chlorine species (RCS) under visible light irradiation. In this review, we summarized the recent progress of Ag/AgX nanostructures as plasmonic photocatalysts in the antibacterial field, focusing on the antibacterial effects and mechanisms of Ag/AgX nanostructures, as well as their potent applications. Finally, the challenges and prospects of Ag/AgX nanostructures acting as active antibacterial agents were discussed.