Amino-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for the Capture and Photothermal Inhibition of Bacteria

Amino-functionalized graphene oxide (GO-NH2) was prepared for enhanced antibacterial properties through excellent photothermal efficiency. This nanosheets could easily target to the bacterial surface through the electrostatic attraction. Upon white light irradiation, GO-NH2 with superior antibacterial efficacy could inhibit the growth of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, resulting in the increase to 32-times as against the antibacterial activity of GO alone. Through studies of antibacterial mechanism, it was found that the nanosheets could destroy the cytomembrane of bacterial, resulting in the cytoplasmic leakage. Moreover, the analysis of cell proliferation indicated that the nanosheets had good biocompatibility. This work indicated that graphene oxide could be used as a new nanostructured carbon material to construct antimicrobial agent for photothermal therapy in biomedical field.