Sunlight-triggered prebiotic nanomotors for inhibition and elimination of pathogen and biofilm in aquatic environment.

J Colloid Interface Sci

School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. Electronic address:

Published: July 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • * The study introduces galactooligosaccharide-based nanomotors that harness sunlight to produce antibacterial nitric oxide for water disinfection.
  • * These eco-friendly nanobots enhance the removal of harmful pathogens while leaving behind beneficial bacteria, offering a promising low-cost solution for water safety.

Article Abstract

Pathogen contamination in drinking water sources causes waterborne infectious diseases, seriously threatening human health. Nowadays, stimuli-responsive self-propelled nanomotors are appealing therapeutic agents for antibacterial therapy in vivo. However, achieving water disinfection using these nanobots is still a great challenge. Herein, we report on prebiotic galactooligosaccharide-based nanomotors for sunlight-regulated water disinfection. The nanomotors can utilize galactooligosaccharide-based N-nitrosamines as sunlight-responsive fuels for the spontaneous production of antibacterial nitric oxide. Such a solar-to-chemical energy conversion would power the nanomotors for self-diffusiophoresis, which could promote the diffusion of the nanomotors in water and their penetration in the biofilm, significantly enhancing the inhibition and elimination of the pathogens and their biofilms in aquatic environments. After water treatments, the prebiotic-based residual disinfectants can be selectively utilized by beneficial bacteria to effectively relieve safety risks to the environment and human health. The low-energy-cost, green and potent antibacterial nanobots show promising potential in water disinfection.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.163DOI Listing

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