Fig. 1: TiOx@C with bacterial cell wall specificity for effective bacterial elimination through electron-mechanical intervention.
The fiber-like carbon substrate of TiOx@C is capable of selectively entangling with the peptidoglycan layer of S. aureus, further disrupting the electron transport chain and killing the bacteria by delivering excess electrons to key enzymes of the electron transport chain via TiOx dots. Meanwhile, the carbon substrate of TiOx@C could directly penetrate the cell wall of P. aeruginosa, disrupt the bacterial membrane structure and penetrate into the bacteria, and trigger oxidative stress and protein leakage, thus leading to the bacterial death.
