The rise of persistent, antibiotic-resistant infections driven by Staphylococcus aureus biofilms necessitates the development of innovative antibiofilm strategies. This study introduces a hybrid photocatalytic platform composed of a porous titanium dioxide (TiO2) inverse opal layer doped with molybdenum nanoclusters (Mo6). The nanostructured TiO2 layer allows for the electrophoretic deposition of Mo6 in the form of submicrometer-sized aggregates. Spectroscopic analysis revealed a dual mechanism where, upon excitation, Mo6 generate singlet oxygen, O2(1Δg), or undergo photoinduced electron transfer to the TiO2 matrix, leading to amplified production of hydroxyl radicals. Consequently, under 405 nm irradiation, Mo6@TiO2 layers demonstrated inhibition of S. aureus biofilm formation, reducing viable cells by over 3 orders of magnitude, whereas bare TiO2 showed a negligible activity. Moreover, the Mo6@TiO2 platform maintained its high performance upon reuse. These findings establish Mo6-functionalized TiO2 inverse opal layers as robust, light-activated, and recyclable antibiofilm surfaces with significant potential for biomedical applications.
Nguyên et al. (Fri,) studied this question.