V₂C Nanosheets as Dual-Functional Antibacterial Agents.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Rising antibiotic resistance poses a global health crisis.
• Nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy is a promising strategy against bacteria.
• Development of efficient and cost-effective photothermal agents is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize two-dimensional (2D) vanadium carbide (V₂C) nanosheets using a green method.
• To evaluate the antibacterial efficiency of V₂C nanosheets as photothermal agents.
• To explore their potential in combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Main Methods:

• Green synthesis of V₂C nanosheets via algae extract-assisted delamination of V₂AlC.
• Characterization of V₂C nanosheets for structural integrity and properties.
• Photothermal antibacterial assays using Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation.

Main Results:

• High yield production of structurally reliable 2D V₂C nanosheets.
• V₂C nanosheets exhibit strong NIR absorption and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency.
• Achieved 99.5% bacterial killing of both S. aureus and E. coli at 40 μg/mL with 5 min NIR irradiation.
• Demonstrated superior antibacterial efficacy compared to other reported materials like Ta₄C₃, Ti₃C₂, MoSe₂, and Nb₂C.

Conclusions:

• Green synthesized V₂C nanosheets are effective photothermal agents for rapid and efficient bacterial killing.
• The combined intrinsic antibacterial ability and photothermal effect of V₂C nanosheets offer a powerful solution against antibiotic-resistant strains.
• This study expands the application of MXene V₂C nanosheets for sterilization and holds promise for industrial applications.