Plasmonic Enhancement Strategies for Light-Driven Microbe Inactivation

Light can be an effective antimicrobial. UV-C light, in particular, is now commonly used to sterilize inanimate surfaces, water, and even air. Highly energetic light can, however, also lead to unwanted photodamage and be hazardous. Consequently, conventional light-mediated microbe inactivation is not suitable for all applications. Plasmonic nanostructures can enhance electromagnetic fields in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum and show unique light-induced responses that can drive strong antimicrobial effects even for wavelengths that without plasmonic enhancement have little to no antimicrobial impact. Plasmonic nanostructures offer thus a potential strategy to expand the antimicrobial effect of light to wavelength and intensity ranges in which light-associated collateral damages are lower. This Perspective examines selected plasmon-enhanced antimicrobial strategies, elucidates the underlying physico-chemical mechanisms, and discusses applications.