Unveiling the antibacterial strategies and mechanisms of MoS₂: a comprehensive analysis and future directions

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem that requires alternative antibacterial agents. MoS₂, a two-dimensional transition metal sulfide, has gained significant attention in recent years due to its exceptional photocatalytic performance, excellent infrared photothermal effect, and impressive antibacterial properties. This review presents a detailed analysis of the antibacterial strategies and mechanism of MoS₂, starting with its morphology and synthesis methods and focusing on the different interaction stages between MoS₂ and bacteria. The paper summarizes the main antibacterial mechanisms of MoS₂, such as photocatalytic antibacterial, enzyme-like catalytic antibacterial, physical antibacterial, and photothermal-assisted antibacterial. It offers a comprehensive discussion focus on recent research studies of photocatalytic antibacterial mechanisms and categorizes them, guiding the application of MoS₂ in the antibacterial field. Overall, the review provides an in-depth understanding of the antibacterial mechanisms of MoS₂ and presents the challenges and future directions for the improvement of MoS₂ in the field of high-efficiency antibacterial materials.