Two-dimensional nanomaterials (also known as nanosheets) have attracted considerable attention in biomedical and environmental applications due to their antimicrobial properties. In the present research we investigated the role of ‘nano-knife’ characteristics of nanosheets for their antibacterial properties. Toward this end, antibacterial properties of MnO2 and MoS2 (supported on graphene oxide or Ti3C2Tx MXene) were investigated toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli bacteria were chosen as the model organisms and were treated individually with 100 μg/mL of the randomly oriented and vertically aligned nanosheets for ~3 h in the dark. The viability measurements of bacteria, performed by flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging, showed that vertically aligned MnO2 and MoS2 nanosheets exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity in which Gram-positive bacteria showed a higher loss in membrane integrity. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy images suggested that the nanosheets compromised the cell wall upon interaction which led to significant bacterial morphological changes. We propose that the peptidoglycan mesh in the bacterial wall is likely the primary target of the nanomaterials.

MnO2 and MoS2 nano-knives exhibit antibacterial properties

256th National Meeting (2018)

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