@article{
author = "Shahriari-Khalaji, Mina and Zabihi, Fatemeh and Bahi, Addie and Sredojević, Dušan and Nedeljković, Jovan and Macharia, Daniel K. and Ciprian, Matteo and Yang, Shengyuan and Ko, Frank",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Visible-light-responsive graphite-embedded titanium dioxide nanofibers (G-TiO2 NFs), prepared by electrospinning and post-treatment with rhodizonic acid (RhA), show biocidal effects against E. coli and S. aureus when excited with visible light. The red absorption shift of surface-modified G-TiO2 NFs with RhA of about 1.1 eV is a consequence of interfacial charge transfer (ICT) complex formation facilitated by a condensation reaction between hydroxyl groups originating from the ligand and surface TiO2. The optical properties of the inorganic–organic hybrid are studied in-depth by density functional theory (DFT) calculations using a cluster model. The prepared samples are thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under visible light illumination, surface-modified G-TiO2 NFs display a near-to ideal biocidal effect against E. coli and S. aureus and no cytotoxicity was observed toward L929 fibroblast cells. Overall, the experimental results suggest that fabrics based on surface-modified G-TiO2 NFs with RhA can be potentially used to control the persistence and spread of bacterial infection.",
journal = "Journal of Materials Chemistry C",
title = "Photon-driven bactericidal performance of surface-modified TiO2 nanofibers",
doi = "10.1039/D3TC00473B"
}