Pillararene-functionalized rhodium nanoparticles for efficient catalytic reduction and photothermal sterilization

Pillar[5]arene-functionalized rhodium nanoparticles (Rh@CPA NPs) are first synthesized via a facile one-pot chemical reduction method. Rh@CPA NPs with good reusability and biocompatibility show excellent catalytic activities in reducing toxic nitrophenols and azo dyes, and also exhibit superior photothermal ablation capability towards Staphylococcus aureus under 808 nm laser irradiation. This work suggests that the supramolecular capping strategy could be used to construct novel hybrid materials for various applications.