Organic–inorganic heterostructure empowers infected wound healing

Abstract

Pathogenic infections, which accompany the process of biological evolution, represent a primary risk factor threatening human life and health. The fabrication of heterostructures is an efficient strategy against pathogens. Typical heterostructures consist of inorganic materials. Investigating heterostructures composed of organic components provides strong groundwork for advancing heterostructural systems. Herein, the Ag₂S/IEICO-4F heterostructure is proposed and established. It possesses a favorable reactive oxide species (ROS) yield under NIR irradiation, including ¹O₂/˙O₂⁻ and ˙OH, which originates from the enhanced electron–hole separation, resulting in an obviously higher ROS yield compared to the Ag₂S and IEICO-4F groups. Its antibacterial properties and the subsequent wound regeneration capability have been verified using in vivo S. aureus-infected skin defects on rats. This work provides a rational materials design platform based on an organic–inorganic heterostructure and its application in photo-induced anti-bacterial activity.