Killing Bacteria with Nanoheaters

Materials and surfaces that are able to mitigate or prevent the growth of bacteria are desired for utilization in several areas ranging from food safety to biomedical applications. As more  bacteria gain resistance against traditional biochemical agents such as antibiotics, alternative physical methods to kill bacteria are needed. Photothermal nanoparticles which can absorb light and release this energy in the form of heat provide an efficient alternative method to physically destruct bacteria through light activated generation of heat.

In this project, photothermal properties of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube/fluorophore hybrids along with their antibacterial properties will be investigated.