Encapsulating MoS2-nanoflowers conjugated with chitosan oligosaccharide into electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for photothermal inactivation of bacteria

The bacterial inactivation using near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation with spatiotemporal control is advantageous to deal with the emerging microbial infection and the drug resistance in the environment and health-care facilities. Here, nanoflower-like MoS 2 prepared by electrolysis synthesis was functionalized with α-lipoic acid and chitosan oligosaccharide (MoS 2 -LA-COS) resulting in a highly biocompatible, well dispersive, and NIR photo-responsive composite. The produced nanocomposite of MoS 2 -LA-COS retained the nanoflower-like morphological feature, of which the hexagonal structure (2H phase) was similar with that of MoS 2 according to the X-ray diffraction measurement. Moreover, the produced MoS 2 -LA-COS was efficiently loaded into the electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENFs) endowing the fibrous scaffold with outstanding photothermal performance. The antibacterial studies indicated a superior bactericidal effect of the formed membranes under NIR irradiation towards the inactivation of model G − Staphylococcus aureus and G + Escherichia coli strains, which was originated from the uniform distribution of MoS 2 -LA-COS on the fibrous scaffold. The produced MoS 2 -LA-COS nanofibrous membranes of good water vapor transmission rate and improved photothermal performance possess enormous potential for the development as well as the disposal of personal protective equipment such as medical masks. Graphical abstract