Multifunctional CuSbS2 Nanocrystals as an Integrated Flexocatalytic-Photocatalytic-Nanozymatic Platform for Antibacterial Therapy.

Abstract

Ultrasound-enabled catalytic strategies offer a non-invasive route for antibacterial therapy but are typically limited to non-centrosymmetric piezoelectric materials. Herein, we developed ultrasound-assisted flexocatalysis as a symmetry-independent approach for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation using ternary copper antimony disulfide (CuSbS2, CSS) nanocrystals synthesized via a hot-injection method, and engineered an all-in-one synergistic catalytic platform integrated with multiple catalytic activities, including flexocatalytic, photocatalytic, and oxidase-/peroxidase-like nanozymatic activities to promote antibacterial treatment. As a result, rapid and efficient antibacterial performance is achieved, with inhibition efficiencies up to 97.0% against Escherichia coli, 98.73% against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 97.8% against Staphylococcus aureus within 30 min, enabling synergistic ROS production under mechanical, optical, and enzymatic stimulations. Besides, CSS exhibited high catalytic activity toward organic pollutant degradation, achieving over 97% rhodamine B removal within 40 min. This work sheds light on the rational design of centrosymmetric chalcogenide nanomaterials as versatile flexocatalysts, paving the way for their application in advanced antibacterial and biomedical catalytic systems.