Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation?

Pope, Leon D.; Kodakkat, Shreehari; Elbourne, Aaron; Sherrell, Peter C.; Tran, Nhiem; Fox, Kate

doi:10.3390/molecules30112292

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Open AccessArticle

Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation?

by

Leon D. Pope

¹

,

Shreehari Kodakkat

²

,

Aaron Elbourne

²

,

Peter C. Sherrell

²

,

Nhiem Tran

^2,*

and

Kate Fox

^1,*

¹

School of Engineering, RMIT University, 124 La Trobe St., Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

²

School of Science, RMIT University, 124 La Trobe St., Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2292; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112292

Submission received: 29 April 2025 / Revised: 14 May 2025 / Accepted: 20 May 2025 / Published: 23 May 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)

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Abstract

Black phosphorus (BP) nanoflakes have attracted interest as an antimicrobial material for wound healing and implant-associated infections due to their bactericidal activity without the use of antibiotics. Hydrogels are frequently used as a delivery system; however, most research uses photonic activation in the form of near-infrared (NIR) laser stimulation to cause rapid BP degradation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and a localized photothermal effect. For implant-coating applications, using NIR laser stimulation could be challenging in practice, especially for porous orthopedic implants. This article investigates whether BP nanoflakes, suspended in Pluronic F127 (F127) hydrogels, remain effective against Staphylococcus aureus without photonic activation. The experimental results showed 89.4 ± 7.6% bacterial inhibition from BP nanoflakes at a 5120 µg/mL concentration via passive diffusion in F127; however, it could not kill all the bacteria present. It is hypothesized that the F127 gel interface could create a barrier between the bacteria, which continue to multiply in media, and the antimicrobial black phosphorus compound, which degrades in the F127.

Keywords: black phosphorus; hydrogel; antibacterial; bacteria; antibiotic resistance

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MDPI and ACS Style

Pope, L.D.; Kodakkat, S.; Elbourne, A.; Sherrell, P.C.; Tran, N.; Fox, K. Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation? Molecules 2025, 30, 2292. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112292

AMA Style

Pope LD, Kodakkat S, Elbourne A, Sherrell PC, Tran N, Fox K. Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation? Molecules. 2025; 30(11):2292. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112292

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pope, Leon D., Shreehari Kodakkat, Aaron Elbourne, Peter C. Sherrell, Nhiem Tran, and Kate Fox. 2025. "Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation?" Molecules 30, no. 11: 2292. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112292

APA Style

Pope, L. D., Kodakkat, S., Elbourne, A., Sherrell, P. C., Tran, N., & Fox, K. (2025). Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation? Molecules, 30(11), 2292. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112292

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Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation?

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