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Nucleic-acid-base photofunctional cocrystal for information security and antimicrobial applications

Authors :
Wenqing Xu
Guanheng Huang
Zhan Yang
Ziqi Deng
Chen Zhou
Jian-An Li
Ming-De Li
Tao Hu
Ben Zhong Tang
David Lee Phillips
Source :
Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Nature Portfolio, 2024.

Abstract

Abstract Cocrystal engineering is an efficient and simple strategy to construct functional materials, especially for the exploitation of novel and multifunctional materials. Herein, we report two kinds of nucleic-acid-base cocrystal systems that imitate the strong hydrogen bond interactions constructed in the form of complementary base pairing. The two cocrystals studied exhibit different colors of phosphorescence from their monomeric counterparts and show the feature of rare high-temperature phosphorescence. Mechanistic studies reveal that the strong hydrogen bond network stabilizes the triplet state and suppresses non-radiative transitions, resulting in phosphorescence even at 425 K. Moreover, the isolation effects of the hydrogen bond network regulate the interactions between the phosphor groups, realizing the manipulation from aggregation to single-molecule phosphorescence. Benefiting from the long-lived triplet state with a high quantum yield, the generation of reactive oxygen species by energy transfer is also available to utilize for some applications such as in photodynamic therapy and broad-spectrum microbicidal effects. In vitro experiments show that the cocrystals efficiently kill bacteria on a tooth surface and significantly help prevent dental caries. This work not only provides deep insight into the relationship of the structure-properties of cocrystal systems, but also facilitates the design of multifunctional cocrystal materials and enriches their potential applications.

Subjects

Subjects :
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20411723
Volume :
15
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Nature Communications
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.98ec875cff9a4b97a50c639d9eafd610
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46869-6