Cu2O quantum dots redefining photodynamic therapy with one-minute pathogen inactivation under visible light

Abstract

This work utilizes tailored – Cu₂O quantum dots (QDs) to demonstrate unprecedented pathogen photo-inactivation. The superior ROS production of the QDs synthesized at 180 °C with a size of 8.10 nm resulted in a 99.98 % reduction of MRSA, 99.78 % of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 98.92 % of SARS-CoV Delta within 1 min under visible light. Cu₂O QDs efficiently reduced 99.25 % viability of 4T1 cancer cells in 15 min while maintaining more than 85 % viability in healthy HEK 293 cells, underlining its selectivity. This finding may establish Cu₂O QDs as the next-generation anti-pathogen agents for advanced photodynamic therapy (PDT), biomedical sterilization, and hospital applications.