Advanced materials for precise detection and antibiotic-free inhibition of bacteria

The infection induced by harmful bacteria has become one of the leading public health concerns worldwide, threatening social health and the economy. In addition, new and multidrug-resistant pathogens are continuously emerging with the abuse of antibiotics. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop advanced platforms for precise detection and antibiotic-free inhibition of pathogens toward large-scale clinical applications. Advanced materials with unique structure and surface chemistry have emerged in bacterial detection and inhibition, while still lacking explicit elaboration of the connections between material properties and analytical/inhibition performance. This review describes the recent advancements regarding the precise detection of pathogens based on advanced materials incorporated with analytical approaches, including colorimetry, fluorescence, and molecular fingerprinting platforms. The antibacterial applications of advanced material-assisted platforms are then reviewed from three mechanism concepts of physical, chemical, and synergetic damage. The review ends with ideas on current limitations and some potential perspectives, thus may serving as a handbook to guide future research.