Growth of Cu₂O Nanoparticles on Two-Dimensional Zr-Ferrocene-Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets for Photothermally Enhanced Chemodynamic Antibacterial Therapy

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets have been demonstrated to be promising templates for the growth of various kinds of nanomaterials on their surfaces to construct novel 2D composites, thus realizing enhanced performance in various applications. Herein, we report the growth of Cu₂O nanoparticles on 2D Zr-ferrocene (Zr-Fc)-MOF (Zr-Fc-MOF) nanosheets to prepare 2D composites for near-infrared (NIR) photothermally enhanced chemodynamic antibacterial therapy. The uniform Zr-Fc-MOF nanosheets are synthesized using the solvothermal method, followed by ultrasound sonication, and Cu₂O nanoparticles are then deposited on its surface to obtain the Cu₂O-decorated Zr-Fc-MOF (denoted as Cu₂O/Zr-Fc-MOF) 2D composite. Promisingly, the Cu₂O/Zr-Fc-MOF composite shows higher chemodynamic activity for producing ·OH via Fenton-like reaction than that of the pristine Zr-Fc-MOF nanosheets. More importantly, the chemodynamic activity of the Cu₂O/Zr-Fc-MOF composite can be further enhanced by the photothermal effect though NIR laser (808 nm) irradiation. Thus, the Cu₂O/Zr-Fc-MOF composite can be used as an efficient nanoagent for photothermally enhanced chemodynamic antibacterial therapy.