Dehydroxylation of Kaolinite Tunes Metal Oxide–Nanoclay Interactions for Enhancing Antibacterial Activity

Engineered nanoparticle–support interaction is an effective strategy for tuning the structures and performance of engineered nanoparticles. Here, we show that dehydroxylation kaolinite nanoclay as support could induce zinc oxide–kaolinite interactions. We used free energy theory, electron microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy to identify strengths between metal oxides underlying induced by dehydroxylation. Desirable exposure nanoparticle sites geometrical crystal structure were obtained interface interactions ZnO nanoparticles nanoclay. The surface oxide–nanoclay results in different interfacial interactions, properties electron-donating (??) electron-accepting (?+) parameters have significant effects on acceptor. This could, turn, promote stronger oxide surface, which produce more active (0001) Zn-polar surfaces with promoting growing along <0001> direction. Reactive oxygen species, leached ions, transfer can modulate antibacterial activities samples a function energy. further demonstrates work has new application potential biomedicine materials science.