Newly designed nanocrystals can kill bacteria under visible light

Rice University scientists have developed halide perovskite nanocrystals that have shown potential as antimicrobial agents that are stable, effective, and easy to produce. The scientists developed a method that coated the halide perovskite nanocrystals in two layers of silicon dioxide. Next, they tested the antimicrobial properties and durability of the double-coated halide perovskite nanocrystals and showed that under relatively low levels of visible light, the halide perovskite nanocrystals destroyed more than 90% of E. coli bacteria in a solution after six hours.