Lightning-Rod Effect on Nanowire Tips Reinforces Electroporation and Electrochemical Oxidation: An Efficient Strategy for Eliminating Intracellular Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Abstract

Conventional oxidative disinfection methods are usually inefficient to eliminate intracellular antibiotic resistance genes (i-ARGs) due to competitive oxidation of cellular components of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), resulting in the ubiquitous occurrence of ARGs in drinking water systems. Herein, we developed the strategy of coupling electroporation and electrochemical oxidation on a Co 3 O 4 -nanowires-modified electrode to destroy the multiresistant Escherichia coli cells and promote subsequent i-ARG (bla TEM-1 and aac(3)-II) degradation. The lightning-rod effect over nanowire tips can form finite regions with a locally enhanced electric field and highly concentrated charge density, in turn facilitating the electroporation for ARB cell damage and electrochemical reactivity for reactive chlorine/oxygen species generation. Characterization of the ARB membrane integrity and morphology revealed that electroporation-induced cell pores were further enlarged by the oxidation of reactive species, resulting in i-ARG removal at lower applied voltages and with 6−9 times lower energy consumption than the conventional electrochemical oxidation approach with a Co 3 O 4 -film-modified electrode. The satisfactory application and effective inhibition of horizontal gene transfer in tap water further demonstrated the great potential of our strategy in the control of the ARG dissemination risk in drinking water systems.

Efficient Air Disinfection Achieved by Nanowire-Modified Copper Mesh Electrodes

“…Recent researches have demonstrated that there were electrochemical oxidation and reactive species in water disinfection by different electrodes. − For example, H 2 O 2 was detected during electric disinfection in 10 mM NaCl solution with carbon fiber felt . Reactive chlorine was generated coupled with electroporation simultaneously in 10 mM PBS with Cu 3 P-NW electrodes .…”

“…44 Reactive chlorine was generated coupled with electroporation simultaneously in 10 mM PBS with Cu 3 P-NW electrodes. 46 To determine the electrochemical process during the disinfection, the potential formation of H 2 O 2 and Cl 2 in the collected air droplets and aerosols was tested with the electrode working in high humidity, and the KI solution was atomized instead to test the formation of I 2 by the direct oxidation from the electrode (part 2.6, Figure 5d). The H 2 O 2 was below the limit of detection (10 −6 M), and only a very small amount of Cl 2 was detected (0.02 mg/L).…”

Electrocatalytic Generation of Singlet Oxygen via ROS-Mediated Redox Chain Reaction for Efficient Disinfection

“…The intensity of the DNA bands gradually decreased and disappeared with the increase of treatment time (Figure c) . The flow-cytometric was used to detect the integrity of E. coli cell membranes before and after treatment . The results showed that most of the bacterial cell membranes were damaged after 3 min of disinfection.…”

“…55 The flow-cytometric was used to detect the integrity of E. coli cell membranes before and after treatment. 57 The results showed that most of the bacterial cell membranes were damaged after 3 min of disinfection. After 6 min, the proportions of Q2 (78.2%) and Q1 (10.3%) increased significantly, indicating that most of the bacterial cell's membranes were severely damaged after 6 min of disinfection, accompanied by DNA leakage or degradation of Q4 (4.80%; Figure 4d−f).…”

Meta-Aerogel Electric Trap Enables Instant and Continuable Pathogen Killing in Face Masks

“…Electroporation-based disinfection technology, as a rapid and effective method, achieves millisecond inactivation owing to its disinfection mechanism, highlighting the superior features of high biocidal efficiency, broad-spectrum biocide, and continuous operation. , Consequently, this technology holds great promise as an exceptional candidate for constructing bioprotective equipment. However, the superior disinfection performances of this technology require the generation of a strong electric field (>10 6 V m –1 ), which relies on the utilization of a high driving voltage (>10 kV). , As a consequence, the practical implementation for daily availability of this technology is restrained by the need for heavy-duty and complex power supply equipment.…”