CARBON NANOTUBE BASED HYBRID NANOSTRUCTURES AS PHOTOTHERMAL ANTIMICROBIAL NANOMATERIALS

Betül Oruç
Materials Science and Engineering, MSc. Thesis, 2018

Thesis Jury

Asst. Prof Hayriye Ünal (Thesis Advisor), Prof. Dr. Kürşat Şendur,

 Prof. Dr. Sedef Tunca Gedik

Date & Time: July 17th, 2018 – 11.00 AM

Place: FENS G015

Keywords: Photothermal agents, carbon nanotubes, antimicrobial coating, antibiofilm coating, self-assembly, DNA nanostructures, fluorophores arrays 

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is estimated to account for nearly 10 million deaths annually by 2050 according to recent high-profile reports. In this respect, AMR is a serious public health concern that requires urgent actions for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Rapid progress in nanotechnology has opened new horizons for the development of innovative therapies leading to the physical destruction of bacteria as an alternative to biochemical treatments. Photothermal treatment based on nanomaterials is a remarkable solution to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria through light induced elevated heat generation. However, their heat generation capacity is restricted to inherent light absorption properties of these nanoparticles. In this thesis, we presented two novel methods to prepare effective carbon nanotube (CNT) based photothermal agents by hybridizing with arrays of fluorophores and three-way-junctions DNA nanostructures. These hybridization methods provided an enhancement in the light absorption and heat generation capacity of CNTs and prepared nanohybrids showed remarkable photothermal activity on bacteria.