Antibacterial Property of Graphene Quantum Dots (Both Source Material and Bacterial Shape Matter).

Whereas diverse graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with basal planes similar to those of graphene oxide sheets (i.e., GO-GQDs) lack antibacterial property, that prepared by rupturing C60 cage (i.e., C60-GQD) effectively kills Staphylococcus aureus, including its antibiotic-tolerant persisters, but not Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The observed activity may correlate with a GQD's ability to disrupt bacterial cell envelop. Surface-Gaussian-curvature match between a GQD and a target bacterium may play critical role in the association of the GQD with bacterial cell surface, the initial step for cell envelope disruption, suggesting the importance of both GQDs' source materials and bacterial shape.