Co3O4 Nanowires Capable of Discharging Low Voltage Electricity Showing Potent Antibacterial Activity for Treatment of Bacterial Skin Infection

Overuse of antibiotics has led to multidrug resistance in bacteria, posing a tremendous challenge to the healthcare system. There is an urgent need to explore unconventional strategies to overcome this issue. Herein, for the first time, we report a capacitive Co3O4 nanowire (NW) electrode coated on flexible carbon cloth, which is capable of eliminating bacteria while discharging, for the treatment of skin infection. Benefiting from the unique NW-like morphology, the Co3O4 NW electrode with increased active sites and enhanced capacitive property exhibits a prominent antibacterial effect against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria after charging at a low voltage of 2 V for 30 min. Furthermore, the electrode is demonstrated to be recharged for multiple antibacterial treatment cycles without significant change of antibacterial activity, allowing for practical use in a non-clinical setting. More importantly, this Co3O4 NW electrode is capable of damaging bacterial cell membrane and inducing the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species without impairing viability of skin keratinocytes. In a mouse model of bacterial skin infection, the Co3O4 electrode shows significant therapeutic efficacy by eradicating colonized bacteria, thus accelerating the healing process of infected wounds. This nanostructured capacitive electrode provides an antibiotic-free, rechargeable, and wearable approach to treat bacterial skin infection.