Functional Nanomaterials and Their Potential Applications in Antibacterial Therapy.

In the past decades, nanomaterials have shown great potential in biomedical fields, especially in drug delivery, imaging and targeted therapy. Recently, the development of novel functional nanomaterials for antibacterial application has attracted much attention. Compared to the traditional direct use of antibiotics, antibacterial nanomaterials either as drug delivery systems or active agents have a higher efficacy and lower side effects. Herein, we will focus on the antibacterial applications of four commonly used nanomaterials, including metal-based nanomaterials, polymeric nanoparticles, graphene oxides or carbon-based nanomaterials and nanogels.