Piezoelectronic composite materials for catalytic antibacterial applications: mechanisms and recent advances

Bacterial infections pose significant challenges to public health and clinical treatment. Nanocatalysis-based antibacterial strategies can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), achieving broad-spectrum antibacterial activity while reducing the risk of drug resistance. This review summarizes the research progress of piezotronic effect-enhanced catalytic antibacterial systems, including piezocatalysis, piezo-photocatalysis, and piezo-nanozyme platforms. Studies show that piezoelectric materials under mechanical stress or ultrasonic stimulation can significantly improve inactivation efficiency against common pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, the integration of piezotronic effects with photocatalysis or nanozymes can markedly enhance electron–hole separation efficiency and ROS generation through interfacial polarization, charge synergistic migration, and energy band alignment, thereby further improving antibacterial performance. In practical applications, piezo-enhanced catalytic materials have demonstrated excellent performance in wound treatment, antibacterial fabrics, water disinfection, and infection prevention of bone implants. Overall, piezotronic effects can significantly enhance the catalytic antibacterial activity of nanomaterials, enabling self-driven, green, and efficient sterilization, and providing innovative strategies for clinical infection control and environmental purification.