Recent progress in construction strategies and synergistic antibacterial mechanisms of bacteriophage-coupled nanocomposites

The exacerbation of antimicrobial resistance and biofilm-associated infections poses new challenges to conventional antibiotic therapy. Bacteriophages offer advantages such as high host recognition specificity and the ability to lyse target bacteria with minimal impact on the normal microbiota, but face limitations including a narrow host spectrum, limited environmental stability, and insufficient clearance efficiency against mature biofilms. Nanomaterials, characterized by tunable size, large specific surface area, facile surface modification, and high functional integrability, can enhance antibacterial effects through mechanisms such as metal ion release, reactive oxygen species generation, and photothermal conversion; however, their active targeting ability and biosafety still require improvement. In recent years, nanohybrid systems constructed by coupling phages with nanomaterials have achieved significant progress in combating drug-resistant bacteria and eradicating biofilms, demonstrating promising application potential in fields such as precision antibacterials, wound dressings, and implant modification. This review systematically summarizes the construction strategies for such materials, including electrostatic adsorption, covalent coupling, template-directed in situ growth, and functionalization mediated by phage-derived molecules. The underlying mechanisms are analyzed with emphasis on targeted recognition and interfacial enrichment, multi-mechanism synergistic killing, biofilm penetration and destruction, and resistance mitigation. On this basis, the current major challenges are summarized, including preservation of phage activity, multi-scale stability, structure–function relationships, and scalable preparation. Future directions for intelligent responsive carriers and rational design are also prospected. This review aims to provide a reference for the rational design and translational application of phage–nanomaterial hybrid systems.