The research team published A paper titled "A plant leaf-mimicking film with tailored photodynamic" in Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies antibacterial behavior for efficient preservation of perishable products ". The first author is Dr. Liang Zhang and corresponding author is Professor Wang Jianlong. The first author is Northwest A&F University.

This work unveiled a novel biomimic visible light-harvesting film (NHC-Cur-CS) with exceptional photodynamic  bactericidal activity to address the microbial spoilage of perishable products. This film was designed through a  demand-oriented tailoring process that involved the integration of curcumin-loaded nitrogen-rich hollow/porous carbon  fillers (NHC-Cur) and the skillful selection of chitosan (CS) matrix. The NHC-Cur-CS film boasts an impressive array of  antibacterial features,  including high killing rates (≥ 99.27%) and short processing times (20 min) upon visible light stimulation. The NHC-Cur-CS film has demonstrated commendable preservation performance,  extending the shelf-life of citrus by up to 2.2 times. These desirable outcomes stem from the innovative designs: (i) the formation of Z-type heterojunction and hollow/porous structure bestow NHC-Cur with superior photodynamic  activity,  and (ii) the meticulous matching of NHC-Cur with CS mitigates the shortcomings of both materials in antibacterial  process. These remarkable features highlight the potential of NHC-Cur-CS film for safeguarding perishable products  effectively.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2023.103459