Metainterface Heterostructure Enhances Sonodynamic Therapy for Disrupting Secondary Biofilms.

Abstract

Implant-related secondary infections are a challenging clinical problem. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) strategies are promising for secondary biofilm infections by nonsurgical therapy. However, the inefficiency of SDT in existing acoustic sensitization systems limits its application. Therefore, we take inspiration from popular metamaterials and propose the design idea of a metainterface heterostructure to improve SDT efficiency. The metainterfacial heterostructure is defined as a periodic arrangement of heterointerface monoclonal cells that amplify the intrinsic properties of the heterointerface. Herein, we develop a TiO₂/Ti₂O₃/vertical graphene metainterface heterostructure film on titanium implants. This metainterface heterostructure exhibits extraordinary sonodynamic and acoustic-to-thermal conversion effects under low-intensity ultrasound. The modulation mechanisms of the metainterface for electron accumulation and separation are revealed. The synergistic sonodynamic/mild sonothermal therapy disrupts biofilm infections (antibacterial rates: 99.99% for <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, 99.54% for <i>Escherichia coli</i>), and the osseointegration ability of implants is significantly improved in <i>in vivo</i> tests. Such a metainterface heterostructure film lays the foundation for the metainterface of manipulating electron transport to enhance the catalytic performance and holding promise for addressing secondary biofilm infections.