Decontamination from water pollutants and pathogens by electrospun nanofibers doped with heavy-atom-free borafluorene-BODIPY photosensitizers

A heavy-atom-free and non-toxic spirocyclic C-BODIPY singlet oxygen photosensitizer was successfully incorporated into electrospunpolymeric nanofibers. Optimization of the material composition revealed that polycaprolactone (PCL), an FDA- and EMA-approved,biodegradable, easily accessible, and cost-efficient polymer, doped with BODIPY at a concentration of only 0.15 wt %, isan efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of the pharmaceutical agents ranitidine, propranolol, and cimetidine, selected as modelwater pollutants. The obtained nanofibers showed smooth and uniform morphology along with very high durability and resistancetoward oxidation, remaining active even after 20 reaction cycles. EDX, ToF-SIMS and XPS analyses confirmed the homogenousdistribution of BODIPY within the polymeric matrix. Furthermore, the materials showed significant photoinactivation of Staphylococcusaureus under white light irradiation compared to the control experiment performed without irradiation. These findings highlightthe potential of the electrospun PCL nanofibers as optimal matrix for the immobilization with singlet oxygen photosensitizersand subsequent application in the decontamination of water from pollutants and pathogens.