The widespread use of antibiotics has led to an elevated variety of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens, highlighting the necessity for novel antibacterial nanomaterials with chemical and structural tunability. Right here, we current the antibacterial properties/pathways of two molybdenum-based double transition metallic (DTM) MXenes (Mo2TiC2Tx and Mo2Ti2C3Tx) and examine them with Ti3C2Tx MXene. We exhibit that the antibacterial effectiveness of those MXenes is concentration- and time-dependent, with extended publicity time being extra influential at decrease focus ranges (< 25 µg/mL). Bodily harm to E. coli cell partitions by MXene nanoknives (sharp edges of MXene flakes), and disruption in metabolic features by way of oxidative stress had been key antibacterial pathways for Mo2TiC2Tx, Mo2Ti2C3Tx, and Ti3C2Tx MXenes. A 1 h sonication of MXene options diminished their flake sizes (common lateral measurement of 234 ± 163 nm) and led to substantial enchancment of their antibacterial efficiency by bolstering the provision of nanoknives for bodily harm to bacterial cells. Nonetheless, extended sonication (2 h) resulted in diminished antibacterial effectiveness, doubtlessly as a result of morphological defects of MXene flakes. We additionally studied the metallic ion launch and disc inhibition zone, which revealed no direct correlation between the MXenes’ antibacterial properties and the leaching of ions or fragments. This examine demonstrates the potential for bettering the antibacterial effectiveness of molybdenum-containing DTM MXenes by controlling their chemical and structural traits.
