The pathogenic microorganisms in water pose a great threat to human health. Photothermal and photothermocatalytic disinfection using nanomaterials (NPs) has offered a promising and effective strategy to address the challenges in solar water disinfection (SODIS), especially in the point-of-use operations. This review aims at providing comprehensive and state-of-the-art knowledge of photothermal-based disinfection by NPs. The fundamentals and principles of photothermal-based disinfection were first introduced. Then, recent advances in developing photothermal/photothermocatalytic catalysts were systematically summarized. The light-to-heat conversion and disinfection performance of a large variety of photothermal materials were presented. Given the complicated mechanisms of photothermal-based disinfection, the attacks from reactive oxygen species and heat, the destruction of bacterial cells, and the antibacterial effects of released metal ions were highlighted. Finally, future challenges and opportunities associated with the development of cost-effective photothermal/photothermocatalytic disinfection systems were outlined. This review will provide guidance in designing future NPs and inspire more research efforts from environmental nano-communities to move towards practical water disinfection operations.

水中的病原微生物对人体健康构成极大威胁。使用纳米材料 (NPs) 的光热和光热催化消毒为解决太阳能水消毒 (SODIS) 中的挑战提供了一种有前景的有效策略，特别是在使用点操作中。本综述旨在提供关于 NPs 光热消毒的全面和最先进的知识。首先介绍了光热消毒的基本原理和原理。然后，系统总结了光热/光热催化催化剂的最新进展。介绍了多种光热材料的光热转换和消毒性能。鉴于基于光热的消毒机制复杂，突出了活性氧和热量的攻击，细菌细胞的破坏以及释放的金属离子的抗菌作用。最后，概述了与开发具有成本效益的光热/光热催化消毒系统相关的未来挑战和机遇。这篇综述将为设计未来的纳米粒子提供指导，并激发环境纳米社区的更多研究努力，转向实用的水消毒操作。