Figure 1.

Morphological changes of E. coli treated with AuPt NPs (40 μg mL⁻¹, 2 h) visualized with A) SEM and B) TEM. In (A), antibacterial Au₉₀Pt₁₀, Au₈₀Pt₂₀, and Au₅₁Pt₄₉ induced the lysis of bacterial cells. In (B), Au₈₀Pt₂₀ induced blurring of the cytoplasm membrane, loss of the interior structure, and formation of a large-scale light area (the status of lysis).