**4. Conclusions**

In this study, the Van-modified MoS2-loaded nanosystem, which was encapsulated in a chitosan hydrogel, was established to examine its antibacterial activity and wound healing ability. The results showed that the thickness of MoS2 NPs was <100 nm, whereas other experiments revealed that the surface of MoS2 was successfully modified by Van. The antimicrobial activity was enhanced when Van was labeled. The photothermal characterization experiments confirmed that MoS2 had good photothermal conversion efficiency, and cellular uptake assays verified the active capture of *S. aureus* by Van, which significantly improved the photothermal inhibition of bacterial growth. The results of in vitro experiments indicated that NIR could significantly increase the antibacterial activity of MoS2 NPs, whereas those of flow cytometry showed that NPs could increase the apoptotic rate of bacterial cells. The morphological features of bacterial cells treated with MoS2-Van-FITC NPs and NIR irradiation were examined, and NPs were observed to disrupt the integrity of the bacterial cell wall. Furthermore, MoS2-Van-FITC combined with NIR irradiation could disrupt the cell morphology, induce apoptosis, and affect cell proliferation in vitro. In a wound healing assay, the MoS2-Van-FITC@CS hydrogel could accelerate wound healing. In summary, MoS2 in combination with NIR irradiation shows good applicability in the inhibition of bacterial growth, and the CS hydrogel in combination with a photothermal agen<sup>t</sup> that actively traps *S. aureus* can disinfect the wound and maintain a moist environment to accelerate wound healing.

**Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https: //www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/nano12111865/s1, Figure S1: The thermal imaging images of MoS2-Van-FITC@CS at different concentrations (50, 100 and 200 μg/mL) and NIR irradiation (808 nm; 2 W/cm2); Figure S2: Thermal images of the test in MIC.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, W.Z.; Data curation, W.Z., Z.K. and L.Z.; Formal analysis, W.Z. and Z.K.; Funding acquisition, P.S., W.L., L.G., Y.T. and F.G; Investigation, P.S., W.L. and C.T.; Methodology, P.S., W.L., C.T., F.G. and L.Z.; Project administration, L.G.; Resources, Y.T.; Writing— original draft, W.Z. and Z.K.; Writing—review & editing, Z.K. and L.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** The work was supported by the National natural science foundation of China (31671797), Anhui Nature Science Foundation (2008085QH397), Anhui Provincial Higher Education Institutes (KJ2020a0375 and KJ2021A0511), Anhui Polytechnic University (xjky2020064), Natural Science Foundation of Anhui University (KJ2020A118), Youth Key Talents Program of Wannan Medical College(wyqnyx202005).

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** The animal study protocol was approved by Suzhou University (Suzhou, China) (approval number: 202010A415).

**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.

**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
