Colonization of materials surfaces with microorganisms and consequent formation of biofilms provide an important economic and public health challenge. With the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance which make traditional biochemical methods to kill microorganisms ineffective, new alternative surface coatings that can physically inactivate bacteria are needed. Here, we present the incorporation of photothermal agents into polymeric matrices to obtain nanocomposite surface coatings that can kill bacteria through elevated temperatures when irradiated with light. Carbon nanotubes functionalized with NIR-absorbing fluorophores are designed as effective photothermal agents that can kill bacteria through laser activated heat generation. The array of fluorophores self-assembled on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) acted as a light harvesting antenna that increased the NIR light absorption and heat generation capacity of MWNTs. MWNT/Fluorophore nanohybrids generated elevated temperatures over 90°C upon NIR laser irradiation resulting in effective killing of P.aeruginosa cells in dispersion. When MWNT/Fluorophore nanohybrids were embedded into waterborne polyurethane matrix, resulting nanocomposite coatings presented temperatures reaching 120°C upon laser light irradiation and effectively killed all P.aeruginosa cells attached to the surface. Nanocomposite coatings containing photothermal agents were also demonstrated to be activated with sunlight, where surfaces reached temperatures suitable to physically destruct bacteria when irradiated with sunlight. Photothermal agents based on fluorophore enhanced carbon nanotubes and their surface coatings presented here have strong potential as antimicrobial and antibiofilm nanomaterials effective on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.