In contrast to materials that release compounds that kill bacteria, contact antimicrobial surfaces do what they sound like:  they kill the bacteria that they touch.  Contact antimicrobial surfaces are therefore economical from the perspective of expensive antimicrobial compounds, with the additional benefits of minimal toxicity and a lack of dosing issues (or depletion of compound with time.)   A challenge, however, is that the cationic functionality necessary to ensure intimate microbe-surface contact and to afford killing is responsible for retention of dead bacteria, which then form a breeding ground for further biofilm growth.  Here we investigate the utility of clustering cationic charge in nanoscale elements:  By concentrating adhesive and antimicrobial functionality on otherwise nonadhesive surfaces we demonstrate selective bacterial capture, surprisingly high killing efficiencies at low levels of functionalization, and bacterial release.  The possible mechanism, especially in terms of charge density and surface topography are further explored.

Nanoscale design of self-cleaning surfaces that manipulate and kill bacteria

245th National Meeting (2013)

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