Two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx (MXene) has been recently explored as novel water desalination/purification membranes. MXenes are a new family of atomically thin, two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and carbonitrides that can challenge graphene and other well-studied 2D materials due to a unique combination of properties and a large diversity of compositions. In this work, we investigated the antibacterial properties of the colloidal solutions of two-dimensional (2D) single- and few- layer Ti3C2Tx MXene and micrometer-thick membranes coated on commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support. The anti-bacterial properties of Ti3C2Tx were tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus Subtilis (B. subtilis) by using bacterial growth curves based on optical densities (OD) and colonies growth on agar nutritive plates. Compared with graphene oxide (GO), which has a similar 2D structure and has been widely reported as an antibacterial agent, Ti3C2Tx shows a much higher antibacterial efficiency toward both Gram-negative bacteria E. coli and Gram-positive bacteria B. subtilis. A significant decrease in bacterial cell viability was observed within 4 h of exposure both by colony-forming unit (CFU) and regrowth curve coupled with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. SEM and TEM studies reviled obvious physical damage to the cellular membrane induced by direct contact with MXene nanosheets. MXene membranes are expected to be resistant to bio-fouling and offer bactericidal properties. On the basis of these results, we introduce MXenes as a new family of 2D antimicrobial nanomaterials. TEM images of the E. coli (top panel) and B. subtilis (bottom panel) treated with 200 µg/ml of Ti3C2Tx for 4 h at low and high magnifications, respectively.

Antibacterial activity of Ti3C2Tx (MXene): Towards new antifouling membranes

251st National Meeting (2016)

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