Microorganisms such as bacteria and cells that adhere to the surfaces of implanted medical devices can cause catastrophic infections. Since chemical modifications of materials’ surfaces have poor long-term performance, we here propose to develop an alternative novel approach using physical surface topology for killing adherent bacteria. Surface topology is of great interest to develop bactericidal surfaces in place of traditional chemical-based approaches that are often toxic to human beings and environments. Many experimental and computational studies reported a concept of engineered topographies to produce surfaces with controlled interactions with bacteria. A key aspect of bactericidal properties of nanopatterned surfaces is the larger the stretching degree on nanopatterned surfaces, the better the bactericidal efficiency. However, the detailed structure-property relationship is still in debate. In this research, we aim to develop a new paradigm of designing a nanopatterned polymer surface using polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS- b-PMMA) diblock co-polymers on a solid as a rational model. We will present the roles of geometric parameters of nanopatterns in antimicrobial properties against model bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Listeria as well as model cells, fibroblasts and platelets.

Fabrication of nanotopographical polymer surfaces for antimicrobial properties

ACS Spring 2022

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