Dual-functional poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)/poly(2-(dimethylamine)ethyl methacrylate)mixed brushes with switchable protein adsorption and antibacterial properties

Herein,binary mixed brushes consisting of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)(PMOXA)and poly(2-(dimethylamine)ethyl methacrylate)(PDMAEMA)with different chain lengths were fabricated by successive grafting of NH_(2)-terminated PMOXA and SH-terminated PDMAEMA onto polydopamine-anchored substrates.The mixed-brush coating was characterized by variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,zeta potential measurements,water contact angle,and atomic force microscopy.The mixed brushes showed tunable surface charge,wettability,and surface roughness,depending on the degree of PDMAEMA swelling under varying pH and ionic strength(Ⅰ).Then the adsorption behaviors of pepsin,bovine serum albumin(BSA),γ-globulin,and lysozyme,four very different proteins with regard to isoelectric point,on the mixed brushes coating were studied by using fluorescence microscopy and surface plasmon resonance.When the chain length of PDMAEMA was about twice as long as PMOXA,the mixed brushes not only had high adsorption capacity for pepsin,BSA,and y-globulin but also had a desorption efficiency of 86.9%,87.1%,and 93.5%,respectively.It is explained that electrostatic attraction between the protonated PDMAEMA and positively charged acidic proteins(pepsin and BSA,whose isoelectric points were below the pK_(a) of PDMAEMA)would drive the intensive adsorption(at pH 3,I=10^(-3)mol·L^(-1)for pepsin,and pH 5,I=10^(-5)mol·L^(-1)for BSA),while desorption was dominated by the hydrophilic PMOXA when PDMAEMA was shrinking(at pH 7,I=10^(-1)mol·L^(-1)for pepsin,and pH 9,I=10^(-1)mol·L^(-1)for BSA).Furthermore,the isoelectric precipitation led to the adsorption of neutral protein(γ-globulin,whose isoelectric point was near the pK_a of PDMAEMA)at pH 7,I=10^(-5)mol·L^(-1),while electrostatic repulsion and antifouling PMOXA triggered the desorption of y-globulin at pH 3,I-10^(-1)mol·L^(-1).However,alkaline protein(lysozyme,whose isoelectric point was higher than the pK_(a) of PDMAEMA)exhibited slight adsorption on PMOXA/PDMAEMA mixed brushes under test conditions,regardless of whether PMOXA or PDMAEMA occupied the outermost layer.The antibacterial property of the mixed brushes against Escherichia coli was investigated.PMOXA/PDMAEMA mixed brushes showed significant bactericidal activity at pH 3,I=10^(-3)mol·L^(-1),while the rinse of pH 9,I=10^(-1)mol·L^(-1)solution could remove most of the residual bacteria.This work not only enables controlled adsorption of proteins with different isoelectric points but also ensures that the surface of the coating is minimized from bacterial contamination.

Cationic engineered nanodiamonds for efficient antibacterial surface with strong wear resistance

The spread of diseases caused by bacterial adhesion and immobilization in public places constitutes a serious threat to public health.Prevention of bacteria spread by the construction of an antibacterial surface takes precedence over post-infection treatment.Herein,we demonstrate an effective antibacterial surface with strong wear resistance by constructing cationic engineered nanodiamonds(C-NDs).The C-NDs with positive surface potentials interact effectively with bacteria through electrostatic interactions,where the C-NDs act on the phospholipid bilayer and lead to bacterial membrane collapse and rupture through hydrogen bonding and residual surface oxygen-containing reactive groups.In this case,bactericidal rate of 99.99%and bacterial biofilm inhibition rate of more than 80%can be achieved with the C-NDs concentration of 1 mg/mL.In addition,the C-NDs show outstanding antibacterial stability,retaining over 87%of the antibacterial effect after stimulation by adverse environments of heat,acid,and external abrasion.Therefore,an antibacterial surface with high wear resistance obtained by integrating C-NDs with commercial plastics has been demonstrated.The antibacterial surface with a mass fraction of 1 wt.%C-NDs improved abrasion resistance by 3981 times,with 99%killing of adherent bacteria.This work provides an effective strategy for highly efficient antibacterial wear-resistant surface,showing great practical applications in public health environments.

Preparation, Antibacterial and Antistatic Properties of PP/Ag-Ms/CB Composites

Polypropylene（PP） composites that contain silver micro-particles（MILLION KILLER, denoted as Ag-Ms） and conductive carbon black（CB） have both antibacterial and antistatic properties. In the present study, the antibacterial and antistatic PP/Ag-Ms/CB composites were prepared by melt blending. The results showed that when the content was 0.8 wt%, Ag-Ms could be uniformly dispersed in the PP matrix and the mechanical properties of the composites remained stable. And the reduction percentages of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were more than 80% which showed the good antibacterial behavior. In addition, conductive carbon black had reinforcing and toughening effects on the mechanical properties of PP/Ag-Ms/CB composites. When the content of CB was beyond 30 wt%, the surface resistance of the composite was reduced to less than 108 Ω which showed a remarkable antistatic property. According to the different filling content of conductive carbon black, it can flexibly regulate the resistivity of PP, and the conductive effect is durable and stable. We thus can produce permanent antistatic materials.

Dual-function antibacterial surfaces to resist and kill bacteria:Painting a picture with two brushes simultaneously

Attachment of bacteria and subsequent formation of biofilms on material surfaces lead to serious consequences including infection,contamination and biofouling,posing a prominent threat to human health and causing problems in many industries.Therefore,it is highly desirable to endow the surfaces with antibacterial properties.Traditional antibacterial surfaces are designed via either bacteria-resisting strategy to prevent the initial adhesion of bacteria or bacteria-killing strategy to eradicate any bacteria that attach to the surface.However,these single-function surfaces have their inherent shortcomings and cannot realize long-term efficacy against bacteria.In recent years,various dual-function antibacterial surfaces with both bacteria-resisting and bacteria-killing properties together have been developed,showing better performance for combating surface-attached bacteria and preventing formation of biofilms.In this review,we summarize the recent development of these dual-function antibacterial surfaces.We focus on the design principles and fabrication strategies of such surfaces and highlight the representative examples,which are categorized specifically into two types according to the anti-adhesive and bactericidal properties are simultaneous or switchable.A brief perspective is finally presented on current challenges and future research directions.

Antibacterial surfaces:Strategies and applications

Antibacterial surfaces are surfaces that can resist bacteria,relying on the nature of the material itself.It is significant for safe food and water,human health,and industrial equipment.Biofilm is the main form of bacterial contamination on the material surface.Preventing the formation of biofilm is an efficient way to develop antibacterial surfaces.The strategy for constructing the antibacterial surface is divided into bacteria repelling and bacteria killing based on the formation of the biofilm.Material surface wettability,adhesion,and steric hindrance determine bacteria repelling performance.Bacteria should be killed by surface chemistry or physical structures when they are attached to a material surface irreversibly.Killing approaches are usually in the light of the cell membrane of bacteria.This review summarizes the fabrication methods and applications of antibacterial surfaces from the view of the treatment of the material surfaces.We also present several crucial points for developing long-term stability,no drug resistance,broad-spectrum,and even programable antibacterial surfaces.

Mechanically durable antibacterial nanocoatings based on zwitterionic copolymers containing dopamine segments

Developing an effective and durable antibacterial surface is important for surgical tools and biomedical implants.In this work,a zwitterionic copolymer containing catechol groups as biomimetic anchoring segments was coated onto 316 L stainless steel via drop-casting.Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS)and water contact angle(WCA)measurements indicated that the coatings made of the copolymers containing zwitterionic and dopamine segments at the molar ratios of 8:2 and 6:4 exhibited stronger stability and mechanical durability than the one at 9:1 after inducing tape-peeling and ultrasonication damage.The mechanically durable nanocoatings exhibited excellent antibacterial performance against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in a period of 3 days.The nanocoatings with zwitterionic and dopamine segments at the molar ratio of 8:2 were further evaluated and demonstrated durable antibacterial performance after tape-peeling and ultrasonication treatments.

A Biomimetic Surface for Infection-resistance through Assembly of Metal-phenolic Networks

Despite the fact that numerous infection-resistant surfaces have been developed to prevent bacterial colonization and biofilm formation, developing a stable, highly antibacterial and easily produced surface remains a technical challenge. As a crucial structural component of biofilm, extracellular DNA（eDNA） can facilitate initial bacterial adhesion, subsequent development, and final maturation. Inspired by the mechanistic pathways of natural enzymes（deoxyribonuclease）, here we report a novel antibacterial surface by employing cerium（Ce（Ⅳ）） ion to mimic theDNA-cleavage ability of natural enzymes. In this process, the coordination chemistry of plant polyphenols and metal ions was exploited to create an in situ metal-phenolic film on substrate surfaces. Tannic acid（TA） works as an essential scaffold and Ce（Ⅳ） ion acts as both a cross-linker and a destructor of eDNA. The Ce（Ⅳ）-TA modified surface exhibited highly enhanced bacteria repellency and biofilm inhibition when compared with those of pristine or Fe（Ⅲ）-TA modified samples. Moreover, the easily produced coatings showed high stability under physiological conditions and had nontoxicity to cells for prolonged periods of time. This as-prepared DNA-cleavage surface presents versatile and promising performances to combat biomaterial-associated infections.