Durable omniphobicity of oil-impregnated anodic aluminum oxide nanostructured surfaces.

Recently, various types of porous surfaces have been demonstrated for lubricant (e.g., oil) impregnated omniphobic surfaces.

Transmission of Monospecies and Dual-Species Biofilms from Smooth to Nanopillared Surfaces.

The transmission of bacteria in biofilms from donor to receiver surfaces precedes the formation of biofilms in many applications. Biofilm transmission is different from bacterial adhesion, because it involves biofilm compression in between two surfaces, followed by a separation force leading to the detachment of the biofilm from the donor surface and subsequent adhesion to the receiver surface. Therewith, the transmission depends on a balance between donor and receiver surface properties and the cohesiveness of the biofilm itself.

Nanoengineered Superhydrophobic Surfaces of Aluminum with Extremely Low Bacterial Adhesivity.

Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on surfaces are troublesome in many industrial processes. Here, nanoporous and nanopillared aluminum surfaces were engineered by anodizing and postetching processes and made hydrophilic (using the inherent oxide layer) or hydrophobic (applying a Teflon coating) with the aim of discouraging bacterial adhesion. Adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12600 (Gram-positive, spherically shaped) and Escherichia coli K-12 (Gram-negative, rod-shaped) was evaluated to the nanoengineered surfaces under both static and flow conditions (fluid shear rate of 37 s).

Staphylococcal Adhesion, Detachment and Transmission on Nanopillared Si Surfaces.

Nanostructured surfaces are extensively considered with respect to their potential impact on bacterial adhesion from aqueous suspensions or air, but in real-life bacteria are often transmitted between surfaces. Mechanistically, transmission involves detachment of adhering bacteria from a donor and adhesion to a receiver surface, controlled by the relative values of the adhesion forces exerted by both surfaces. We here relate staphylococcal adhesion, detachment and transmission to, from, and between smooth and nanopillared-Si surfaces with staphylococcal adhesion forces.

Impact of 3D Hierarchical Nanostructures on the Antibacterial Efficacy of a Bacteria-Triggered Self-Defensive Antibiotic Coating.

Titanium is often applied in implant surgery, but frequently implicated in infections associated with bacterial adhesion and growth on the implant surface. Here, we show that hierarchical nanostructuring of titanium and the subsequent coating of resulting topographical features with a self-defensive, antibacterial layer-by-layer (LbL) film enables a synergistic action of hierarchical nanotopography and localized, bacteria-triggered antibiotic release to dramatically enhance the antibacterial efficiency of surfaces. Although sole nanostructuring of titanium substrates did not significantly affect adhesion and growth of Staphylococcus aureus, the coating of 3D-nanopillared substrates with an ultrathin tannic acid/gentamicin (TA/G) LbL film resulted in a 10-fold reduction of the number of surface-attached bacteria.