"Reactive" Chemical Strategy to Attain Substrate Independent "" Omniphobic Solid Anti-Biofouling Coatings.

Covalent and defect-free surface-grafted solid lubricating chains that can impart slippery behavior have proven advantageous over lubricant infused and textured anti-wetting surfaces. Herein, the co-hydrolysis and co-condensation of a mixture of organosilanes followed by the epoxy-amine ring opening reaction at the interface results in a highly robust, transparent and solid slippery omniphobic coating (LL-OSC). The presence of the epoxy-terminated organosilane a) acts as a molecular spacer in between the low-surface energy, rigid fluorine terminated silane and b) provides 'reactive' epoxy groups for covalent binding to a pre-functionalized amine surface for potential applicability in droplet transport and manipulation, diagnostics etc.

Investigation of the susceptibility of clinical infection loads to nitric oxide antibacterial treatment.

The persistent infection of medical devices by opportunistic pathogens has led to the development of antimicrobial medical device polymers. Nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenous antimicrobial molecule that is released through the degradation of synthetic donor molecules such as S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) embedded into polymer membranes. It is hypothesized that the clinical success of these polymers is enhanced by the physiological release of NO and the consequent prevention of infection.

Surface Engineering for Endothelium-Mimicking Functions to Combat Infection and Thrombosis in Extracorporeal Life Support Technologies.

Blood-contacting medical devices routinely fail from the cascading effects of biofouling toward infection and thrombosis. Nitric oxide (NO) is an integral part of endothelial homeostasis, maintaining platelet quiescence and facilitating oxidative/nitrosative stress against pathogens. Recently, it is shown that the surface evolution of NO can mediate cell-surface interactions.

-Acetyl Cysteine-Decorated Nitric Oxide-Releasing Interface for Biomedical Applications.

Biomedical devices are vulnerable to infections and biofilm formation, leading to extended hospital stays, high expenditure, and increased mortality. Infections are clinically treated the administration of systemic antibiotics, leading to the development of antibiotic resistance. A multimechanistic strategy is needed to design an effective biomaterial with broad-spectrum antibacterial potential.

Applying laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and elemental imaging on marine shells for archaeological and environmental research.

Using LIBS for the analysis of archaeological and geological marine mollusc shells is a growing research area that relies on customised instrumentation and specific workflows that can accommodate the variety and precision of the required sampling parameters. However, the increased efficiency offered by LIBS, which enables the study of a larger quantity of shell samples for temperature variation, ecological parameters, and human consumption practices, outweighs the initial efforts required to develop customised instrumentation and workflows. In this work, we present detailed specifications and parameters for the development of a LIBS system capable of generating Mg/Ca images on marine shells that directly correlate with seasonal sea temperatures.