Intelligent antibacterial surface based on ionic liquid molecular brushes for bacterial killing and release

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Antimicrobial Engineering

Background:

• Preventing bacteria-induced infections is critical in surgery and biomedical engineering.
• Current intelligent antibacterial surfaces face challenges in fabrication and efficiency.
• There is a need for facile and effective antibacterial surface technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel ionic liquid (IL) molecules for antibacterial surface development.
• To create an efficient and easily fabricated antibacterial surface using these ILs.
• To investigate the ion-responsive release of bacteria from the functionalized surface.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of 3-(12-mercaptododecyl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide (IL(Br)) ionic liquid.
• Mussel-inspired surface functionalization of a polymeric substrate via IL(Br) immersion.
• Evaluation of antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
• Demonstration of ion-responsive bacterial release using ion-exchange with (CF3SO2)2N-.

Main Results:

• IL(Br) exhibited low minimum inhibitory concentrations (4 μg mL-1 for S. aureus, 8 μg mL-1 for E. coli).
• The functionalized surface achieved high killing efficiencies: 99% for S. aureus and 94% for E. coli.
• A significant percentage of bacteria (97% S. aureus, 95% E. coli) could be released via ion-exchange.

Conclusions:

• A facile and efficient strategy for creating intelligent antibacterial surfaces was developed.
• The mussel-inspired approach using IL(Br) offers superior antibacterial performance.
• The ion-responsive release mechanism presents a novel feature for tunable antibacterial surfaces.