Physically Switchable Antimicrobial Surfaces and Coatings: General Concept and Recent Achievements.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Bacterial colonization and biofilm formation on surfaces pose significant risks in medical devices and food packaging.
• Developing surfaces resistant to bacterial colonization is a critical challenge across various industries.
• Nanostructured smart surfaces with on-demand antimicrobial protection represent a promising solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles and recent advancements in physically activated nanostructured surfaces for antimicrobial protection.
• To highlight multiresponsive and multifunctional physically activated coatings.
• To discuss the integration of detection and killing mechanisms for targeted surface activation.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature focusing on physical activation methods for nanostructured surfaces.
• Discussion of external stimulus applications: temperature, light, electric/magnetic fields, and mechanical force.
• Analysis of multi-stimuli triggering and hybrid detection-and-kill approaches.

Main Results:

• Physically activated smart surfaces offer controllable, on-demand antimicrobial protection.
• Multiresponsive surfaces provide enhanced control and simultaneous application of diverse antimicrobial strategies.
• Hybrid 'detect-and-kill' approaches enable precise, timely surface activation.

Conclusions:

• Physically activated nanostructured surfaces are a viable strategy for combating bacterial contamination.
• Multi-stimuli and hybrid systems offer advanced control and efficacy in antimicrobial surface design.
• Continued research in this area holds significant potential for improving safety in medical and food industries.