Durable Surfaces from Film-Forming Silver Assemblies for Long-Term Zero Bacterial Adhesion without Toxicity

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Biofilm formation on medical devices is a persistent clinical challenge.
• Current silver coatings have limitations including toxicity, instability, and short-term efficacy.
• Need for durable, non-toxic, long-term antibiofilm solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop silver-based film-forming antibacterial engineered (SAFE) assemblies.
• To create a durable, lubricous antibiofilm surface with long-term activity.
• To ensure applicability to diverse materials via scalable processes without silver toxicity.

Main Methods:

• Large-scale screening to optimize silver nanoparticle incorporation into a stable coating.
• Development of a coating with high surface hierarchy and coverage for sustained silver release.
• Scalable dip/spray/solution-skinning processes for versatile material application.

Main Results:

• The lead SAFE coating demonstrated zero bacterial adhesion over one month against diverse, challenging bacterial strains.
• Effective incorporation of silver nanoparticles (∼10 nm) into a non-sticky, stable coating.
• Demonstrated sustained silver release, high biocompatibility, and excellent in vivo antibiofilm activity.

Conclusions:

• SAFE assemblies offer a promising solution for long-term prevention of biofilm formation on medical devices.
• The developed coating overcomes limitations of current silver technologies, providing sustained efficacy without toxicity.
• This technology is applicable to various materials through scalable manufacturing processes.