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Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications
Published on: August 4, 2018
Recent advances in responsive antibacterial materials: design and application scenarios
Bo Zhang1, Derong Lu1, Hongwei Duan1
1School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637457, Singapore. hduan@ntu.edu.sg.
Abstract:
Bacterial infection is one of the leading causes of death globally, although modern medicine has made considerable strides in the past century. As traditional antibiotics are suffering from the emergence of drug resistance, new antibacterial strategies are of great interest. Responsive materials are appealing alternatives that have shown great potential in combating resistant bacteria and avoiding the side effects of traditional antibiotics. In this review, the responsive antibacterial materials are introduced in terms of stimulus signals including intrinsic (pH, enzyme, ROS, etc.) and extrinsic (light, temperature, magnetic fields, etc.) stimuli. Their biomedical applications in therapeutics and medical devices are then discussed. Finally, the author's perspective of the challenge and the future of such a system is provided.
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