Spray Coating Oxidized Graphene-Based Materials Makes Polyurethane Surfaces Antibacterial and Biocompatible: A...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Preventing bacterial infections is critical for medical devices.
• Polyurethane (PU) is common in medical devices but prone to bacterial adhesion.
• Developing effective, non-antibiotic surface modifications is a key goal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore spray coating polyurethane (PU) with oxidized graphene-based materials (GBMox) for antibacterial properties.
• To investigate different GBMox formulations for tunable surface characteristics.
• To assess the antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility of these novel coatings.

Main Methods:

• Spray coating of PU surfaces with oxidized graphene nanoplatelets (GNPox) and graphene oxide (GO).
• Characterization using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), wettability, and stability tests.
• Evaluation of antibacterial activity against *Staphylococcus epidermidis* and *in vitro* biocompatibility with human fibroblasts.

Main Results:

• GNPox-containing coatings reduced bacterial adhesion by up to 82% without interference from plasma proteins.
• All tested GBMox coatings demonstrated *in vitro* biocompatibility.
• Coatings allowed tuning of cell adhesion properties, with GNPox/PU combinations retaining low cell adhesiveness.

Conclusions:

• GBMox coatings on PU enhance antibacterial performance and preserve biocompatibility.
• The spray coating method is scalable, reproducible, and suitable for industrial application.
• These findings present a promising antibiotic-free strategy for PU-based biomedical applications.