Mechanobactericidal Nanotopography on Nitrile Surfaces toward Antimicrobial Protective Gear

Abstract

We have much to learn from other living organisms when it comes to engineering strategies to combat bacterial infections. This study describes the fabrication of cicada winginspired nanotopography on commercially pure (CP) nitrile sheets and nitrile gloves for medical use using the reactive ion etching (RIE) technique. Antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa was tested using two different surface morphologies. It was observed that the etched nitrile surfaces effectively minimized bacterial colonization by inducing membrane damage. Our findings demonstrate a single-step dry etching method for creating mechanobactericidal topographies on nitrile-based surfaces. These findings have utility in designing next-generation personal protective gear in the clinical setting and for many other important applications in the age of antimicrobial resistance.

Biodegradation of Nitrile Gloves as Sole Carbon Source of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Liquid Culture

“…However, their study utilized an aerobic inoculum from a wastewater treatment plant and did not account for the biofilm properties of bacteria. Our findings indicate that P. aeruginosa can attach to the surface of nitrile gloves through its biofilm mechanism, facilitating polymer biodegradation and its abilities for both aerobic and anaerobic respiration, allowing P. aeruginosa to switch between aerobic oxidation and denitrification under anaerobic conditions [ 55 , 56 , 57 ]. This highlights two important implications: firstly, for the nitrile glove industry, our results demonstrate the feasibility of employing P. aeruginosa biofilms in developing biodegradation processes to mitigate plastic pollution.…”

Progress in Nanostructured Mechano-Bactericidal Polymeric Surfaces for Biomedical Applications

“…To generate different morphologies of polymeric nanostructured surfaces, many studies were conducted using different chemical and mechanical methods. Nanoimprinting lithography (NIL) [57,132], electron beam lithography (EBL) [141,158], reactive ion etching (RIE) [159,160], colloidal lithography [161,162], laser-based lithography tech-…”

“…To generate different morphologies of polymeric nanostructured surfaces, many studies were conducted using different chemical and mechanical methods. Nanoimprinting lithography (NIL) [57,132], electron beam lithography (EBL) [141,158], reactive ion etching (RIE) [159,160], colloidal lithography [161,162], laser-based lithography techniques, and anodic aluminium oxide template (AAOT) [141,163,164] are polymer nanostructured surface fabrication methods which are used in the literature (Table 3). The NIL, EBL, and AAOT processes demonstrate high nanofeature parameter controllability.…”

“…Kayes et al developed a nanostructured surface on PP polymer via maskless RIE (without using a photoresist pattern mask) method under different plasma gas conditions, and achieved a bactericidal activity on E.coli bacteria [171]. Moreover, Patil et al was successful in obtaining more than 85% of bactericidal efficacy against P. aeruginosa bacteria on commercially pure nitrile (CPN) and nitrile gloves without using a mask in RIE [160]. Moreover, the etching time, type of gas, gas pressure, plasma gas flowrate, and plasma power are crucial parameters in this process to optimise the nanostructures to obtain the required bactericidal efficacy.…”