Recent Advances in Antibacterial Superhydrophobic Coatings

Abstract

Microorganisms have existed for hundreds of millions of years and they have adapted to colonize on surfaces. [1] Bacteria are ubiquitous in the human living environment. Most bacteria spread through medical equipments and contacting with each other. [2] All over the world, the diseases caused by bacterial infections have brought terrible catastrophe to human beings. [3][4][5][6][7] Generally, people infected with infectious diseases are directly or indirectly related to contact with pathogenic microorganisms. The main stages of the attachment of bacteria at the interface include the migration of bacteria to the surface, the reversible and irreversible interactions between bacteria and the interface, the specific adsorption of bacteria on the substrate, and the proliferation of bacteria, thus forming a bacterial biofilm on the surface (Figure 1). [8] The bacteria can multiply quickly under suitable conditions, which induce various diseases and cause invalidation of apparatus. The colonization of bacteria on surfaces can result in chronic infections, [9] the failure of medical implants, [10] the biological corrosion of industrial equipments, [11] reducing various surface properties, such as petroleum and other pipelines systems, clothes, and other harmful phenomena. [12] Currently, antibiotics are mainly used to inhibit or kill bacteria to maintain surface hygiene and prevent infections. However, as bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, it is suggested that antibiotics should be much more cautiously used. It is estimated that antimicrobial resistance infections will kill as many as 10 million people every year by 2050. [13] Antimicrobial resistance is now an urgent international issue that requires imperative solutions, more effective antibacterial techniques are needed to fight bacterial infections. Inspired by the superwetting properties of plants and marine life, Li et al. [14] reviewed the research progresses of the preparation of superwetting materials including of superhydrophobic/superoleophilic and superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic materials and their applications for removal of organic pollutants, which provided a basis for the design of a new type of superwetting materials that efficiently remove organic pollutants in the water. Similarly, Tian et al. [15] developed a superwetting thin-film nanofibrous composite membrane with antifouling, self-cleaning, and oil-in-water emulsions separation properties. The as-prepared carbon nanotubes (CNTs) layer with superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties could absorb water as a selective layer to remove oil droplets from oil-in-water emulsions to present antifouling. The self-cleaning properties were promised by the continuously up-flowed permeate water. They claimed that the work provided a new insight for developing oil/water separation membranes which suffer from fouling and clogging. Also, Li et al. [16] summarized the recent progresses in smart polymeric materials for fabricating switchable superwettability surfaces and their oi...

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