State of the Art in the Antibacterial and Antiviral Applications of Carbon-Based Polymeric Nanocomposites

Abstract

The development of novel approaches to prevent bacterial infection is essential for enhancing everyday life. Carbon nanomaterials display exceptional optical, thermal, and mechanical properties combined with antibacterial ones, which make them suitable for diverse fields, including biomedical and food applications. Nonetheless, their practical applications as antimicrobial agents have not been fully explored yet, owing to their relatively poor dispersibility, expensiveness, and scalability changes. To solve these issues, they can be integrated within polymeric matrices, which also exhibit antimicrobial activity in some cases. This review describes the state of the art in the antibacterial applications of polymeric nanocomposites reinforced with 0D fullerenes, 1D carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and 2D graphene (G) and its derivatives such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Given that a large number of such nanocomposites are available, only the most illustrative examples are described, and their mechanisms of antimicrobial activity are discussed. Finally, some applications of these antimicrobial polymeric nanocomposites are reviewed.

Engineering alginate hydrogel films with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-valerate) and graphene nanoplatelets: Enhancement of antiviral activity, cell adhesion and electroactive properties

“…We also provide a successful method of producing composite PHBV materials with antiviral properties. CBNs are well-known to possess broad spectrum antimicrobial properties [8] , [16] , however, their antimicrobial activity after incorporation into polymer matrices depends on the amount of CBNs added [12] , [63] . Polymers can act like plastic bags covering antimicrobial nanomaterials, thus reducing their antimicrobial potential.…”

Recent advances in nanozymes for combating bacterial infection

“…Many water-soluble fullerene derivatives have been designed, synthesized, and used as photodynamic therapy agents, antiviral agents, bioimaging agents, and drug delivery agents. 24,25 A novel amine-functionalized fullerene derivative (C70-(EDA)8) has been reported to exhibit high performance in killing superbugs, and in vivo studies have shown that C70-(EDA)8 possesses robust reactive oxide species (ROS) scavenging ability to regulate immune responses and growth factor secretion, thereby alleviating bacterial infection and accelerating wound healing. 26 In Ghabdian's research, chitosan (Chi) and glycine (Gly) were modified onto the surface of fullerene to endow Chi/Gly functionalized fullerene nanoparticles (Chi–Gly–Ful NPs) with good water solubility and high positive surface charge, and the Chi–Gly–Ful NPs gel could suppress the growth of P. acnes and exhibited bactericidal performance comparable to that of streptomycin.…”

Composites of Vegetable Oil-Based Polymers and Carbon Nanomaterials

“…CNTs are rolled-up sheets of single-layer carbon atoms with sp 2 hybridization (Scheme 4) [14]. They can be divided into two main types: single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), seamless cylinders with only one carbon layer, or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), with multiple concentric carbon layers weakly bound together by van der Waals interactions.…”

“…To address these issues, different approaches have been described, such as mixing with other polymers [7], incorporating nanofillers [8][9][10][11], or the plasma treatment of the VOs or the carbon nanomaterials [8,9], which leads to bio-nanocomposites with improved performance. Specifically, their antimicrobial activity can be improved through incorporation of metal, metal-oxide nanoparticles, or carbon nanomaterials [12][13][14]. Moreover, enzymatic catalysis has been recently used for the modification and polymerization of VOs and their derivatives [15].…”