Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising material for the development of antimicrobial surfaces due to its contact-based antimicrobial activity. However, the relationship between GO physicochemical properties and its antimicrobial activity has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the size-dependency of GO antimicrobial activity using the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. GO suspensions of average sheet area ranging from 0.01 to 0.65 μm(2) were produced and their antimicrobial activity evaluated in cell suspensions or as a model GO surface coating. The antimicrobial activity of GO surface coatings increased 4-fold when GO sheet area decreased from 0.65 to 0.01 μm(2). The higher antimicrobial effect of smaller GO sheets is attributed to oxidative mechanisms associated with the higher defect density of smaller sheets. In contrast, in suspension assays, GO interacted with bacteria in a cell entrapment mechanism; in this case, the antimicrobial effect of GO increased with increasing sheet area, with apparent complete inactivation observed for the 0.65 μm(2) sheets after a 3 h exposure. However, cell inactivation by GO entrapment was reversible and all initially viable cells could be recovered when separated from GO sheets by sonication. These findings provide useful guidelines for future development of graphene-based antimicrobial surface coatings, where smaller sheet sizes can increase the antimicrobial activity of the material. Our study further emphasizes the importance of an accurate assessment of the antimicrobial effect of nanomaterials when used for antimicrobial surface design.

Graphene-based materials are gaining heightened attention as novel materials for environmental applications. The unique physicochemical properties of graphene, notably its exceptionally high surface area, electron mobility, thermal conductivity, and mechanical strength, can lead to novel or improved technologies to address the pressing global environmental challenges. This critical review assesses the recent developments in the use of graphene-based materials as sorbent or photocatalytic materials for environmental decontamination, as building blocks for next generation water treatment and desalination membranes, and as electrode materials for contaminant monitoring or removal. The most promising areas of research are highlighted, with a discussion of the main challenges that we need to overcome in order to fully realize the exceptional properties of graphene in environmental applications.

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Functionalization of electrospun mats with antimicrobial nanomaterials is an attractive strategy to develop polymer coating materials to prevent bacterial colonization on surfaces. In this study we demonstrated a feasible approach to produce antimicrobial electrospun mats through a postfabrication binding of graphene-based nanocomposites to the nanofibers' surface. A mixture of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and chitosan was electrospun to yield cylindrical and narrow-diameter (356 nm) polymeric fibers. To achieve a robust antimicrobial property, the PLGA-chitosan mats were functionalized with graphene oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles (GO-Ag) via a chemical reaction between the carboxyl groups of graphene and the primary amine functional groups on the PLGA-chitosan fibers using 3-(dimethylamino)propyl-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride and N-hydroxysuccinimide as cross-linking agents. The attachment of GO-Ag sheets to the surface of PLGA-chitosan fibers was successfully revealed by scanning and transmission electron images. Upon direct contact with bacterial cells, the PLGA-chitosan mats functionalized with GO-Ag nanocomposites were able to effectively inactivate both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Our results suggest that covalent binding of GO-Ag nanocomposites to the surface of PLGA-chitosan mats opens up new opportunities for the production of cost-effective, scalable, and biodegradable coating materials with the ability to hinder microbial proliferation on solid surfaces.

We demonstrate the functionalization of thin-film composite membranes with zwitterionic polymers and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for combating biofouling. Combining hydrophilic zwitterionic polymer brushes and biocidal AgNPs endows the membrane with dual functionality: antiadhesion and bacterial inactivation. An atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) reaction is used to graft zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) brushes to the membrane surface, while AgNPs are synthesized in situ through chemical reduction of silver. Two different membrane architectures (Ag-PSBMA and PSBMA-Ag TFC) are developed according to the sequence AgNPs, and PSBMA brushes are grafted on the membrane surface. A static adhesion assay shows that both modified membranes significantly reduced the adsorption of proteins, which served as a model organic foulant. However, improved antimicrobial activity is observed for PSBMA-Ag TFC (i.e., AgNPs on top of the polymer brush) in comparison to the Ag-PSBMA TFC membrane (i.e., polymer brush on top of AgNPs), indicating that architecture of the antifouling layer is an important factor in the design of zwitterion-silver membranes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging indicated that PSBMA-Ag TFC membranes effectively inhibit biofilm formation under dynamic cross-flow membrane biofouling tests. Finally, we demonstrate the regeneration of AgNPs on the membrane after depletion of silver from the surface of the PSBMA-Ag TFC membrane.