Antifouling property of nanostructured surfaces prepared by self-assembly of block copolymer micelles (II): Bacterial adsorption

Biofouling constitutes a major healthcare challenge, particularly in the design of medical devices. Our prior research has demonstrated that a dense array of polystyrene (PS) nanopillars (with a height of 10 nm, a domain spacing of 70 nm, and a diameter of 50 nm) on a silicon (Si) substrate exhibits highly efficient dual bactericidal and bacteria-releasing properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli) during 36 hours of immersion. In this presentation, we aim to create different nanostructured surfaces by self-assembly of block copolymer micelles and investigate the effect of surface geometric parameters on bactericidal and bacteria-releasing properties against E. coli. Polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) block-copolymer in p-xylene, which formed micelles with a P2VP-core and PS-shell, were spun-cast on Si substrates creating dome-like patterns. E. coli cultures were introduced to these nanodomes at 37 °C. Hoechst 33342 and the PI dyes were used to visualize both live and dead bacteria, respectively. The influence of geometric parameters, such as domain spacing or height, on the dual functions and a comparison with those of the nanopillars will be discussed in the presentation.