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Recently, antibacterial coatings based on graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites have attracted many studies around the world. The use of polymers as the matrices of GO nanofillers in the nanocomposites has been explored to produce efficient coatings against bacteria. One of the most prospective applications is the incorporation of GO into biocompatible polymers, which can produce antibacterial coatings. Here, recent progresses on the antibacterial coatings of nanocomposites based on biocompatible polymers and GO are reviewed. The effect of GO filler concentrations, biocide materials, and biocompatibility are discussed to find the most efficient antibacterial activity and biocompatibility of nanocomposites. Among biocompatible polymers, chitosan (Cs), poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), and poly lactic acid (PLA) are the most popular matrices used for the nanocomposites. This review also elaborates challenges in the use of other biocompatible polymers. Future works on biocompatible antibacterial coatings should be conducted by considering the concentration of GO nanofillers or adding other materials such as essential oils to suppress the toxicity toward functional cells.

In this study, we have developed a new composite material consisting of polyacrylamide (PAM) and graphene oxide (GO), enhanced by clove essential oil (CEO). Firstly, we synthesized the PAM/GO composite via a physical adsorption method and then uniformly distributed the CEO into the PAM/GO composite via an ultrasonication process. We then characterized the resulting nanocomposite by XRD, UV–Vis and FTIR spectroscopy in order to confirm the uniform distribution of CEO on the PAM/GO composite. The results demonstrate that PAM/GO can support and stabilize the CEO molecules. Moreover, we compared the antibacterial activity of PAM/GO/CEO with other samples, i.e. PAM, GO and the PAM/GO composite. The results showed that the composite containing CEO had the highest antibacterial activities against S. aureusand E. colibacteria, with clear zones of 12 and 14 mm, respectively. The mechanism of this antibacterial activity can be attributed to the properties of GO and CEO.