Cu/graphene oxide composited coatings for preventing clinical implant bacterial infections: an antibacterial mechanism study.

Recently, graphene oxide (GO) based materials have shown great potential in the treatment of implant bacterial infections due to its inherent antibacterial activity. However, the effect of GO-based materials on biological systems particularly the antibacterial mechanisms is still not clear. In this study, GO, NaBH4 treated GO (GO-Y), copper decorated GO (GO-Cu, GO-Cu-GO) composited coatings were prepared on the surface of silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrate by spin-coating and chemical in-situ formation. The growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on GO-Y, GO-Cu, and GO-Cu-GO were significantly inhibited, especially on GO-Cu and GO-Cu-GO coatings. The implied antibacterial mechanism of GO-Cu-Cu coatings was further studied and discussed. The enhanced antibacterial performance of GO-Cu-GO coatings has significant potential application in preventing clinical implant bacterial infections. Moreover, the systematic study of various antibacterial effects also enriches our knowledge of the possible antibacterial mechanisms of graphene-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]