Multifunctional antifouling coatings involving mesoporous nanosilica and essential oil with superhydrophobic, antibacterial, and bacterial antiadhesion characteristics

Abstract

Bacterial adhesion to material surfaces is a prominent cause of bacterial infections and diseases. Antifouling coatings have garnered increasing attention in recent years as a means to address this significant challenge in surface hygiene and microbiological safety. In this study, a multifunctional antibacterial coating that employs a simultaneous release-inactivation and superhydrophobic antiadhesion strategy is presented. In this context, mesoporous silica nanoparticles were synthesized and chemically modified to provide dual functionality. First, the deposition of nanoparticles establishes a nanotopography with a low surface energy, resulting in a superhydrophobic surface, which minimizes the contact between aqueous bacterial suspensions and the surfaces. Second, periodic nanopores within the nanoparticles could be infused with cinnamon essential oil, which gradually diffuses into the surrounding medium, leading to the inactivation of planktonic bacteria. Quantitatively, the developed coating exhibited notable antibacterial and antiadhesion properties, reducing the proliferation of Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus by 99.9% and 99.6%, respectively. It also demonstrated excellent mechanical and chemical durability. With its facile, low-cost, and universal fabrication, as well as its metal-free and fluorine-free properties, we anticipate this coating to have significant potential in mitigating the risk of bacterial contamination in biomedical applications and the food industry.