Beyond PEO - Lubricant infused surfaces as next generation antifouling surfaces
Jochen Gutmann, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
Effective cleaning of surfaces is often a complex multi-component problem. This is especially true for the removal of bacteria from surfaces. In order to amplify the cleaning performance, active surface coatings can be used to make the surface more or less sticky to bacteria. Since most bacterial surfaces are in contact with humidity, lubricant infused slippery surfaces are a facile way to tune adhesion. An anti-stick functionality is especially important for, colony forming bacteria may circumvent an antiadhesive surface function via the formation of a biofilm. To fight a biofilm formation an additional antibacterial effect of the surface would be beneficial. Commonly such an antibacterial effect precludes the formation of a slippery surface.
In this talk we will present a general route to the formation of surfaces in which the degree of stickiness an antibacterial effect is tunable. We will show how such a surface can be rationally designed and how issues concerning long term stability in aqueous media can be addressed.