Healthcare-associated infections are a major global issue, leading to suffering, high costs, and increased antibiotic resistance. Most infections arise from medical devices like catheters and implants, where bacteria enter the body through foreign surfaces.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology are investigating how graphene, a thin two-dimensional material, can help combat antibiotic resistance and infections in healthcare.
They are developing a graphene-based, ultra-thin, antibacterial material that can be applied to any surface, including biomedical devices, surgical surfaces, and implants to exclude bacteria.
Since graphene prevents bacteria from attaching to surfaces, it does not contribute to antibiotic resistance, unlike chemical alternatives such as antibiotics.
While graphene’s bactericidal properties have been shown in the lab, researchers have struggled to control the orientation of graphene flakes for use on medical devices. So far, these properties can only be controlled in the direction of the manufacturing process. However, Chalmers researchers have now made a promising breakthrough that could enable practical applications in healthcare and beyond.
Roland Kádár, Professor of Rheology at Chalmers University of Technology, said, “We have managed to find a way to control the effects of graphene practically in several different directions and with a very high level of uniformity of the orientation. This new orientation method makes it possible to integrate graphene nanoplates into medical plastic surfaces and get an antibacterial surface that kills 99.9% of the bacteria that try to attach. This allows for significantly greater flexibility when manufacturing bacteria-killing medical devices using graphene.”
By arranging earth magnets in a circular pattern, researchers created a magnetic field that aligned graphene uniformly, achieving a strong bactericidal effect on surfaces of any shape. This method, known as the “Halbach array,” strengthens and uniformizes the magnetic field inside the array while weakening it on the outside, allowing for the practical unidirectional orientation of graphene.
Viney Ghai, researcher in Rheology and Processing of Soft Matter at Chalmers University of Technology, said, “This is the first time the Halbach array method has been used to orient graphene in a polymer nanocomposite. Now that we have seen the results, of course, we want these graphene plates to get introduced in the healthcare sector so that we can reduce the number of healthcare-related infections, reduce suffering for patients, and counteract antibiotic resistance.”
The new orientation technology has great potential in various fields, including batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, and durable, water-resistant packaging materials.
Roland Kádár said, “Given its broad impact across these areas, this method truly opens up new horizons in material alignment, providing a powerful tool for the successful design and customization of nanostructures that mimic the intricate architectures found in natural systems.”
Journal Reference:
- Viney Ghai, Santosh Pandit, Magnus Svensso et al. Achieving Long-Range Arbitrary Uniform Alignment of Nanostructures in Magnetic Fields. Advanced Functional Materials. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202406875
