The effect of graphene–poly(methyl methacrylate) fibres on microbial growth

A novel class of ultra-thin fibres, which affect microbial growth, were explored. The microbial properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) fibres containing 2, 4 and 8 wt% of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were studied. GNPs were dispersed in a polymeric solution and processed using pressurized gyration...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInterface focus Vol. 8; no. 3; p. 20170058
Main Authors Matharu, Rupy Kaur, Porwal, Harshit, Ciric, Lena, Edirisinghe, Mohan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England The Royal Society 06.06.2018
Subjects
Bacterial Activity
Fibres
Graphene
Gyration
Nanomaterials
Pressurized Gyration
pressurized gyration
nanomaterials
fibres
gyration
bacterial activity
graphene
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:A novel class of ultra-thin fibres, which affect microbial growth, were explored. The microbial properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) fibres containing 2, 4 and 8 wt% of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were studied. GNPs were dispersed in a polymeric solution and processed using pressurized gyration. Electron microscopy was used to characterize GNP and fibre morphology. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of beaded porous fibres. GNP concentration was found to dictate fibre morphology. As the GNP concentration increased, the average fibre diameter increased from 0.75 to 2.71 µm, while fibre porosity decreased. Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used to investigate the properties of 2, 4 and 8 wt% GNP-loaded fibres. GNP-loaded fibres (0 wt%) were used as the negative control. The fibres were incubated for 24 h with the bacteria; bacterial colony-forming units were enumerated by adopting the colony-counting method. The presence of 2 and 4 wt% GNP-loaded fibres promoted microbial growth, while 8 wt% GNP-loaded fibres showed antimicrobial activity. These results indicate that the minimum inhibitory concentration of GNPs required within a fibre is 8 wt%.
Bibliography:Theme issue ‘The biomedical applications of graphene’ organized by Mohan Edirisinghe
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
One contribution of 13 to a theme issue ‘The biomedical applications of graphene’.
ISSN:2042-8898
2042-8901
DOI:10.1098/rsfs.2017.0058