Ionic-liquid polymer brushes as antifouling surface coatings
Surfaces are prone to attract pollutants which is a severe problem in (bio)medical applications. Bacteria will attach themselves to a surface upon an infection, which will ultimately form a biofilm. Biofilms are highly problematic for medical implants as the bacteria are less affected by the applied antibiotics and hence are able to spread. Preventing biofilm formation will enable less usage of antibiotics leading to less resistance.
The aim is to develop a broadly applicable surface coating based on the concept of liquid surfaces using polymer brush technology combined with ionic-liquid polymers. The combination of liquid properties with surface-tethered polymer brushes enable the liquid surface to be slippery. This prevents any contaminant including bacteria to attach themselves to the surface. We use these surfaces as well as conventional brushes to investigate yeast-bacteria interactions to elucidate complex behaviour of mixed populations. The project is medically driven but with outreaches to the food industry.
Department: Biomedical Engineering, UMCG & RUG
Principal investigator(s): Henk Busscher, Henny van der Mei, Patrick van Rijn
Publications
Keskin, D., Zu, G., Forson, A. M., Tromp, L., Sjollema, J., & van Rijn, P. (2021). Nanogels: A novel approach in antimicrobial delivery systems and antimicrobial coatings. Bioactive Materials, 6(10), 3634-3657. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.03.004
Ribovski, L., de Jong, E., Mergel, O., Zu, G., Keskin, D., van Rijn, P., & Zuhorn, I. S. (2021). Low nanogel stiffness favors nanogel transcytosis across an in vitro blood–brain barrier. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 34, 102377. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2021.102377
Keskin, D., Tromp, L., Mergel, O., Zu, G., Warszawik, E., van der Mei, H. C., & van Rijn, P. (2020). Highly Efficient Antimicrobial and Antifouling Surface Coatings with Triclosan-Loaded Nanogels. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 12(52), 57721-57731. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c18172
Zu, G., Steinmüller, M., Keskin, D., van der Mei, H. C., Mergel, O., & van Rijn, P. (2020). Antimicrobial Nanogels with Nanoinjection Capabilities for Delivery of the Hydrophobic Antibacterial Agent Triclosan. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2(12), 5779-5789. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.0c01031
Keskin, D., Mergel, O., van der Mei, H. C., Busscher, H. J., & van Rijn, P. (2019). Inhibiting Bacterial Adhesion by Mechanically Modulated Microgel Coatings. Biomacromolecules, 20(1), 243-253. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.8b01378
Keskin, D., Mokabbar, T., Pei, Y., & Van Rijn, P. (2018). The Relationship between Bulk Silicone and Benzophenone-Initiated Hydrogel Coating Properties. Polymers, 10(5), 534. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/5/534