Laser-assisted manufacturing of graphene-based antibacterial surfaces

Research Project, 2023 – 2024

Purpose and goal
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is a global problem that cause a lot of suffering, high costs for healthcare and an increased risk of the spread of antibiotic resistance. The majority of HAIs are associated with the use of invasive medical devices that are colonized by bacteria, a problem that could be reduced if the product is provided with an antibacterial surface. The goal of the project is to evaluate the potential for using laser to develop an efficient manufacturing process for an antibacterial surface based on graphene.

Expected results and effects
Previous projects have demonstrated that a surface with upright graphene flakes very effectively prevents bacterial colonization. This is because the graphene flakes make it difficult for bacteria to attach to the surface and they can also puncture bacteria that try. The graphene surface has potential to work against most types of bacteria including antibiotic-resistant strains and without inducing resistance development as it only prevents colonization. However, commercialization depends on a scalable manufacturing process, and such is evaluated in this project.