Revolutionizing Antibacterial Surfaces: 3D Printed Nanoscale and Microscale Topographies through Two-Photon Polymerization

Abstract:

The evolving bacteria defense mechanism against antimicrobial agents due to the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial chemicals has led to a catastrophic problem - antimicrobial resistance, this has spurred the quest for innovative antibacterial approach to inhibit bacterial growth effectively without using any chemicals. Tailored nano- and microstructured architecture, inspired by natural nanotopography such as those found on cicada wings, hold great promise in antibacterial activity due to their unique mechano-antibacterial properties. Among the various nano-/microfabrication techniques, the two-photon polymerisation (TPP) stands out as a versatile and precise approach to fabricate arbitrarily functional three-dimensional structures with sub-micrometre resolution. The process involves the use of femtosecond laser pulses to induce polymerization of a biocompatible acrylate-based photoresin in a precise spatial pattern to generate the nano-/microarchitecture. In this study, we investigated the influence of key fabrication parameters, such as laser power, exposure time, and interface value to achieve the final pre-defined nano-/microarchitecture. Microscopy analysis showed that nanostructure of heights between 350-650 nm; 300-400 nm diameter; and increasing center-to-center distances of 700-2000 nm were successfully fabricated. The mechano-antibacterial feasibility of the two photon-designed nanoarchitecture were tested against P. aeruginosa pathogenic bacteria commonly encountered in healthcare settings. Our results showed that the TPP nano-/microarchitecture demonstrated intriguing antibacterial activity through physico-mechanical interactions between the nano-/microarchitectures and bacteria, creating surfaces that exhibit bactericidal activity. This study paves the way for advanced antibacterial applications in the field of nanotechnology and biomedicine, making a significant contribution to the ongoing efforts in combating antimicrobial resistance and promoting global health.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 977)
• Pages: 163-172
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-9mqIpb
• Online since: March 2024
• Authors: Ning Tan*, Jisun Im, Nigel Neate, Ricky D. Wildman, Georgina Elizabeth Marsh, Maxine Swee Li Yee
• Keywords: Mechano-Antibacterial, Microstructures, Nanostructures, Two-Photon Polymerization

References

[1] Klevens RM et al., "Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002," Public Health Rep., vol. 122, no. 2, 2007.

[2] A. Cassini et al., "Burden of Six Healthcare-Associated Infections on European Population Health: Estimating Incidence-Based Disability-Adjusted Life Years through a Population Prevalence-Based Modelling Study," PLoS Med., vol. 13, no. 10, 2016.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002150

[3] T.F. Mah, "Biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance," Future Microbiology. 2012.

DOI: 10.2217/fmb.12.76

[4] E.P. Ivanova et al., "Natural bactericidal surfaces: Mechanical rupture of pseudomonas aeruginosa cells by cicada wings," Small, vol. 8, no. 16, 2012.

DOI: 10.1002/smll.201200528

[5] S. Dai, D. Zhang, Q. Shi, X. Han, S. Wang, and Z. Du, "Biomimetic fabrication and tunable wetting properties of three-dimensional hierarchical ZnO structures by combining soft lithography templated with lotus leaf and hydrothermal treatments," CrystEngComm, vol. 15, no. 27, 2013.

DOI: 10.1039/c3ce40238j

[6] K. Mediaswanti, "Influence of Physicochemical Aspects of Substratum Nanosurface on Bacterial Attachment for Bone Implant Applications," Journal of Nanotechnology, vol. 2016. 2016.

DOI: 10.1155/2016/5026184

[7] F. Jipa, M. Zamfirescu, A. Velea, M. Popescu, and R. Dabu, "Femtosecond Laser Lithography in Organic and Non-Organic Materials," in Updates in Advanced Lithography, 2013.

DOI: 10.5772/56579

[8] L.J. Jiang, J.H. Campbell, Y.F. Lu, T. Bernat, and N. Petta, "Direct writing target structures by two-photon polymerization," in Fusion Science and Technology, 2016, vol. 70, no. 2.

DOI: 10.13182/FST15-222

[9] X.Zhou, Y.Hou, and J.Lin, "A review on the processing accuracy of two-photon polymerization," AIP Adv., 2015.

DOI: 10.1063/1.4916886

[10] M. Emons, K. Obata, T. Binhammer, A. Ovsianikov, B. N. Chichkov, and U. Morgner, "Two-photon polymerization technique with sub-50 nm resolution by sub-10 fs laser pulses," Opt. Mater. Express, 2012.

DOI: 10.1364/ome.2.000942

[11] S.M. Kelleher et al., "Cicada Wing Surface Topography: An Investigation into the Bactericidal Properties of Nanostructural Features," ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, vol. 8, no. 24, 2016.

DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b08309

[12] M.T.T. Thi, D. Wibowo, and B.H.A. Rehm, "Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms," International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 22. 2020.

DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228671

[13] S. Pogodin et al., "Biophysical model of bacterial cell interactions with nanopatterned cicada wing surfaces," Biophys. J., vol. 104, no. 4, 2013.

DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.12.046

[14] D.P. Linklater, V.A. Baulin, S. Juodkazis, R.J. Crawford, P. Stoodley, and E.P. Ivanova, "Mechano-bactericidal actions of nanostructured surfaces," Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2021.

DOI: 10.1038/s41579-020-0414-z

[15] S. O'Halloran, A. Pandit, A. Heise, and A. Kellett, "Two-Photon Polymerization: Fundamentals, Materials, and Chemical Modification Strategies," Advanced Science, vol. 10, no. 7. 2023.

DOI: 10.1002/advs.202204072

[16] M. N. Dickson, E. I. Liang, L. A. Rodriguez, N. Vollereaux, and A. F. Yee, "Nanopatterned polymer surfaces with bactericidal properties," Biointerphases, 2015.

DOI: 10.1116/1.4922157

[17] S. Baron, Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. 1996.

[18] S. Wu, F. Zuber, K. Maniura-Weber, J. Brugger, and Q. Ren, "Nanostructured surface topographies have an effect on bactericidal activity," J. Nanobiotechnology, 2018.

DOI: 10.1186/s12951-018-0347-0

[19] C. D. Bandara et al., "Bactericidal Effects of Natural Nanotopography of Dragonfly Wing on Escherichia coli," ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, vol. 9, no. 8, 2017.

DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b13666

[20] J. Hasan, S. Jain, R. Padmarajan, S. Purighalla, V. K. Sambandamurthy, and K. Chatterjee, "Multi-scale surface topography to minimize adherence and viability of nosocomial drug-resistant bacteria," Mater. Des., 2018.

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2017.11.074

[21] Z. Yang, X. Bai, X. He, and C. Yuan, "Study on biomimetic antifouling surface preparation based on surface microstructure of crabs," 2019.

DOI: 10.1109/ICTIS.2019.8883729

[22] J. Hasan, S. Raj, L. Yadav, and K. Chatterjee, "Engineering a nanostructured 'super surface' with superhydrophobic and superkilling properties," RSC Adv., 2015.

DOI: 10.1039/c5ra05206h

[23] X. Jing, H. Fu, B. Yu, M. Sun, and L. Wang, "Two-photon polymerization for 3D biomedical scaffolds: Overview and updates," Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, vol. 10. 2022.

DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.994355