Research Projects

The proposed research aims to prevent biofilm formation on biomedical devices by developing robust and broad-spectrum antimicrobial multilayer coatings. The synergistic antimicrobial coatings will combine the intrinsic antimicrobial activity of 2D materials (black phosphorus, MoS2, Ti3C2) with the antimicrobial biopolymer (trimethylchitosan and protamine, peptide). Protamine and trimethylchitosan have shown promising antibacterial and antifungal activity due to their cationic nature. These biopolymers could improve the interaction with negatively charged lipid cell walls of bacteria/fungi and enhance selectivity in combination with the 2D materials. The multilayer coatings will be deposited on medical grade implants, characterized using AFM, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of 2DMs/biopolymer coatings on different stages of microbial biofilm formation on substrates will be studied, including cell adhesion and biofilm formation. The antimicrobial activities of these coatings will be tested against drug-resistant E. coli and S. aureus and fungal strains. The durability of the biofilm inhibiting activity of multilayer coatings will be tested by studying biofilm formation in PBS solution at 37oC for different time points. Morphological studies of cells after treatment with coated substrates will be examined under TEM to reveal physical/mechanical damage. The glutathione depletion assay will reveal oxidative stress to gain insights into cell death. The biocompatibility of 2DMs/biopolymer coatings will be tested using mammalian cells.