Biomimetic Silicone Surfaces for Antibacterial Applications

Biomimetic patterning emerges as a promising antibiotic-free approach to protect medical devices from bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. The main advantage of this approach lies in its simplicity and scalability for industrial applications. In this study, we employ it to produce antibacterial coatings based on silicone materials, widely used in the healthcare industry. In doing so, we patterned silicone substrates with a topography of various flower petals (rose, chamomile, pansy, and magnolia) and studied the relationship between the antibacterial properties of the obtained biomimetic substrates and their surface topography. To study the surface topography of biomimetic surfaces, we used the fractal analysis of their SEM images. In particular, as a measure of surface complexity and heterogeneity, we used the values of the developed interfacial area ratio (<i>Sdr</i>) and lacunarity coefficient (β). In the result, we found that the bacterial area coverage of biomimetic substrates decreased exponentially with the increase in their surface complexity and heterogeneity, and prominent antibacterial properties were observed at β > 1.6 and <i>Sdr</i> > 50. The results of this study can be used to identify biomimetic materials with superior antibacterial properties and produce efficient antibacterial silicone coatings for biomedical and healthcare applications.