Biofilm inhibition on superhydrophobic PDMS

Abstract

Suppressing the propagation of germs is a common challenge in a variety of fields, including the environment, industry and human healthcare. However, since the number of all surface bacteria spread throughout the industry is significant, it is impossible to sterilize them all. Therefore, in order to inhibit biofilm generated by bacterial propagation, materials are coated on the surface of various substance or the structure fabrication is being studied. In this study, we replicated a structure on the surface of PDMS by simple method and compared the formation of biofilm between the superhydrophobic PDMS surface and bare PDMS surface. As a result, 14.29% colony formation was reduced in the fabricated PDMS compared to the silicon. This study confirmed that the formation of biofilm on the superhydrophobic surface was inhibited. When the fabricated PDMS is applied industrially, PDMS pipes provide environmental and human health benefits because the fabricated PDMS is always resistant to contamination without internal cleaning. © Science Press 2020.