Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have discovered a groundbreaking method to control the bactericidal properties of graphene, paving the way for a new generation of medical devices that can effectively combat healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance.
Graphene’s Untapped Potential
The wonder material graphene is also famous for its excellent bactericidal properties. Despite graphene’s promise, researchers have faced difficulties in applying this wonder material to practical devices because it is hard to control the orientation of porous three-dimensional flakes, Yang said.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have now earned a certification for taking on that challenge. Taking advantage of a technology similar to that in a regular fridge magnet, they align the graphene flakes only in one direction, forming an effective antibacterial surface.
Such discovery holds special importance in the context of healthcare-associated infections, which constitute a large global problem. These are often associated with the use of medical implants, catheters and surgical surfaces to which bacteria can adhere and colonize through a foreign surface. This new material — based on graphene — can be used as a coating for these devices, confirm the authors, killing nearly 99.99% of all bacteria that come in contact with them.
How to Work the Power of Magnets
What makes this research a success is the way they utilized a Halbach array, which is basically an arrangement of magnets, to produce a strong but even magnetic field in one direction and minimize that on the opposite side.
When the graphene flakes were added, this magnetic field was used to align and straighten such that the researchers could have a very similar as well as representative orientation of the tested bacteria in the hydrogel; aggressive for its antibacterial action. This process permits the precise orientation of the graphene, spreading the material on plastic surfaces (medical plastic material) and other devices that can function appropriately as a bactericidal agent.
What is noteworthy here too, is the sheer simplicity and effectiveness of this approach. Though the technology of Halbach array is not that different from what you might find in a typical refrigerator magnet, it has been ingeniously engineered to resolve a sophisticated issue in medical technology.
Conclusion
This breakthrough in magnetically aligned graphene marks a notable advance to combat HAIs and antibiotic resistance. This technology could improve patient outcomes, lower healthcare costs and support the worldwide campaign to contain drug-resistant bacteria by offering a very efficient and adaptable antibiotic surface for medical devices. It is exciting to speculate that, as the researchers further probe the greater potential impacts of this magnetic alignment method, more revolutionary advancements in material science and opportunities for human health could follow.
