Germanane Monolayer Films as Antibacterial Coatings

Germanane (GeH), a graphane analogue, has attracted significant interest because of its optoelectronic properties; however, the environmental and biological effects of GeH have scarcely been investigated so far. Here we report a facile approach based on the Langmuir-Schaefer deposition to produce homogeneous and dense GeH monolayer films on various substrates. In view of possible applications and to extend the use of GeH to unexplored fields, we investigated its antibacterial activity for the first time and found that this promising 2D structure exhibits remarkable antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains.

Automated summary

Germanane (GeH), a graphane analogue with optoelectronic properties, can be easily deposited as homogeneous and dense monolayer films on various substrates. In this study, the antibacterial activity of GeH was investigated for the first time and showed remarkable effectiveness against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains, highlighting its potential for various applications and unexplored fields.