Nano-patterned aluminum surface with oil-impregnation for improved antibacterial performance

Extensive research has been reported to improve We performance of existing antibacterial surfaces by reducing the extent of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. This study aimed to validate oil impregnated slippery nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) layers for the prevention of bacterial attachment on aluminum substrate. The oil-impregnation into the nanoporous structures of Teflon coated hydrophobic AAO enhanced the repellency to the water with a low sliding angle as low as 2, showing the omniphobicity, which is effective to reduce the contact of bacterial culture medium onto the surface of AAO. Bacterial attachment tests using Escherichia coli K-12 and Salmonella Typhimurium were conducted to evaluate the effect of antibacterial performance on the developed surfaces. Teflon-coated large pore AAO with oil-impregnation showed the highest bacterial reductions for both E. coli K-12 and S. Typhimurium among the treated samples. These results can lead to further optimization of nano patterned AAO surfaces for antibacterial attachment. Published by Elsevier Ltd.