Bactericide and bacterial anti-adhesive properties of the nanocrystalline diamond surface

We performed a systematic study of the bactericide and bacterial anti-adhesive properties of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) and microcrystalline diamond (MCD) in comparison to other important industrial materials, such as copper, silver, polyethylene (Poly), and stainless steel (SS). The data show that NCD has better bactericide and bacterial anti-adhesive activity than Ag, but not as good as Cu. MCD, on the other hand, does not appear to have significant anti-bacterial activity. The superlative properties of NCD, such as mechanical hardness, resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and biological compatibility with blood and tissue, enable its use as antibacterial coating for medical implants. This is an application that cannot be achieved by Cu, which is known to be a highly effective antibacterial material but is not biocompatible. We also discuss possible underlying mechanisms to help understand the bactericide and bacterial anti-adhesive properties of the NCD surface. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.