5 / 31
Page 73
Notes:
April 16-17, 2018 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
2
nd
Edition of
Graphene & Semiconductors | Diamond Graphite & Carbon Materials Conference
6
th
Edition of
Smart Materials & Structures Conference
&
Journal of Material Sciences and Engineering| ISSN: 2169-0022 | GDCSM-2018 | Volume: 7
A comparison of graphene and graphene oxide fibers in antimicrobial applications
Rupy Kaur Matharu, Lena Ciric
and
Mohan Edirisinghe
University College London, United Kingdom
A
irborne and waterborne diseases, caused by the inhalation, ingestion or absorption of pathogenic microorganisms, pose a
serious threat to human health. Functionalization of polymeric fibres with antimicrobial agents is an attractive strategy to
overcome these concerns. Graphene and graphene oxide have presented themselves as promising materials for the inhibition
of bacterial colonization. Here we fabricated a novel class of ultra-thin polymeric fibres loaded with either 2, 4, or 8 wt% of
graphene or graphene oxide nanoparticles using pressurized gyration. Electron Microscopy was used to characterize graphene
and graphene oxide nanoparticles, as well as fibre morphology. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed the formation of
beaded porous fibres. The concentration of carbon nanoparticles in the composite was found to dictate fibre morphology. As
the concentration increased, the average fibre diameter increased, whilst fibre porosity decreased. The antimicrobial activity
of these nanocomposite fibres was assessed against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Pure polymer fibres
were used as the negative control. The fibres were incubated in bacterial suspensions for 24 hours at 37
o
C; bacterial colony
forming units were enumerated by adopting the colony counting method. The presence of 2 and 4 wt% graphene loaded fibres
promoted microbial growth, whilst 8 wt% graphene loaded fibres showed antimicrobial activity. 2, 4 and 8 wt% graphene oxide
loaded fibres exhibited excellent antibacterial activities with bacterial reductions of 45%, 70% and 85%, respectively. The results
presented in this research have identified a novel application of carbon based hybrid materials.
Biography
Rupy Kaur Matharu has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences with a first-class honours and her Master’s degree in Biomaterials and Tissue
Engineering with a distinction. She was awarded the Dean’s List for her academic achievement during her Master’s degree, where she received 92% for her inde-
pendent research. She is currently in her second year of doctoral studies at University College London, in which she is focusing on the production of antimicrobial
fibres for air and water filtration systems.
rupy.matharu.15@ucl.ac.ukRupy Kaur Matharu et al., J Material Sci Eng 2018, Volume: 7
DOI: 10.4172/2169-0022-C3-098