Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Properties of Nanocomposite Surfaces with Biomedical Applications

Abstract

In the medical field, the problem of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is of increasing concern, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the vulnerabilities of modern society, and how little is known about medical ethics and public infection control strategies. As a result, the covering of the surfaces of medical devices and the walls of medical premises with nanocomposites with antibiofilm and microbicidal properties is being tried on an increasingly large scale. The microbial biofilms developed by the bacterial species included in the ESKAPE group are the main sources of contamination that facilitate the dissemination of pathogens in the hospital environment. Therefore, the chapter aims to present the complex physicochemical interactions between microbial biofilms and different types of inert surfaces, starting with biofilm structure, the zeta potential as a physical property of any particle in suspension (macromolecule or living cells), and antimicrobial mechanisms of different nanocomposites with medical applications.