title: Nanotechnology tools for antibacterial materials.
abstract: The understanding of the interactions between biological systems and nanoengineered devices is crucial in several research fields, including tissue engineering, biomechanics, synthetic biology and biomedical devices. This review discusses the current knowledge of the interactions between bacteria and abiotic nanostructured substrates. First, the effects of randomly organized nanoscale topography on bacterial adhesion and persistence are described. Second, the interactions between microorganisms and highly organized/ordered micro- and nano-patterns are discussed. Finally, we survey the most promising approaches for the fabrication of silver polymeric nanocomposites, which have important applications as antimicrobial materials. The advantages, drawbacks and limitations of such nanotechnologies are critically discussed in view of potential future applications.
authors: Center for Bio-Molecular Nanotechnology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Barsanti, 1-73010 Arnesano (Lecce), Italy.
authors: Loris
authors: L
authors: Rizzello
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Cingolani
authors: Pier Paolo
authors: PP
authors: Pompa
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D012834:Silver