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Sputtering of Nanometric Films As a Tool to Enhance Antimicrobial Properties

2020; Wiley; Volume: 34; Issue: S1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.00675

1530-6860

Daihlia Beckford, Zack Ward, J. E. Phillips, K. Stojak, Casey W. Miller, Lea Michel,

Nanofabrication and Lithography Techniques

Sputtering is a high vacuum physical vapor deposition technique during which atoms are excited from the surface of a target by a plasma. The energized atoms create a thin layer (thin film) on the surface of a chosen substrate material. Film thickness is determined by the deposition time (longer time thicker films). Our project aims to enhance the antimicrobial properties of a variety of textiles, polymers, and other surfaces by sputtering a nanometric film of different metals such as copper (Cu), gold (Au), and silver (Ag). Here, we describe our efforts to develop and optimize our experimental methods to assess the antibacterial properties of our sputtered surfaces, using Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the bacterial source. Preliminary data from our experiments suggest that our sputtering technique, which employs a “seed layer” of metal, successfully deposits a metallized film onto some surfaces, and that some metals are more easily washed off those surfaces than others. We also describe our different approaches toward the assessment of the antibacterial properties of the metallized surfaces. Support or Funding Information School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Rochester Institute of Technology