Submicron engineered surface for preventing bacterial adhesion and urinary catheter encrustation

TY - JOUR

T1 - Submicron engineered surface for preventing bacterial adhesion and urinary catheter encrustation

AU - Wang, Yimeng

AU - Ren, Dawei

AU - Zhao, Buyun

AU - Zhao, Yingyu

AU - Zhao, Qi

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2026/4/29

Y1 - 2026/4/29

N2 - Nanostructured surfaces have emerged as a promising alternative for preventing bacterial adhesion. By tailoring surface topography, the physicochemical interactions at the bacteria-material interface can be modulated to achieve antifouling performance. In this study, four submicron pillar arrays with widths of 350 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, and 1000 nm were fabricated on polydimethylsiloxane surfaces by soft lithography. The pillar height and the spacing between adjacent pillars were set equal to the pillar width. Bacterial adhesion assays using Escherichia coli showed that the number of adherent cells decreased as pillar width decreased, indicating a promising strategy for inhibiting bacterial retention. Moreover, the optimized topographic surface exhibited excellent resistance to urinary encrustation, highlighting its potential application in urinary tract implants.

AB - Nanostructured surfaces have emerged as a promising alternative for preventing bacterial adhesion. By tailoring surface topography, the physicochemical interactions at the bacteria-material interface can be modulated to achieve antifouling performance. In this study, four submicron pillar arrays with widths of 350 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, and 1000 nm were fabricated on polydimethylsiloxane surfaces by soft lithography. The pillar height and the spacing between adjacent pillars were set equal to the pillar width. Bacterial adhesion assays using Escherichia coli showed that the number of adherent cells decreased as pillar width decreased, indicating a promising strategy for inhibiting bacterial retention. Moreover, the optimized topographic surface exhibited excellent resistance to urinary encrustation, highlighting its potential application in urinary tract implants.

KW - Bacterial anti-adhesive

KW - Encrustation resistance

KW - Submicron pillar arrays

KW - Surface topography

KW - Urinary system implants

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037344275

U2 - 10.1016/j.matlet.2026.140757

DO - 10.1016/j.matlet.2026.140757

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105037344275

SN - 0167-577X

VL - 417

JO - Materials Letters

JF - Materials Letters

M1 - 140757

ER -