(92b) Vapor-Deposited Biointerfaces for Fouling Reduction and Regulated Microbial Behaviors

Vapor deposition techniques provide an effective way to control the material properties at a biointerface, where synthetic materials and living organisms meet and interact. The interactions between functional polymer surfaces and a ubiquitous biological system – bacteria, are of great interest in applications ranging from biomaterials and drug delivery to fouling control in membrane separation processes. Recent advances in the initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) of functional polymer thin films have enabled nanoscale control of the synthesis and processing of novel antifouling coatings and revealed the complex effect of polymeric surfaces that is beyond the conventional “killing” (antimicrobial) or “repelling” (antifouling) functions. This talk will highlight the recent progress in (1) the distinct design principles of antifouling polymeric coatings that are effective at the air-liquid-solid triple interface, which differ from the conventional liquid-solid interface presented by submerged surfaces; and (2) an example of insoluble material to exert control over microbial biochemical activities, which led to increased biofilm formation while suppressing virulence, hinting at the potential of polymeric materials to program microbial functions. We seek to underscore the importance of understanding detailed microbe-material interactions and to provide an outlook on extending the material-bacteria interactions beyond “kill or repel” towards signaling and control.