Thermally Switchable Polymers Achieve Controlled Escherichia coli Detachment

Abstract

The thermally triggered release of up to 96% of attached uropathogenic E. coli is achieved on two polymers with opposite changes in surface wettability upon reduction in temperature. This demonstrates that the bacterial attachment to a surface cannot be explained in terms of water contact angle alone rather, the surface composition of the polymer plays the key role. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.