Antibacterial rGO–CuO–Ag film with contact- and release-based inactivation properties

Abstract

To reduce the high operational costs of water treatment because of membrane biofouling, next-generation materials are being developed to counteract microbial growth. These modern anti-biofouling strategies are based on new membrane materials or membrane surface modifications. In this study, antimicrobial films comprising rGO, rGO–CuO, rGO–Ag, and rGO–CuO–Ag were synthesized, evaluated, and tested for potential biofouling control using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 as the model bacterium. The combined rGO–CuO–Ag film displayed enhanced reduction (10-log reduction) in biofouling in comparison to the rGO film (control), followed by the rGO–Ag film (8-log reduction) and rGO–CuO film (0-log reduction). This demonstrated that the use of mixed antimicrobial agents is more effective in reducing biofouling than that of a single agent. The rGO–CuO–Ag film exhibited consistent, controlled, and moderate release of silver (Ag) ions. The release of Ag ions produced a long-lasting antimicrobial effect. These results underscore the potential applications of combined antimicrobial surface-based agents in practice and further research.