In-situ growth of vertical graphene on titanium by PECVD for rapid sterilization under near-infrared light

Abstract

Alternative antimicrobials are urgently needed due to the antibiotic resistance. Herein, vertical graphene has been in-situ prepared on medical titanium (VG@Ti) by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for rapid sterilization under near-infrared light. The physicochemical properties, photothermal effect, antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility of VG@Ti were systematically investigated. The results indicated that the thickness of vertical graphene film increased with the augmentation of reaction temperature. Graphene films showed a vertical distribution on medical titanium, which improved the corrosion resistance, hydrophobicity as well as antibacterial ability against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) under near-infrared light. Inhibition rates of 93.3% and 99.1% were achieved for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, when VG@Ti was exposed to near-infrared light (808 nm) with 0.8 W/cm2 for 10 min. Moreover, vertical graphene on titanium surface exhibit no obvious cytotoxicity to osteoblasts cells. The in vivo results confirmed that vertical graphene with near-infrared light could kill bacteria efficiently and showed no obvious toxicity.