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Microbe repelling coated stainless steel analysed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and physicochemical methods

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  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Coating of stainless steel with diamond-like carbon or certain fluoropolymers reduced or almost eliminated adhesion and biofilm growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Deinococcus geothermalis, Meiothermus silvanus and Pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis. These species are known to be pertinent biofilm formers on medical implants or in the wet-end of paper machines. Field emission scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that Staph. epidermidis, D. geothermalis and M. silvanus grew on stainless steel using thread-like organelles for adhesion and biofilm formation. The adhesion threads were fewer in number on fluoropolymer-coated steel than on plain steel and absent when the same strains were grown in liquid culture. Psx. taiwanensis adhered to the same surfaces by a mechanism involving cell ghosts on which the biofilm of live cells grew. Hydrophilic (diamond-like carbon) or hydrophobic (fluoropolymer) coatings reduced the adherence of the four test bacteria on different steels. Selected topographic parameters, including root-mean-square roughness (S q), skewness (S sk) and surface kurtosis (S ku), were analysed by atomic force microscopy. The surfaces that best repelled microbial adhesion of the tested bacteria had higher skewness values than those only slightly repelling. Water contact angle, measured (θ m) or roughness corrected (θ y), affected the tendency for biofilm growth in a different manner for the four test bacteria.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded as a part of the Technology Programme Clean Surfaces 2002–2006 (PINTA) by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes). We also thank the Academy of Finland for the Centre of Excellence grant (53305, MSS), Helsinki University Viikki Science Library for excellent information services, the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Instrument Centre for technical support and Leena Steininger, Hannele Tukiainen and Tuula Suortti for many kinds of help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, P. O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Mari Raulio, Juhana Ahola & Mirja Salkinoja-Salonen

  2. Department of Physical Chemistry, Åbo Akademi University, Porthaninkatu 3-5, 20500, Turku, Finland

    Mikael Järn, Jouko Peltonen & Jarl B. Rosenholm

  3. DIARC-Technology Inc, Olarinluoma 15, 02200, Espoo, Finland

    Sanna Tervakangas & Jukka Kolehmainen

  4. Alu-Releco Oy, Kynttilätie 10, 11710, Riihimäki, Finland

    Timo Ruokolainen & Pekka Narko

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  1. Mari Raulio
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Correspondence to Mari Raulio.

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Raulio, M., Järn, M., Ahola, J. et al. Microbe repelling coated stainless steel analysed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and physicochemical methods. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 35, 751–760 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-008-0343-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-008-0343-8

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