logo

P2-3. Design and Manufacture of Bio-inspired Nano-texture Surfaces on Devices & Implants for Bactericidal Surfaces

Project leader: Prasad Yarlagadda (Science and Engineering Faculty, QUT)
Industry partner: Stryker
Fig. 1: Hydrothermally synthesized titanium nanopillars impaling a bacterial cell (Staphylococcus aureus).
Fig. 2: Cicada wing-inspired titanium nanopillars generated by electron beam lithography. These nanopillars penetrate and kill bacteria (i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) whilst being harmless to osteoblasts.
Objective:
  1. The objective of the research is to generate infection-free biomedical devices and implants.
  2. To generate array of nanopillars on medically relevant metallic surfaces.
  3. To achieve large-scale manufacturing of the currently used lab- scale fabrication methods.
  4. To simulate and model the bacteria-surface interaction at nanoscale.
Alignment within M3D Innovation:
  1. Design and manufacturing the nanostructured surface for optimisation in Medical Technologies.
  2. It will provide training for researchers in the interdisciplinary areas of biomedicine, materials, manufacturing and design.
Approach:
  1. To mimic the insect wing inspired nanoscale surface topography on implants and medical devices.
  2. The nanoscale geometry of the insect wings is known to physically rupture the bacterial cells.
  3. The fabrication methods will be hydrothermal processing, electron beam lithography and wet etching.
  4. The nanostructured surfaces will be characterized tested with bacterial attachment experiments.
  5. The mathematical modelling and simulation will be performed.
Key Milestones:
  1. Formation of nanopillar architecture and suitable roughness achieved on the different target materials.
  2. Antibacterial evaluation on the surfaces compared with the control surfaces.
  3. Modelling and simulation of the bacterial membrane interaction with the nanopillar to understand the killing mechanism.
  4. Manufacturing of the materials on different substrates.