Toxicity of Graphene and Graphene Oxide Nanowalls Against Bacteria

Bacterial toxicity of graphene nanosheets in the form of graphene nanowalls deposited on stainless steel substrates was investigated for both gram-positive and gram-negative models of bacteria. The graphene oxide nanowalls were obtained by electrophoretic deposition of Mg(2+)-graphene oxide nanosheets synthesized by a chemical exfoliation method. On the basis of measuring the efflux of cytoplasmic materials of the bacteria, it was found that the cell membrane damage of the bacteria caused by direct contact of the bacteria with the extremely sharp edges of the nanowalls was the effective mechanism in the bacterial inactivation. In this regard, the gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria with an outer membrane…

• SU
  Sharif University of Technology
• IN
  Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council