@article{3e09f5c358ca4a22bb4df53cf8787aa5,
title = "Diatom Microbubbler for Active Biofilm Removal in Confined Spaces",
abstract = "Bacterial biofilms form on and within many living tissues, medical devices, and engineered materials, threatening human health and sustainability. Removing biofilms remains a grand challenge despite tremendous efforts made so far, particularly when they are formed in confined spaces. One primary cause is the limited transport of antibacterial agents into extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the biofilm. In this study, we hypothesized that a microparticle engineered to be self-locomotive with microbubbles would clean a structure fouled by biofilm by fracturing the EPS and subsequently improving transports of the antiseptic reagent. We examined this hypothesis by doping a hollow cylinder-shaped diatom biosilica with manganese oxide (MnO2) nanosheets. In an antiseptic H2O2 solution, the diatoms doped by MnO2 nanosheets, denoted as diatom bubbler, discharged oxygen gas bubbles continuously and became self-motile. Subsequently, the diatoms infiltrated the bacterial biofilm formed on either flat or microgrooved silicon substrates and continued to generate microbubbles. The resulting microbubbles merged and converted surface energy to mechanical energy high enough to fracture the matrix of biofilm. Consequently, H2O2 molecules diffused into the biofilm and killed most bacterial cells. Overall, this study provides a unique and powerful tool that can significantly impact current efforts to clean a wide array of biofouled products and devices.",
keywords = "MnO nanosheets, biofilm, diatom, microbubble, self-locomotion",
author = "Yongbeom Seo and Jiayu Leong and Park, {Jun Dong} and Hong, {Yu Tong} and Chu, {Sang Hyon} and Cheol Park and Kim, {Dong Hyun} and Deng, {Yu Heng} and Vitaliy Dushnov and Joonghui Soh and Simon Rogers and Yang, {Yi Yan} and Hyunjoon Kong",
note = "Funding Information: We acknowledge the financial support from the National Institutes of Health (Grant 1R01 HL109192 and 1R21 HL131469 to H.K.), National Science Foundation (STC-EBICS Grant CBET-0939511 to H.K.), and Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (JEI40004). J.L. acknowledges the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (Overseas) from the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research. Y.Y.Y. acknowledges the support from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (A*STAR), Singapore. Electron microscopy was performed at the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory Central Facilities at the University of Illinois. ICP/ AES and XRD were conducted at Microanalysis Laboratory (SCS CORES) at the University of Illinois. Funding Information: We acknowledge the financial support from the National Institutes of Health (Grant 1R01 HL109192 and 1R21 HL131469 to H.K.), National Science Foundation (STC-EBICS Grant CBET-0939511 to H.K.), and Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (JEI40004). J.L. acknowledges the A?STAR Graduate Scholarship (Overseas) from the Agency for Science Technology, and Research. Y.Y.Y. acknowledges the support from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (A?STAR), Singapore. Electron microscopy was performed at the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory Central Facilities at the University of Illinois. ICP/AES and XRD were conducted at Microanalysis Laboratory (SCS CORES) at the University of Illinois. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 American Chemical Society.",
year = "2018",
month = oct,
day = "24",
doi = "10.1021/acsami.8b08643",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "10",
pages = "35685--35692",
journal = "ACS applied materials & interfaces",
issn = "1944-8244",
publisher = "American Chemical Society",
number = "42",
}