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Main Authors: Singh, Akash, Zhang, Yi, Cao, Qing, Li, Yumeng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.11727
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author Singh, Akash
Zhang, Yi
Cao, Qing
Li, Yumeng
author_facet Singh, Akash
Zhang, Yi
Cao, Qing
Li, Yumeng
contents Insects like dragonflies and cicadas possess nanoprotusions on their wings that rupture bacterial membranes upon contact, inspiring synthetic antibacterial surfaces mimicking this phenomenon. Designing such biomimetic surfaces requires understanding the mechanical interaction between nanopillars and bacterial membranes. However, the small scales of these interactions pose challenges. Molecular Dynamics simulations offer precise and efficient modeling at these scales. This study presents a coarse-grained membrane model to explore the mechanical responses of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial membranes to nanopillar arrays. By varying bacterial shapes (spherical and cylindrical), membrane bending rigidity, and loading rates, we identified two distinct failure mechanisms. Low bending rigidity, typical of gram-negative bacteria, leads to tearing near nanopillar tips, contrary to prior assumptions. High bending rigidity, characteristic of gram-positive bacteria, results in puncturing at contact points. Gram-positive bacteria are more resistant, requiring a threefold increase in loading rate for effective piercing. Nanopillar height and spacing also critically impact bactericidal efficacy: greater heights enhance activity beyond a critical threshold, while increased spacing reduces efficacy. This simplified coarse-grained model, representing bacterial membranes with high fidelity, enables cost-effective, full-scale simulations over extended periods. Our findings provide essential insights for optimizing nanopillared surface designs, advancing antibacterial technology through tailored height and spacing configurations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_11727
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nanopillar-Driven Antibacterial Surfaces: Elucidating Bactericidal Mechanisms and Engineering Nanostructures for Enhanced Efficacy
Singh, Akash
Zhang, Yi
Cao, Qing
Li, Yumeng
Soft Condensed Matter
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Biological Physics
Computational Physics
Insects like dragonflies and cicadas possess nanoprotusions on their wings that rupture bacterial membranes upon contact, inspiring synthetic antibacterial surfaces mimicking this phenomenon. Designing such biomimetic surfaces requires understanding the mechanical interaction between nanopillars and bacterial membranes. However, the small scales of these interactions pose challenges. Molecular Dynamics simulations offer precise and efficient modeling at these scales. This study presents a coarse-grained membrane model to explore the mechanical responses of gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial membranes to nanopillar arrays. By varying bacterial shapes (spherical and cylindrical), membrane bending rigidity, and loading rates, we identified two distinct failure mechanisms. Low bending rigidity, typical of gram-negative bacteria, leads to tearing near nanopillar tips, contrary to prior assumptions. High bending rigidity, characteristic of gram-positive bacteria, results in puncturing at contact points. Gram-positive bacteria are more resistant, requiring a threefold increase in loading rate for effective piercing. Nanopillar height and spacing also critically impact bactericidal efficacy: greater heights enhance activity beyond a critical threshold, while increased spacing reduces efficacy. This simplified coarse-grained model, representing bacterial membranes with high fidelity, enables cost-effective, full-scale simulations over extended periods. Our findings provide essential insights for optimizing nanopillared surface designs, advancing antibacterial technology through tailored height and spacing configurations.
title Nanopillar-Driven Antibacterial Surfaces: Elucidating Bactericidal Mechanisms and Engineering Nanostructures for Enhanced Efficacy
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Biological Physics
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.11727