Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Publication Date

4-29-2026

Faculty Mentor

Mark Ellison

Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a silicone polymer often used in medical settings due to its biocompatibility and chemical stability. However, a drawback to these characteristics is PDMS’s vulnerability to bacterial biofilm formation, leading to bacterial infections often acquired in hospital settings. The goal of this research is to investigate the employment of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as a potential inhibitor of biofilm on PDMS, rather than antibiotics. Nanotubes have been found to exhibit antibacterial properties due to their hydrophobicity, and were functionalized with hexadecylamine, a long carbon chain, in order to enhance this trait. To observe if bacterial inhibition occurred, we incubated Escherichia coli on PDMS that had been coated in hexadecylamine-functionalized SWCNTs, then performed two assays. A crystal violet assay quantified the amount of biofilm biomass that had grown on the surface of the PDMS, and a CFU assay measured the amount of non-surface-associated bacterial growth that occurred above the PDMS via agar plate colony counts. We determined that PDMS coated with hexadecylamine-functionalized SWCNTs significantly inhibit biofilm formation and bacterial growth of both E. coli and S. epidermidis compared to plain PDMS.

Comments

Presented as part of the Ursinus College Celebration of Student Achievement (CoSA) held April 29, 2026.

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