Multifunctional coatings for mitigating bacterial fouling and contamination

Bacterial fouling is a multiscale, multistage process responsible for surface contamination and bacterial-related infections and illnesses. The formation of biofilms leading to infections has a significant global impact, afflicting millions of patients and resulting in an approximate 1.6 million fatalities each year. Furthermore, the economic ramifications of such infections are considerable, with industries incurring billions of dollars in costs on an annual basis. Given that bacteria tend to proliferate in a community-based and surface-bound fashion, many studies have recently focused on the development of coatings that inhibit bacterial adhesion. Earlier designs were primarily monofunctional and relied on either antibacterial effect that inactivates bacteria; antifouling effect that repels bacteria; or anticontact effect that restricts the wetting of planktonic bacteria. However, these strategies can individually suffer from some drawbacks that restrict their broader utility. To advance the state-of-art of coatings against bacterial contamination and fouling, emerging trends have focused on synergistic combination of antibacterial, antifouling, and anticontact effect in the form of multifunctional coatings or interfacial materials. Herein, we critically review the recent developments in this area within the past half a decade, discuss their materials and surfaces chemistry, mode and mechanism of actions, and performance against bacterial adhesion and growth.