RT journal article
T1 Size matters: how periodicity and depth of LIPSS influences E. coli adhesion on ferritic stainless steel
A1 Outón Porras, Javier
A1 Carbú Espinosa de los Monteros, María
A1 Domínguez de la Vega, Manuel
A1 Ramírez del Solar, Milagrosa
A1 Alba Muñoz, Gonzalo
A1 Vlahou, M.
A1 Stratakis, E.
A1 Blanco Ollero, Eduardo
A2 BiomedicinaBiotecnología y Salud Pública
A2 Física de la Materia Condensada
K1 Laser texturing
K1 LIPPS
K1 Antibacterial surfaces
K1 Stainless steel
K1 E. coli
K1 Wettability
AB Bacterial adhesion is a serious problem in the healthcare and food industries, causing health problems and economic losses. This study evaluates the generation of Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) with different periodicities to reduce bacterial adhesion on ferritic stainless steels. LIPSS nanostructuring evolves from hydrophilic to hydrophobic with air exposure. Fresh samples with 870 nm LIPSS show nearly 50 % reduced E. coli adhesion, but this effect diminishes in stabilized samples. This effect on bacterial adhesion can be attributed to LIPSS periodicity being like bacterial size, which would allow bacteria to accommodate and provide a suitable environment for their adhesion. Our results show that, in stable samples when the LIPSS periodicity is around 400 nm, reductions by almost 30 % are achieved and this reduction reaches 35 % when periodicity is close to 270 nm. These results indicate that smaller spatial periods prevent bacteria from fitting into valleys, so they remain on the peaks, hindering bacterial adhesion. Additionally, deeper LIPSS produced by a higher Surface Density of Applied Energy (SDAE), enhance bacteria-material interaction and, thus, increases adhesion.
PB Elsevier
SN 0169-4332
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33350
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33350
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026