Improvement of antimicrobial activity of graphene oxide/bacterial cellulose nanocomposites through the electrostatic modification

Abstract Graphene oxide (GO) has an attracting and ever-growing interest in various research fields for its fascinating nanostructures. In this study, bacterial cellulose (BC) was used as a matrix to synthesize GO–based materials by a mechanical mixing method. The modification of GO with PEI significantly improved the bonding force between GO nanofillers and BC matrix. The morphology of the nanocomposites had a significant effect on the mechanical properties, hydrophilic properties as well as the antibacterial activity. After the modification, the GO–PEI/BC showed a strong antimicrobial effect on Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to the effective direct contacts between the nanofillers of the composites and the cell surfaces. This study demonstrates that the morphology of the nanocomposites has a great effect on physiochemical properties and the interactions between the microorganism and the nanocomposites.