Poly(methyl methacrylate)/titanium dioxide (PMMA/TiO2) nanocomposite with shark-skin structure for preventing biofilm formation

Abstract In this study, photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were introduced to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) to obtain PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites, which were subsequently patterned with a shark-skin structure via polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) transfer replication. The results showed that, contrary to the flat PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites, the shark-skin-patterned PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites prevented the development of biofilms for up to 2 weeks because of the synergistic effects of their photocatalytic, antibacterial, and structural properties. This study provides a practical approach to inhibit biofilm formation.