Well-Defined Gold Nanorod/Polymer Hybrid Coating with Inherent Antifouling and Photothermal Bactericidal Properties for Treating an Infected Hernia

Biomedical device-associated infection (BAI) is a great challenge in modern clinical medicine. Therefore, developing efficient antibacterial materials is significantly important and meaningful for the improvement of medical treatment and people’s health. In the present work, we developed a strategy of surface functionalization for multifunctional antibacterial applications. Functionalized polyurethane (PU, a widely used biomedical material for hernia repairing) surface (PU-Au-PEG) with inherent antifouling and photothermal bactericidal properties was readily prepared based on a near infrared (NIR)-responsive organic/inorganic hybrid coating which consists of gold nanorods (Au NRs) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PU-Au-PEG showed high efficiency to resist adhesion of bacteria, and exhibited effective photothermal bactericidal properties under 808 nm NIR irradiation, especially against multidrug resistant bacteria. Furthermore, the PU-Au-PEG could inhibit biofilm formation for a long term. The biocompati...