Zinc-coordinated polydopamine surface with a nanostructure and superhydrophilicity for antibiofouling and antibacterial applications

Effective approaches are urgently needed to avoid the formation of thrombosis and bacterial infections during long-time intravenous implanation. Of particular importance are the surfaces of implants that not only satisfy the demand of an antibiofouling ability to repel thrombocytes, proteins, and bacteria, but also provide an antibacterial property without cytotoxicity to normal cells, which would be biosafe to blood. Here, we explore the implementation of such antibiofouling and antibacterial functions in a superhydrophilic nanostructured surface containing zinc-coordinated polydopamine (PDA/Zn). The formation mechanism of the zinc-coordinated polydopamine nanostructure was demonstrated with the growth and intertwining of the PDA/Zn nanowires via Zn–N and Zn–O bonds. The PDA/Zn nanostructured surface inhibited the attachment of biological substances, such as blood platelets and bovine serum albumin, as well as possessing excellent antibacterial properties. This work reports the fabrication mechanism of a PDA/Zn surface with a nanostructure and superhydrophilicity, which has potential for preventing biomaterial-associated biofouling and infections.