(99h) Fabrication of Oil-Infused Anti-Biofouling Coatings on the Surfaces of Flexible Polymer Tubing

Advances toward the design of liquid-infused surfaces (LIS) or slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS)—materials fabricated by the infusion of oily lubricants into chemically compatible porous or textured surfaces—have led to new classes of synthetic materials with robust and mechanically-compliant anti-fouling properties. Several reports demonstrate that these materials can resist adhesion and colonization by microorganisms and prevent formation of fungal or bacterial biofilms in both static and flowing media. Here, we report strategies for the fabrication of anti-biofouling SLIPS on the outside and inside (luminal) surfaces of flexible polymer tubing typically used to design catheters or transport fluids in commercial and industrial contexts. Our approach is based on the infusion of hydrophobic oils into rough and nanoporous polymer matrices fabricated by reactive/covalent layer-by-layer assembly. These methods can be used to fabricate slippery coatings on the surfaces of flexible tubing up to one meter in length. These coatings retain their antifouling properties upon repeated flexing, bending, and coiling, and after (i) ethylene oxide sterilization, (ii) contact with blood or simulated urine, and (iii) exposure to flow conditions for periods of weeks to months. Our results reveal these SLIPS-coated tubes to prevent the formation of bacterial biofilms (>95% relative to uncoated controls) upon exposure to cultures of Staphylococcus aureus for up to seven days, and that the anti-biofouling properties of these tubes can be improved and prolonged by adopting additional strategies that permit the sustained release of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. These approaches are scalable and could provide new anti-biofouling solutions for a broad range of applications, including clinical (catheters) and industrial (food processing) scenarios in which the fouling of flexible tubing is endemic. Results highlighting the potential of these materials in these applied contexts will be discussed.