A process chain leveraging femtosecond laser induced nanotextures towards mitigating Staphylococcus aureus adhesion on plastic surfaces

In response to escalating hygiene concerns, we propose a novel strategy to reduce bacterial adhesion on consumer-grade plastic surfaces (e.g. consumer electronics). Herein, we develop, for the first time in an industrial environment, a process chain using infrared ultrafast laser texturing to create controlled nanotextures that can influence bacterial colonization on plastic surfaces. First, four distinct nanotextures are developed through femtosecond laser patterning on steel at a pulse energy of 0.62, 0.25, and 0.29 μJ. Secondly, high-resolution injection molding using variothermal molding technology is exploited for the precise fabrication of nanotextured polymer. Detailed surface characterization through scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy was carried out to characterize the obtained nanotextures. The nanomorphology performance was assessed through bacterial adhesion characterization, analyzing the surface early interaction with Staphylococcus aureus. The results show that the process can produce nanotexture with periodicity down to 270 nm, roughness (Sa) up to 110 nm and surface sharpness (Sdq – root mean square gradient) up to 1.5, providing promising indications of a 60 % reduction in adhering bacteria. The results testify the potential of the developed process chain to be used as a scalable, accurate, environmentally friendly and flexible nanotexturing approach against bacterial adhesion on polymer surfaces.