Abstract

Bacteria have evolved to become proficient at adapting to both extracellular and environmental
conditions, which has made it possible for them to attach and subsequently form biofilms on
varying surfaces. This has resulted in major health concerns and economic burden in both hospital
and industrial environments. Surfaces which prevent this bacterial fouling through their physical
structure represent a key area of research for the development of antibacterial surfaces for many
different environments. Laser surface treatment provides a potential candidate for the production of
antibiofouling surfaces for wide ranging surface applications within healthcare and industrial
disciplines. In the present study, a KrF 248 nm Excimer laser was utilized to surface pattern
polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The surface topography and roughness were determined with the
use of a Micromeasure 2, 3D profiler. Escherichia coli (E. coli) growth was analyzed at high shear
flow using a CDC Biofilm reactor for 48 h, scanning electron microscopy was used to determine
morphology and total viable counts were made. Through this work, it has been shown that the
surface modification significantly influenced the distribution and morphology of the attached
E. coli cells. What is more, it has been evidenced that the laser-modified PET has been shown to
prevent E. coli cells from attaching themselves within the laser-induced micro-surface-features.