ABSTRACT
Antibacterial and antifungal agents are widely used for the prevention of public health issues. Graphene is a material consisting of a monolayer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms. It is of interest due to its high surface area (~2630 m2 g−1), high electrical conductivity (~2000 S cm−1), high thermal conductivity (4840−5300 W m−1 K−1), high electronic carrier mobility (200,000 cm2 V−1 s−1), and high Young’s modulus (~10 TPa) leading to various potential applications. Interestingly, graphene can inhibit the growth of bacterial cells (e.g., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and fungal cells (e.g., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and Fusarium oxysporum). Graphene can damage bacterial and fungal cell membranes with their extremely sharp edges. Graphene with diluted oxygen-containing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) can in addition oxidize glutathione, which is a redox state mediator in bacteria. Its oxidation leads to inhibition of bacterial growth. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) of rGO, a measure of the effectiveness of graphene in inhibiting the fungi against F. oxysporum, A. niger, and A. oryzae are 50, 100, and 100 µg mL−1, respectively. We believe that graphene may nd important environmental and clinical applications.
