Smart coatings monitor strain and kill bacteria on orthopaedic implants

The coatings are said to integrate flexible sensors with a nanostructured antibacterial surface inspired by the wings of dragonflies and cicadas.

In their study, a multidisciplinary team of researchers found the coatings prevented infection in live mice and mapped strain in commercial implants applied to sheep spines to warn of various implant or healing failures. The research is detailed in Science Advances.

“This is a combination of bio-inspired nanomaterial design with flexible electronics to battle a complicated, long-term biomedical problem,” said study leader Qing Cao, a U. of I. professor of materials science and engineering.

Infection and device failure are major problems with orthopaedic implants, each affecting up to 10 per cent of patients, Cao said. Several approaches to fighting infection have been attempted, but all have severe limitations, he said: Biofilms can form on water-repelling surfaces, and coatings laden with antibiotic chemicals or drugs run out in a span of months and have toxic effects on the surrounding tissue with little efficacy against drug-resistant strains of bacterial pathogens.