Investigation of the anti-biofouling properties of graphene oxide aqueous solutions by electrowetting characterization

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the anti-biofouling properties of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets with bovine serum albumin (BSA). These properties are characterized by contact angle hysteresis (CAH) measurements and contact angle (CA) modification under electrowetting (EW), in order to determine the surface modification due to BSA adsorption. The experiments show two different behaviors. The droplets containing only BSA or BSA with low GO concentration exhibit high CAH and irreversible CA modification under EW due BSA adsorption on the surface. However, in the presence of a high GO concentration, the CAH is largely lowered and CA modification under EW is reversible, suggesting preferential adsorption of BSA on GO nanosheets.