Figure 9

Three-step antimicrobial mechanism of graphene materials. 1. Initial bacteria cell deposition on graphene materials. 2. Membrane stress caused by direct contact with sharp edges. 3. Oxidative stress in the bacterial cytoplasm. The key difference between the chosen graphene materials is the bacterial cell deposition place. Individual bacterial cells interact with the sp³-hybridized oxidative functional group of the GO surface, while bacterial cells interact with the sharp edges of pG and rGO and form a rope-like structure.