Chalmers University researchers stated that the biological applications of graphene began to materialize a few years ago. The researchers saw conflicting results in earlier studies, in which some showed that graphene damaged the bacteria, others that they were not affected. "We discovered that the key parameter is to orient the graphene vertically. If it is horizontal, the bacteria are not harmed" says Ivan Mijakovic, Professor at the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering.
The team explained that the sharp flakes do not damage human cells. The reason is that one bacterium is one micrometer - one thousandth of a millimeter - in diameter, while a human cell is 25 micrometers. So, what constitutes a deadly knife attack for a bacterium, is therefore only a tiny scratch for a human cell.
"Graphene has high potential for health applications. But more research is needed before we can claim it is entirely safe. Among other things, we know that graphene does not degrade easily" says Jie Sun, Associate Professor at the Department of Micro Technology and Nanoscience.
In addition, good bacteria are also killed by the graphene. But that's not a problem, as the effect is localized and the balance of microflora in the body remains undisturbed.
"We want to prevent bacteria from creating an infection. Otherwise, you may need antibiotics, which could disrupt the balance of normal bacteria and also enhance the risk of antimicrobial resistance by pathogens" says Santosh Pandit, postdoc at Biology and Biological Engineering.