Biological toxicity of graphite nanomaterials towards living cells

In recent years, graphite nanomaterials have been popular amongst researchers. They are widely known for their electronic, optical, magnetic and thermal properties. This could be applied to electronic devices and in the biomedical field, as manufacturers increasingly seek for more efficient system in their equipment. Application in electronic devices could range from solar technology to new generation of superconductors, semiconductors and insulators. A review of available research articles states that graphite nanomaterials were capable of killing bacteria. These nanomaterials have the potential for broad spectrum of antibacterial applications, from human implants coatings to potentially offering an alternative solution to sterilize clean drinking water and usage as surface disinfectant. However, further research has to be done to understand how well different types of graphite nanomaterials acts on bacteria. In this review, a summary of extracting thin graphite flakes from widely available pencil grade via mechanical exfoliation are described. This is followed by interacting various graphite/silicon samples, with or without silver nanoparticles with suspended E. coli bacteria culture. Additionally, cell viability is evaluated, and the samples compared for its bactericidal efficiency. Finally, a summary of what was achieved, such as pencil lead graphite, possessed excellent antimicrobial traits when added with metallic nanoparticles are also presented. This review may serve as a platform for future work in graphite from low-cost pencil grade compared to conventional means and source of graphite for bactericidal research.Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering