Fig. 7.

Antibacterial mechanism of periodic micro/nano-pillar array (S. aureus). S. aureus on a flat surface: (a) (b) (c) SEM top views (with false color) corresponding to bacteria at Phase 1, 2, and 3. The arrows in (b) indicate binary fission positions. The hexagon in (c) illustrates the shape of a bacterium in the middle of a close-packed bacterial colony. S. aureus in a pillar array: (d) (e) (f) SEM top views (with false color) corresponding to bacteria at Phase 1, 2, and 3. The arrows in (e) and (f) indicate binary fission positions. SEM actual observation proves that the pillar array could inhibit the normal elongation & binary fission (e) and colonization (f) of S. aureus.