{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T18:17:14Z","timestamp":1790273834498,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,12]],"date-time":"2024-07-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1720742400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Centre of Research and Development","award":["LIDER\/25\/0132\/L-10\/18\/NCBR\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LIDER\/25\/0132\/L-10\/18\/NCBR\/2019"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of graphene\u2013polymer composites, focusing on their mechanical and antibacterial properties. Graphene flakes were obtained via an electrochemical method and integrated into polyamide 6 (PA6) matrices using melt intercalation. Various characterization techniques confirmed the quality of the graphene flakes, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) imaging. Mechanical tests showed an increase in the elastic modulus with graphene incorporation, while the impact strength decreased. The SEM analysis highlighted the dispersion of the graphene flakes within the composites and their impact on fracture behavior. Antimicrobial tests demonstrated significant antibacterial properties of the composites, attributed to both oxidative stress and mechanical damage induced by the graphene flakes. The results suggest promising applications for graphene\u2013polymer composites in advanced antimicrobial materials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma17143465","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,12]],"date-time":"2024-07-12T16:23:41Z","timestamp":1720801421000},"page":"3465","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Mechanical and Antimicrobial Properties of the Graphene-Polyamide 6 Composite"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2566-1422","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pawe\u0142","family":"G\u0142uchowski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Macieja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"},{"name":"Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, PL-50370 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"Tomala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7864-6002","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariusz","family":"Stefanski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wies\u0142aw","family":"Str\u0119k","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4639-2367","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maciej","family":"Ptak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3039-7091","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Damian","family":"Szyma\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-50422 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2855-852X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Konrad","family":"Szustakiewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, PL-50370 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7559-8903","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adam","family":"Junka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Platform for Unique Model Application, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Parasitology Wroclaw Medical University, PL-50367 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bart\u0142omiej","family":"Dudek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Platform for Unique Model Application, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Parasitology Wroclaw Medical University, PL-50367 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"666","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1102896","article-title":"Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films","volume":"306","author":"Novoselov","year":"2004","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170885","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jallcom.2023.170885","article-title":"Preparation of Graphene by Exfoliation and Its Application in Lithium-Ion Batteries","volume":"961","author":"Wen","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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