Antimicrobial peptide (AMP) surfaces are widely used to inhibit biofilm formation and bacterial infection. However, endpoint-immobilized AMPs on surfaces are totally different from free-state AMPs due to the constraints of the surface. In this work, the interactions between AMPs and bacterial cell membranes were analyzed through coarse-grained molecular dynamics and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. This AMP disrupted membrane structure by altering the thickness and curvature of the membrane. Furthermore, the effect of surface-immobilized states of AMPs on their ability to disrupt membrane structure was revealed. The immobilized AMPs in the freeze-N system could bind to the membrane and disrupt the membrane structure through electrostatic forces between positively charged N-terminal amino acid residues and the negatively charged membrane, while the immobilized AMPs in the freeze-C system were repelled. The results will aid in the rational design of new AMP surfaces with enhanced efficacy and stability.

This paper introduces a novel method for preparing high-performance, metal-containing carbon foam wave-absorbing materials. The process involves foaming glucose through catalysis by transition metals followed by high-temperature pyrolysis. The resulting carbon foam materials exhibit a highly porous structure, which is essential for their wave-absorption properties. Notably, at a thickness of 2.0 mm, the glucose-derived carbon foam composite catalyzed by Fe and Co (GCF-CoFe) achieved a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of −51.4 dB at 15.11 GHz, along with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.20 GHz, spanning from 12.80 GHz to 18.00 GHz. These impressive performance metrics indicate that this approach offers a promising pathway for developing low-density, efficient carbon foam materials for wave-absorption applications. This advancement has significant implications for fields requiring effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, stealth technology, and other related applications, potentially leading to more efficient and lightweight solutions.