Graphene materials (GMs) exhibit attractive antimicrobial activities promising for biomedical and environmental applications. However, we still lack full control over their behaviour and performance mainly due to the complications arising from the coexistence and interplay of multiple factors. Therefore, in this minireview, we attempt to illustrate the structure–property–activity relationships of GMs’ antimicrobial activity. We first examine the chemical/physical complexity of GMs focusing on five aspects of their materials characteristics: (i) chemical composition, (ii) impurities and imperfections, (iii) lateral dimension, (iv) self-association (e.g., restacking), and (v) composite/hybrid formation. Next, we briefly summarise the current understanding of their antimicrobial mechanisms. Then, we assign the outlined materials characteristics of GMs to the proposed antimicrobial mechanisms. Lastly, we share our vision regarding the future of research and development in this fast-emerging field.

中文翻译：

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抗菌石墨烯材料：复杂材料特性和竞争机制的相互作用

石墨烯材料（GMs）展现出诱人的抗菌活性，有望用于生物医学和环境应用。但是，由于多种因素的共存和相互作用而引起的并发症，使我们仍然无法完全控制其行为和性能。因此，在本篇综述中，我们试图说明转基因抗生素抗菌活性的结构，性质与活性之间的关系。我们首先研究转基因生物的化学/物理复杂性，着眼于其材料特性的五个方面：（i）化学成分，（ii）杂质和缺陷，（iii）横向尺寸，（iv）自缔合（例如，重新堆叠）和（v）复合/混合体形成。接下来，我们简要总结当前对它们的抗菌机制的理解。然后，我们将转基因生物的概述材料特性分配给拟议的抗菌机制。最后，我们就这个快速发展的领域中的研究与开发的未来分享我们的远见。