Retraction: A self-defensive antibacterial coating acting through the bacteria-triggered release of a hydrophobic antibiotic from layer-by-layer films

Abstract

Retraction of ‘A self-defensive antibacterial coating acting through the bacteria-triggered release of a hydrophobic antibiotic from layer-by-layer films’ by Bailiang Wang et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017, 5, 1498–1506, https://doi.org/10.1039/C6TB02614A.

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The authors hereby wholly retract this Journal of Materials Chemistry B article due to concerns with the reliability of the data.

There are multiple instances of overlapping fluorescence microscopy panels across this article and ref. 1–3.

Fig. 5d is identical to Fig. 12a of ref. 1. Fig. 6d is identical to Fig. 11a of ref. 2. Fig. 6g is identical to Fig. 8b of ref. 3 and Fig. 9d of ref. 2. In addition, the green layer of the images in Fig. 6e and i are identical.

The photograph presented in Fig. 8b is identical to Fig. 11f of ref. 3. The staining image in Fig. 8c has partial overlap with Fig. 10d of ref. 2.

The photograph presented in Fig. 8a is incorrect.

Given the significance of these concerns, the findings presented in this paper are no longer reliable.

The authors were informed about the retraction of the article. Hao Chen, Bailiang Wang and Kaihui Nan have agreed to the retraction and requested the below wording. The other authors have not responded.

Hao Chen would like to state he only contributed to the outline of the research ideas for the team and organization of the lab facilities, but was not involved in writing or submission of this paper, and therefore was not aware of the overlapping panels and authorship of the paper.

Bailiang Wang would like to state they only contributed to the outline, organisation and writing of the article and were not aware of the text overlap. They agree with this retraction to protect the integrity and accuracy of the scientific record.

Kaihui Nan wants to state they did not take part in the organization, writing and submission of the article. They agree with this retraction to protect the integrity and accuracy of the scientific record.

Signed: Bailiang Wang, Kaihui Nan and Hao Chen

Date: 13th September 2023

Retraction endorsed by Michaela Muehlberg, Executive Editor, Journal of Materials Chemistry B

References

1. B. Wang, et al. , RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 52959–52966,  10.1039/C4RA08060B.
2. Q. Xu, et al. , Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 19245–19254,  10.1039/C7NR07106J.
3. B. Wang, et al. , J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016, 4, 1853–1861,  10.1039/C5TB02046H.

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