Nanomaterials such as silver nanoparticles and graphene-based composites are known to exhibit biocidal activities. However, interaction with the surrounding medium and supporting substrates can significantly influence this activity. Graphene, a carbon allotrope has unique structural and physicochemical properties, leading to the major focus of our research. Graphene and its derivates like Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) are biocompatible in nature. Hence, their application in the biomedical sector is currently an intense area of research. Nayak group currently focuses on the antimicrobial properties and the mechanism of such antimicrobial activities of GO coatings on different metallic films. In one of the recent works, the observed activity is directly correlated to the electrical conductivity of the GO-metal systems; the higher the conductivity the better is the antibacterial activity. GO-metal substrate interactions serve as an efficient electron sink for the bacterial respiratory pathway, where electrons modify oxygen-containing functional groups on GO surfaces to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). A concerted effect of non-oxidative electron transfer mechanism and consequent ROS mediated oxidative stress to the bacteria result in an enhanced antimicrobial action of naturally derived GO-metal films. This results can lead to new GO coated antimicrobial metal surfaces important for environmental and biomedical applications. A recently funded project involves examining the antimicrobial properties of different polymer coated substrates.