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Bacteria-repellent surfaces

Bacteria-repellent surfaces

Bavteria-repellent durable carbon nanotube—composite hierarchical structures Boosts digestive enzyme production superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning, and low-drag. Materials 9 9 ACS Appl Mater Interfaces,— Article Google Scholar Owen L, Laird K.

Bacteria-repellent surfaces -

For instance, his lab has been experimenting with layering various spiky particles onto surfaces, and their impact on bacterial growth is now being investigated.

A lot of it has to do with surface charge, he explains. One class of molecules being investigated by various labs for controlling surface charge is the organosilanes. Silicon-carbon based nanocoatings can be attached to both soft and hard materials, meaning they could be deployed on many different types of surfaces, including bedrails, clothing, carpets, or plastic tubes.

They could also be retrofitted to existing surfaces and equipment within hospitals, rather than having to rip the old ones out or buy replacements, thereby reducing costs. However, although some studies have suggested that organosilane coatings can significantly reduce the number of bacteria on surfaces, others have shown no effect.

Possibly, this is because of differences in the composition of bacterial cell walls, rendering some species more susceptible to being pierced by nanospikes than others. The wing of a dragonfly, photographed with an electron microscope. Paulson via Getty Images. Computer illustration of staphylococci aureus bacteria, a common cause of hospital-acquired infections.

The bacteria can infect almost any site in the body and are often resistant to antibiotics. Other nano- or micro-scale physical features might also be in incorporated, such scales or ridges.

Sharklet was developed by researchers at the University of Florida, initially as a means of keeping the hulls of ships and submarines free of algae, another type of biofilm.

This topography exerts mechanical stress on any bacteria which settle on it, disrupting their normal function and forcing them to expend more energy just to survive, meaning they must peel off or die.

This micropattern, has since been reproduced in on the surface of various materials, including acrylic and silicone. One promising application is in reducing the migration of bacteria such as E.

coli up catheter tubes — a major source of urinary tract infections. Sharklet-patterned films have also been developed which can be applied to flat surfaces, such as doors and countertops.

When applied to such high touch surfaces, Sharklet reduced contamination with antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA by as much as 94 percent. Such surface modifications could also be combined with self-polishing coatings, similar to the anti-fouling paints which are applied to the hulls of ships.

Many of these rely on the use of sea water-soluble pigments such as copper oxides, which are toxic to many bacteria, and are constantly sloughed off through the action of water flowing over them. A similar concept might be applied to healthcare settings - e. Photocatalytic coatings are another possibility.

These can be painted onto surfaces, and release free radicals - which attack bacterial cell membranes, and viral proteins and genetic material - upon exposure to light. For instance, titanium dioxide has been successfully deployed on hospital tiles and windows, as well as on silicone catheters, which can be sterilised by irradiating them with ultraviolet light.

Antimicrobial surfaces clearly have the potential to reduce microbial attachment, kill disease-causing organisms and make hospitals easier to clean. This approach is also very different to the measures currently used to reduce the transmission of infections, such as disinfectants and antibiotics.

Indeed, the overuse of antibiotics, both in healthcare and agriculture, has significantly contributed to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria - and tackling it is high on the agenda for many governments and scientists.

In Europe and the US alone, there are around 50, deaths resulting from antimicrobial resistant infections, each year, and this is predicted to increase unless new solutions can be found. Antibacterial surfaces could reduce some of our reliance on antibiotics.

Also, because such surfaces tend to either physically destroy the bacteria e. by puncturing them , or destroy their DNA, the bacteria are far less likely to develop resistance to them.

Finding ways to manufacture these surfaces cheaply will provide an additional challenge, and since the introduction of new surfaces will undoubtedly incur significant costs healthcare economists must be involved in these discussions from the outset, to ensure they represent good value for money.

This includes low- and middle-income countries, where they could help overcome additional obstacles to infection control, such as reduced access to clean water and electricity.

toilet cisterns, sterilisation, removal of odours. Their technology is currently available for licensing. Dr Chiara Hyde founded her startup BrightCure as a PhD student in Imperial's Department of Chemical Engineering.

The positively charged chitosan nanoparticles interact with the negatively charged cell membrane, which causes an increase in membrane permeability and eventually the intracellular components leak and rupture. Silver compounds and silver ions also have been known to show antimicrobial properties and have been used in a wide range of applications, including water treatment.

It is shown that silver ions prevent DNA replication and affect the structure and permeability of the cell membrane. Silver also leads to UV inactivation of bacteria and viruses because silver ions are photoactive in the presence of UV-A and UV-C irradiation.

Cysteine and silver ions form a complex that leads to the inactivation of Haemophilus influenzae phage and bacteriophage MS2. Even with all the precautions taken by medical professionals, infection reportedly occurs in up to This has been achieved by coating titanium devices with an antiseptic combination of chlorhexidine and chloroxylenol.

This antiseptic combination successfully prevents the growth of the five main organisms that cause medical related infections, which include Staphylococcus epidermidis , Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli and Candida albicans.

Photoactive pigments such as TiO 2 and ZnO have been used on glass, ceramic, and steel substrates for self-cleaning and antimicrobial purposes. Copper alloy surfaces have intrinsic properties to destroy a wide range of microorganisms.

The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA , which oversees the regulation of antimicrobial agents and materials in that country, found that copper alloys kill more than to make human health claims EPA public health registrations were previously restricted only to liquid and gaseous products.

The EPA has granted antimicrobial registration status to different copper alloy compositions. In public facility applications, EPA-approved antimicrobial copper products include health club equipment, elevator equipment, shopping cart handles , etc.

In residential building applications, EPA-approved antimicrobial copper products include kitchen surfaces, bedrails, footboards , door push plates, towel bars, toilet hardware, wall tiles, etc.

In mass transit facilities, EPA-approved antimicrobial copper products include handrails , stair rails grab bars , chairs , benches , etc. A comprehensive list of copper alloy surface products that have been granted antimicrobial registration status with public health claims by the EPA can be found here: Antimicrobial copper-alloy touch surfaces Approved products.

Clinical trials are currently being conducted on microbial strains unique to individual healthcare facilities around the world to evaluate to what extent copper alloys can reduce the incidence of infection in hospital environments.

Early results disclosed in from clinical studies funded by the U. Department of Defense that are taking place at intensive care units ICUs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Medical University of South Carolina , and the Ralph H.

Marine Biofouling is described as the undesirable buildup of microorganisms, plants, and animals on artificial surfaces immersed in water. Traditionally, biocides , a chemical substance or microorganism that can control the growth of harmful organisms by chemical or biological means, are used in order to prevent marine biofouling.

Biocides can be either synthetic, such as tributyltin TBT , or natural, which are derived from bacteria or plants. TBT dispersed in the coating in which they "leached" into the sea water, killing any microbes or other marine life that had attached to the ship.

The release rate for the biocide however tended to be uncontrolled and often rapid, leaving the coating only effective for 18 to 24 months before all the biocide leached out of the coating.

This problem however was resolved with the use of so-called self-polishing paints, in which the biocide was released at a slower rate as the seawater reacted with the surface layer of the paint. Non-stick coatings contain no biocide, but have extremely slippery surfaces which prevents most fouling and makes it easier to clean the little fouling that does occur.

Natural biocides are found on marine organisms such as coral and sponges and also prevent fouling if applied to a vessel. Creating a difference in electrical charge between the hull and sea water is a common practice in the prevention of fouling.

This technology has proven to be effective, but is easily damaged and can be expensive. Finally, microscopic prickles can be added to a coating, and depending on length and distribution have shown the ability to prevent the attachment of most biofouling.

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Download as PDF Printable version. Surface coated by antimicrobials to inhibit microbial growth. Main articles: Antimicrobial copper-alloy touch surfaces and Antimicrobial properties of copper. Main articles: Antimicrobial copper touch surfaces and Antimicrobial properties of copper. Antibiotic resistance Antimicrobial Antimicrobial copper alloy touch surfaces Antimicrobial peptides Antimicrobial properties of copper Fluorocarbon Superhydrophobe.

Archived from the original on Retrieved Biotechnology Advances. doi : PMID Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces. September Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. Bibcode : JCIS.. J Photochem Photobiol C. S2CID Letters in Applied Microbiology. The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Progress in Medicinal Chemistry. ISBN Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Bibcode : ApEnM.. PMC Applied Microbiology. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials. and Webster, R. In: Fields, B. and Knipe, D. Biotechnology Letters. November Chatterjee, J S Murallidharan, A. Agrawal, R. At the same time, other disease-causing organisms — fungi, viruses and parasites — are also developing resistance to the drugs we use to tackle them almost as quickly as we can make new ones.

It means the illnesses they cause are getting harder to treat. He is among those looking for new ways to tackle antimicrobial resistance. His plan is to turn the very surfaces that many of these pathogens use to spread from person to person into weapons against them.

Indeed, the virus that causes Covid — Sars-CoV-2 — can persist on cardboard for up to 24 hours, while on plastic and stainless steel it can remain active for up to three days. Some bacteria — including E. Coli and MRSA — can survive for several months on inanimate surfaces, while infectious yeasts can last for weeks.

This only underlines the importance of continually disinfecting and cleaning surfaces that are frequently touched. Read more about how long Covid lasts on surfaces. Using antimicrobial metals or surfaces on frequently touched hotspots like door handles, lift buttons and taps could reduce the risk of transmission Credit: Alamy.

By simply changing the texture of the surfaces we use, or coating them with substances that kill bacteria and viruses more quickly, some scientists hope it may be possible to defeat infectious organisms before they even get into our bodies. Larrouy-Maumus is betting on copper alloys.

The ions in copper alloys are both antiviral and antibacterial, able to kill over Copper is even more effective than silver, which requires moisture to activate its antimicrobial properties. It is expensive and harder to clean without causing corrosion, and many people dislike such materials.

Not everyone wants to sit on a metallic toilet seat, for instance. Copper surfaces can also be treated with lasers to create a rugged texture that increases the surface area — and, by extension, the number of bacteria it can kill. Researchers at Purdue University, in Indiana, who developed the technique found it could kill even highly concentrated strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in just a couple of hours.

Such treatments could not only be useful for door handles, but could also help to make medical implants such as hip replacements less likely to cause infection.

Their wings are superhydrophobic, meaning that water droplets bounce off them, just as they do off lotus leaves, allowing contaminants to roll off with the water. Controlling antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals is becoming a major challenge that if left unchecked could claim many lives Credit: Alamy.

The density and geometry of the pattern needed, and the method and materials for producing it, will depend on the features of the microbe being targeted.

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