New Nanocoating Inhibits Bacteria Growth
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
A new nanocoating developed by scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev could play an important role in marine anti-fouling coatings.
Born from Algae
The material, developed from a compound in microalgae, appears to impede the growth of bacteria on metal surfaces to which it is applied, according to the study, published in Advanced Materials Interfaces.
The Ben-Gurion researchers used polysaccharides derived from the microalgae to create metal complex films; they found that a metal complex film made of copper and these polysaccharides greatly inhibited the growth of certain bacteria on a metal surface.
In the paper, the scientists note the presence of “protruding needle-like structures up to 10 nanometers in height” in the copper-based film, which could account for its ability to prevent the buildup of bacterial biofilms.
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Images from the study show bacterial growth: the first row, a control substrate; the second, with polysaccharides applied; and the third, with the copper-polysaccharide metal complex film. |
'Tremendous Potential'
“Our solution addresses a pervasive need to design environmentally friendly materials to impede dangerous surface bacteria growth,” the researchers said in a statement issued through Ben-Gurion. “This holds tremendous potential for averting biofilm formed by surface-anchored bacteria and could have a tremendous impact.”
Copper-metal complex film complexes “fabricated with thermal and pressure stability to prevent metal ion leakage hold promise for a broad spectrum of industrial and medical bio-film applications,” the authors write in the study.
Potential uses in industry include as anti-fouling agents in coatings used on ships, bridges and other structures submerged in water or subject to damp conditions. The technology could also be put to work in medical settings, applied to medical implants or surgical tools to prevent infection.
The study was authored by Dr. Karina Goldberg, Prof. Noa Emuna, Prof. Dorit van Moppes, Prof. T.P. Vinod, Prof. Robert Marks, Prof. Ariel Kushmaro and Prof. Shoshana Malis Arad.
The research took place at Ben Gurion’s Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, located in Beer Sheva, Israel.
Tagged categories: Antifoulants; Bioproducts; Coating chemistry; Coating Materials; Coatings Technology; Colleges and Universities; Nano and hybrid coatings; Research and development
