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SHORT NEWS

New coating against bacteria

#bacteria #laboratory #material science #materials #medicine

An international research team led by the University of Fribourg has developed a new antibacterial coating. On coated surfaces, the bacterial population is reduced by up to 10,000 times within five minutes.

The antibacterial coating can be applied on doctors' coats

The coating can be applied by spraying or via dipping processes, as the University of Fribourg (Unifr) announced. In the future, for example, doctors' coats and protective gloves are to be treated in this way.

Shortly after its publication in the scientific journal "Advanced Materials Interfaces", the new coating has already met with great interest from manufacturers in the medical, hygiene and household sectors, said Unifr.

Positive charge destroys bacteria

The antimicrobial effect of the newly developed coating is mainly based on the interaction of electrical charges at the molecular level. The surface of the coating consists of a strongly positively charged layer. Bacterial cells, on the other hand, have a negatively charged membrane.

When bacterial cells encounter the coating, the positively charged polymer molecules of the coating interact with the negatively charged molecules of the bacterial membrane. This destabilises and damages the cell membrane, causing the bacteria to die.

The project, financially supported by the Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency Innosuisse and the Swiss National Science Foundation, has been filed for a patent.

Written by: sda

Photos: Keystone

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September 28th, 2023
Mechanics performing maintenance work on an aircraft

Researchers make non-recyclable plastic recyclable

Swiss researchers have developed a new type of recyclable plastic that could be used in aircraft, cars or wind turbines in the future.
October 2nd, 2023
Recycled asphalt was used on the Lucmanier Pass

More recycled asphalt on Swiss roads

Tests with recycled asphalt on Swiss roads show promising results. In Uster ZH and on the Lukmanier Pass GR, the proportion of recycled asphalt could be increased without any loss of performance, according to Empa.
October 16th, 2023
a photovoltaic system on a house facade

Sun soon to be the most important source of energy

The sun is likely to become the world's most important source of energy before 2050, according to British scientists. This is the result of an analysis of technological and economic data by the University of Exeter and University College London.
November 27th, 2023
A hospital room with two beds divided by a curtain

Germicidal textiles for hospitals

A new process developed by Swiss researchers makes textiles germicidal. In future, this could be used to coat curtains in hospitals.
December 25th, 2023
G.V. Shivashankar arbeitet am PSI und der ETH Zürich

Fountain of youth for cells

Reprogrammed cells allow wounds in older people to heal faster. This could, for example, help burn victims.
January 1st, 2024
A scientist taking a water sample with a bottle

Gentle identification of fish species through their DNA

Identifying fish species in a river using DNA traces: This method was tested in Switzerland. It proved to be simpler and more reliable than the electrofishing method used to date.
January 15th, 2024
pressed plastic bottles

Microplastics fly particularly far and high

Microplastic fibres fly higher and further than previously assumed - even as far as the Arctic.
January 22nd, 2024
A futuristic aircraft with a blended wing body

Aircraft of the future make less noise

In an Empa research project, study participants rated the noise of new types of aircraft as less annoying than the noise of today's aircraft.
April 9th, 2024
the airship flying over a coast

British company produces climate-friendly airship

According to its developers, the British airship Airlander 10 could take off for commercial flights with passengers from 2028.
April 22nd, 2024