Scholars from the University of Tokyo, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and RIKEN Thin-Film Device Laboratory and Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) recently conducted a study that developed an innovative nanomaterial against harmful microbes.
The material was constructed into a wearable antimicrobial nanomesh that sticks to the human skin. Through this approach, any bacteria present on the skin of its users will be removed instantly.
Copper and Its Antimicrobial Properties
The element copper was being used in many studies against microbes due to its unique properties. Before the modern age, older groups such as ancient Egypt utilized the material for the same reason.
Since its discovery, copper had been part not just of the electrical innovations, but also in the medical field. Today, the usage of the element in medical applications reemerged. Many companies incorporated the importance of copper in building materials found in hospital facilities and households.
The latest innovation with copper was presented in a new study led by scientists from Japan and Korea. The experts modified the element through nanotechnology to give a more effective outcome in protecting humans against the risks and infections brought by harmful microbes.
Copper is famously known for its heavy weight. To make the element become a convenient antimicrobial material, the authors of the study sliced the copper into ultra-thin strands and combined them in a random order to form a light mesh.
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Sticking Copper Nanomesh Could Kill Bacteria on Any Surface in an Instant
The copper nanomesh was then applied with a certain pressure to make it flat and measure about three microns thick. The process was enough to make the mesh invisible to an unaided eye and hard to feel at a touch. The material was intended to be bent and stretched easily for many antimicrobial applications in emerging studies, reports PhysOrg.
According to the authors, one of the expected applications that could be developed from the nanomesh is to cover the screens of tablets and smartphones. Through experiments, experts saw that there were no negative impacts on the performance of the devices when equipped with the copper sheet.
The nanomesh could also be utilized quickly and conveniently by just sticking the sheet in bacteria and virus-prone objects such as mechanical switches and doorknobs.
Experts also imply that the copper mesh could also be made into an almost invisible glove to protect hands. The thin, transparent gloves would not hinder any tasks that its user does and would effectively preserve the part of the body where microbes are commonly transmitted.
When compared to the popular copper films available on the market, the authors said that their work is far superior to the sheets available on the market due to the wider surface area of the nanomesh, a feature that is more than enough to eliminate microbes from any surface it is applied to.
The study was published in the journal PNAS, titled "Antimicrobial second skin using copper nanomesh."
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