Antimicrobial Coating May Help Stainless Steel Inhibit Bacteria

Antimicrobial Coating May Help Stainless Steel Inhibit Bacteria

Although stainless steel has long been touted for its durability, corrosion resistance, and ease of cleaning, it also can house disease-causing bacteria that can be transmitted if the instrument or surface is not sterilized or disinfected properly. Previous attempts at creating an antimicrobial surface for stainless steel have been complicated, expensive, and required the use of toxic chemicals. New research presented in the April 2012 issue of Langmuir, the journal of the American Chemical Society, reveals promising findings about a “greener” process for making stainless steel that disinfects itself.

A research team that included Christopher Detrembleur, PhD, senior research associate at the Center for Education and Research on Macromolocules at the University of Liege in Belgium, invented a way to make an antimicrobial coating for stainless steel that kills E. coli bacteria within 2 hours, according to laboratory tests. The coating process is said to take only 10 minutes and uses water instead of potentially toxic substances.

As reported in the article, the antimicrobial coating was achieved by using a “layer-by-layer process that alternates a negatively charged polyelectrolyte—polyacrylic acid—with a cationic antibacterial peptide, nisin.” Researchers said the coating proved successful in real-life applications, but exhibited some limitations—leading the team to assert that additional research is needed before it can be released.