International.
A new discovery could control the spread of lethal antibiotic-resistant superbugs that experts fear are ongoing to kill 10 million people each year by 2050 — more than will die of cancer.
A team of scientists, led by Professor Suresh Pillai C., from TI Sligo (Irish Educational Institution), has made a significant breakthrough that will allow everyday items – from smartphones to door plates – to be protected against deadly bacteria, including MRSA and E. coli.
Using nanotechnology, the discovery is an effective and practical antimicrobial solution – an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth – that can be used to protect a wide variety of items.
Products include anything made of glass, metal and ceramic including computer or tablet screens, smartphones, ATMs, door plates, televisions, handrails, elevators, urinals, toilet seats, refrigerators, microwaves and ceramic flooring.
The new water-based solution can be sprayed on any glass, ceramic or metal surface during the production process, making the surface 99.9% resistant to superbugs such as MRSA, E. coli and other fungi.
The solution is sprayed onto the product – like on a glass surface of a smartphone – and then 'cooked' on it, forming a super-hard surface. The coating is transparent, permanent and scratch-resistant and currently forms a harder surface than the original glass or ceramic material.
The team first developed the revolutionary material to work in ceramics and has spent the last five years adapting the formula – which is non-toxic and has no harmful by-products – to work on glass and metal surfaces.
Source: IT Sligo.
