This Modified Stainless Steel Could Kill Bacteria Without Antibiotics or Chemicals
Postdoctoral scholar Anuja Tripathi examines a small sample of stainless steel after an electrochemical etching process she designed to create nano-scale needle-like structures on its surface. A second process deposits copper ions on the surface to create a dual antibacterial material. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)
An electrochemical process developed at Georgia Tech could offer new protection against bacterial infections without contributing to growing antibiotic resistance.
The approach capitalizes on the natural antibacterial properties of copper and creates incredibly small needle-like structures on the surface of stainless steel to kill harmful bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus. It’s convenient and inexpensive, and it could reduce the need for chemicals and antibiotics in hospitals, kitchens, and other settings where surface contamination can lead to serious illness.
It also could save lives: A global study of drug-resistant infections found they directly killed 1.27 million people in 2019 and contributed to nearly 5 million other deaths — making these infections one of the leading causes of death for every age group.
Researchers described the copper-stainless steel and its effectiveness May 20 in the journal Small.