First broad spectrum anti-microbial paint to kill 'superbugs'

April 20, 2009
First broad spectrum anti-microbial paint to kill 'superbugs'

Enlarge

A new antimicrobial paint could disinfect and decorate as it can kill harmful bacteria, fungi, mold and viruses. Credit: The American Chemical Society

Scientists in South Dakota are reporting development of the first broad-spectrum antimicrobial paint, a material that can simultaneously kill not just disease-causing bacteria but mold, fungi, and viruses.

Designed to both decorate and disinfect homes, businesses, and health-care settings, the paint is the most powerful to date, according to their new study. It appears in the current issue of the monthly ACS' Applied Materials & Interfaces. The paint shows special promise for fighting so-called "superbugs," antibiotic-resistant microbes that infect hospital surfaces and cause an estimated 88,000 deaths annually in the United States, the researchers say.

In the study, Yuyu Sun and Zhengbing Cao note in the antimicrobial paints already on are store shelves. These paints, however, are only effective against a narrow range of disease-causing microorganisms, limiting their usefulness.

The scientists already were aware of research on the germ-killing effects of that N-halamines, bleach-like substances already in wide use. They developed a new antimicrobial polymer that includes a type of N-halamine. It has no undesirable effects on the quality of latex paints. Laboratory tests showed that the new polymer kills a wide range of disease-causing microbes including those resistant to multiple antibiotics. The retains an anti-microbial punch for extended periods, and it can be easily "recharged" with a simple chlorination process, the researchers note.

Source: American Chemical Society (news : web)

3.5 /5 (2 votes)  

Rank 3.5 /5 (2 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • How to determine zinc in a plant.
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • Stoichiometry
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Boiling and melting point of impure substances
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Safe nitrogen compound to decompose a 500 deg C in a furnace?
    createdFeb 09, 2012
  • [ask]electron inside drinking water
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • How to avoid formation of Lithium Chromate ???
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Chemistry

More news stories

Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created 6 hours ago | popularity 4.4 / 5 (15) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created 6 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hydrogen from acidic water: Researchers develop potential low cost alternative to platinum for splitting water

A technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the widely used industrial catalyst molybdenite has been developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (16) | comments 21 | with audio podcast

Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials

Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Research provides octagonal window of opportunity for carbon capture

(PhysOrg.com) -- Filtering carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from factory smokestacks is a necessary, but expensive part of many manufacturing processes. However, a collaborative research team from the National ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 5 | with audio podcast


Declining health-care productivity in England: Who says so?

Reports that the National Health Service in England has been declining in productivity in the last decade appear to have been accepted as fact. However, a Viewpoint published Online First by The Lancet disputes this. The Vi ...

Overeating may double risk of memory loss

New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...

A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell

Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...

Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV

A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...

Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...