"A Killer Paint Job"
Alicia Raftery
VTPP-434-502
More proof of the benefits of nanotechnology. Scientists are now using nanotechnology to create a paint which has the ability to kill “superbugs,” when activated by fluorescent light. A superbug is a multi-resistant bacterium, which has the ability to withstand the affects of antibiotics. The scientists are using the common paint ingredient, titanium dioxide, in high concentrations, in order to destroy the membranes of viruses. This pigment, on the nanoparticle level, is severely destabilized when exposed to bright fluorescent light. This destabilization causes the particles to react with water, creating hydroxyl free radicals which readily destroy the membranes of the targeted virus. Researchers found that it took 96 hours for the paint to kill Escherichia coli, a food poisoning bacterium more popularly known as E. Coli.
Problems with the paint must still be worked out, like the fact that it cannot contain calcium carbonate due to the negative effects this typical ingredient has on the titanium dioxide’s bacteria fighting effects. Scientists must now take into consideration not only the quality of the paint they are creating, but also the price, as titanium dioxide is much more expensive than the common ingredients used in paints today. Nonetheless, using nanoparticles in paint is a rapidly developing interest, and the positive outcomes that will come from the ability to fight the spread of superbugs are obvious and endless.
News Article from Science News:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/36396/title/A_killer_paint_job
VTPP-434-502
More proof of the benefits of nanotechnology. Scientists are now using nanotechnology to create a paint which has the ability to kill “superbugs,” when activated by fluorescent light. A superbug is a multi-resistant bacterium, which has the ability to withstand the affects of antibiotics. The scientists are using the common paint ingredient, titanium dioxide, in high concentrations, in order to destroy the membranes of viruses. This pigment, on the nanoparticle level, is severely destabilized when exposed to bright fluorescent light. This destabilization causes the particles to react with water, creating hydroxyl free radicals which readily destroy the membranes of the targeted virus. Researchers found that it took 96 hours for the paint to kill Escherichia coli, a food poisoning bacterium more popularly known as E. Coli.
Problems with the paint must still be worked out, like the fact that it cannot contain calcium carbonate due to the negative effects this typical ingredient has on the titanium dioxide’s bacteria fighting effects. Scientists must now take into consideration not only the quality of the paint they are creating, but also the price, as titanium dioxide is much more expensive than the common ingredients used in paints today. Nonetheless, using nanoparticles in paint is a rapidly developing interest, and the positive outcomes that will come from the ability to fight the spread of superbugs are obvious and endless.
News Article from Science News:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/36396/title/A_killer_paint_job
posted by aliciaraftery at 6:26 PM
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