Black Silicon Slices and Dices Bacteria

Bacteria are everywhere like it or not, and even though they are not all bad we all know the ones that are can get nasty quickly. As keeping surfaces clean is not only imperative for general health but also research, surgery, and much more research is being done to find better ways to eliminate the many microbes that would do harm. One group pursuing a better way to fight microbes are a group of researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Their research involved comparing a nanomaterial known as black Silicon to the Wandering Percher Dragonfly's wings. This dragonfly's wings are similar in structure to the black Silicon, which is a nanomaterial with many spiky protrusions. The surface created by these materials creates a "mechanical bacteria killing effect which is unrelated to the chemical composition of the surface". In some preliminary testing both materials were very effective and "exhibited an estimated average bacteria killing rates of up to 450,000 bacteria per minute of exposure for every square centimeter of available surface." The applications of this technology are wide and varied, as anything needing to be sterile could be coated with this material. The most interesting aspect of this I believe is that researchers are finding ways to kill bacteria that don't necessarily involve drugs or chemicals.

http://www.gizmag.com/black-silicon-antibacterial-surface/29950/