This is a very interesting concept if it pans out.
26 November 2013 - 22H34 Germ-killing nanosurface opens up new front in hygiene
AFP - Imagine a hospital room, door handle or kitchen countertop that is free from bacteria -- and not one drop of disinfectant or boiling water or dose of microwaves has been needed to zap the germs.
That is the idea behind a startling discovery made by scientists in Australia. . . . . The germ-killer is black silicon, a substance discovered accidentally in the 1990s and now viewed as a promising semiconductor material for solar panels.
Under an electron microscope, its surface is a forest of spikes just 500 nanometres (500 billionths of a metre) high that rip open the cell walls of any bacterium which comes into contact, the scientists found.
It is the first time that any water-repellent surface has been found to have this physical quality as bactericide . . . .
Front Porch Punditry
Print view
Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:05 pm
reply
Front Porch Punditry