They kill with molecular stings and oxidative shock and don’t know the meaning of fatigue. A state-of-the-art biocidal nanocomposite designed and synthesized by scientists at the Institute of Nuclear Physics (IPJ PAN) of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków marks a new direction for materials engineering in the fight against microorganisms.
The increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a challenge not only for doctors, but also for physicists involved in materials engineering. In mankind’s generation-long Sisyphus struggle against a dangerous microbial world, we finally seem to have an ally ready to meet the challenge: kill microbes voluntarily and continuously, and colonize them. Composites capable of preventing the growth of . is discussed in a scientific article.
“In our team’s work, we try to apply the idea of ’reverse physics.’ We start not with the material we want to study to find an application, but with the application itself. We will precisely design the future material in mind, perform numerical simulations, and then try to synthesize it, and only if we manage this well will we check whether the properties of the obtained material are as expected.” , explains Dr. Lukasz Laskowski (IFJ PAN), leader of a team that includes Dr. Agnieszka Karczmarska. Magdalena Laskowska and Dr. Mateusz Schabikowski.
Researchers at the Institute of Physiology and Animal Nutrition (IFiZZ PAN) of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Jablonna pointed out the need to develop new, durable and safe biocidal materials. They pointed out that if face masks, which everyone has known since the time of the pandemic, are not changed frequently, microbes can accumulate and become a source of secondary infection as their habitat. A material that not only functions as a barrier but also continuously eliminates attached microorganisms is required. Physicists at IFJ PAN saw a way to solve the problem: composites built from neutral matrices with appropriately attached functional groups that can effectively kill microbes. Permanent attachment of the biocidal molecule and proper selection of its properties ensure that the material retains its properties for virtually any length of time.
For biocidal composites containing silver ions developed by IFJ PAN scientists, aluminum oxide or silicon dioxide (i.e. silica) matrices can be used, if desired. In the former case, the matrix is in the form of sieves with a pore size of about 40 nm, while in the latter it is spheres with diameters ranging from 50 to 500 nm. Porous matrices allow, for example, air and body fluids to be filtered, while spherical silica allows antiseptic materials to be incorporated into other substances such as dental fillings.
“Naturally, the main role of our material is played not by the matrix, but by the functional groups attached to it in a suitable way. It’s trapped by the carboxyl groups attached to the chain.This structure is flexible and works brilliantly as a needle or knife that disrupts cell membranes when in contact with bacteria,” explains Dr Raskowski.
The biocidal molecules in the new composite are chemically bonded to the matrix, so they are permanently attached. This fact means, first and foremost, that these molecules can perform their task continuously and precisely where they are placed. It is neither washed into the body from the padding nor released into the environment from the used mask.
A second class of new nanocomposites from IFJ PAN uses another tool to fight bacteria: propyl phosphate groups containing copper ions. They trap oxygen molecules in the air and are reduced by copper ions, acting as single-electron catalysts. The reaction occurring involves hydrogen from water molecules common in our environment. As a result, hydrogen peroxide continuously forms around the copper functional groups. Upon contact with it, most microorganisms are killed by oxidative shock.
“Like silver nanocomposites, copper is also permanently bonded to the matrix and does not wear away. Water and oxygen are consumed, but these are naturally available in the environment. You have at your disposal a material that virtually continuously produces a constant amount of fresh hydrogen peroxide, one of the effective biocidal compounds, with IFiZZ PAS.
Bioactive nanocomposites containing metal ions are currently being fabricated at the IFJ PAN on a laboratory scale and may provide pilot quantities for implementation purposes. However, the patented production technology can be scaled up to meet industrial needs without major problems.
Original: Vigorous microbial killers in novel nanocomposites
Than: Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
