Abstract
Stainless steels are widely used in hospitals and public transportation vehicles as one of the most common touch surfaces. Retrofitting stainless steel surfaces with an antimicrobial layer can bring potential public health benefits by reducing the ability of inanimate objects, or fomites, to transmit infections. Here, a facile surface conversion reaction between stainless steel and a solution of KMnO4 and CuSO4 is reported, which leads to a conformal and robust oxyhydroxide layer. Microscopy observations show that the layer is amorphous, continuous, and pinhole-free with a thickness of only 10–15 nm. The coating adheres strongly to stainless steel and can resist rubbing in simulated friction tests, which is attributed to its intermixing with the substrate without forming a sharp interface. Cu ions incorporated into the surface layer can be released into water droplets deposited on the surface and induce antimicrobial activities against bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14) after 30 min of contact.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 2200251 |
Journal | Advanced Materials Interfaces |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 14 2022 |
Funding
The work was supported by Office of Naval Research (ONR N000142012685). This work made use of the SPID, Keck‐II, and EPIC facility of Northwestern University's NUANCE Center, which had received support from the SHyNE Resource (NSF ECCS‐2025633), the IIN, and Northwestern's MRSEC program (NSF DMR‐1720139). H.H. thanks the support from Northwestern University through a Ryan Fellowship and a Dissertation Fellowship. O.W.B. was supported in part by the Biotechnology Training Program. The authors thank Prof. Jane Wang and Dr. Pan He for help with the tribometer, and Po‐chun Liao for initial assistance. The authors further thank Dr. Egon Ozer for providing PA14. P. aeruginosa
Keywords
- antimicrobial
- coating
- oxyhydroxide
- stainless steel
- surface conversion layer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering