NSF Award
0511971
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a novel<br/>manufacturing process for depositing silver ion-containing nano-scale coatings on metals<br/>or plastics for microbial resistance. The antimicrobial nanocoating (AMNC) is deposited<br/>from the vapor phase using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)<br/>process onto a variety of surfaces. Effective integration of ionic silver into the coating remains a difficult engineering challenge due to low precursor volatility and ionic metal ligand instability. The proposed development of a commercially viable AMNC process will include: 1)Deposition of nanometer-scale films via PECVD that contain leachable silver ions, synthesized with at least two different matrix polymers (organic and inorganic) and a range of silver content. This will be accomplished via post-deposition grafting of silver containing organometallics onto PECVD plasma polymers. 2) Establishing antimicrobial effectiveness of these silver-containing PECVD films as a function of structure and composition. Film composition, thickness, and morphology are all controllable by suitable choice of reactant gases and deposition conditions. A successful Phase I project will result in the demonstration of a nanometer-scale antimicrobial coating that has been tested on a panel of approximately 20 of the top bacterial pathogens.<br/><br/><br/>Commercially AMNCs are not currently available on the market. Thinner than the<br/>razor edge of a scalpel and nearly invisible, AMNCs offer distinct advantages over<br/>available thick antimicrobial paints while addressing important problems such as<br/>nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections (NI). NIs represent one of the most severe<br/>problems facing the health care industry. The CDC estimates that NIs cause over<br/>100,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone, with a concomitant increased health care cost<br/>of over 5 billion dollars per year. Contaminated hands are believed to be the single<br/>greatest cause of transmitting NIs. Applying AMNCs to hand contact surfaces (e.g. door<br/>knobs, bathroom fixtures) in facilities such as hospitals and public schools could be<br/>tremendously beneficial. Moreover, AMNCs can enhance healthcare by improving<br/>microbial and biofilm resistance of medical materials (e.g. indwelling catheters, central<br/>lines, prostheses, other invasive devices).
