New nano-coat kills germs

From: Frankfurter Allgemeine, Germany - Apr 3, 2003

The Institute for New Materials (INM) in the southwestern German city of Saarbrücken has developed a special new varnish that kills bacteria and fungi and will prevent diseases from being spread through contact with doorknobs and sanitary fittings, the institute said on Thursday. INM said the new varnish can be applied to metal, plastic and glass surfaces. The institute, which specializes in chemical nanotechnology, will present this innovation at the Hanover industrial fair which starts next Monday. “The new varnish will not necessarily be much more expensive than a normal one,“ a spokesman of INM said. Some five to 10 times thinner than a strand of hair, the new nanotechnology coat consists of miniature silver balls embedded in varnish. These balls deliver charged atomic particles to the surface of the coat, which in turn destroy bacteria and fungi. The new varnish has already been successfully tested on the coating of a hearing aid. cs
Mar. 28

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