Polymeric biomaterials: a clean approach to preventing infection

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Project objective

This project aims to use new, clean methods to convert carefully designed metal-organic compounds into metal nanoparticles in the surface of a biopolymer. The nanoparticles that most efficiently prevent bacteria from sticking to the biopolymer will be identified. The literature suggests that the addition of silver metal or silver compounds to polymeric biomaterials can prevent infection. However there is much controversy over this antimicrobial action. This is because the silver-containing biopolymers studied had been impregnated with soluble silver salts dissolved in chloroform - a toxic organic solvent - so although the results are promising, the biomaterials tested will contain toxic solvent residues. Very recently, preliminary experiments at Nottingham demonstrated that supercritical fluids offer a clean and effective alternative to the toxic solvents. The fluid used was supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), a unique solvent with an intriguing combination of liquid-like and gas-like properties, which is now popular in industry as a 'clean solvent' for modification of foodstuffs (coffee decaffeination). In the new procedure, scCO2 behaves like a solvent to dissolve a range of metal-organic molecules, and like a gas to penetrate the biopolymer and 'dye' it with metal compound. After releasing metal nanoparticles throughout the polymer, the residues from the metal-organic are also cleanly removed, leaving a clean, metal-impregnated, antimicrobial medical implant.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM · NOTTINGHAMCoordinatorUnited Kingdom

Links

• View on CORDIS