
Demir tested many types of bacteria, including E. When the researchers put bacteria on the coated surface, the microbes did not grow. This creates negatively charged oxygen groups on the surface to which the N-halamine polymer can attach through a chemical reaction.

To do this, the researchers first roughed up the surface with hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid.

Other groups have linked N-halamine polymers to stainless steel surfaces with the aid of a binder, but Worley's team has now shown, for the first time, that N-halamine can be attached to stainless steel directly. Demir, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dave Worley, Ph.D., at Auburn University, wants to expand the use of N-halamines into the medical and food industries. These compounds are affordable, chemically stable and nontoxic to humans. N-halamines are a group of compounds that have one or more nitrogen-halogen covalent bonds. Scientists have previously added molecules called N-halamines to textiles for their antimicrobial properties because it is easy to attach these substances to cotton. "There is also a health concern with using silver." Silver could leach from the stainless steel and into foods that are later consumed, she says. "In addition, silver and copper are usually alloyed in the metal, and they have been tucked away so they are not very effective," Demir notes. says.Ĭurrent efforts to avoid such bacterial growth incorporate silver or copper ions, which can be pricey.

"I noticed that stainless steel is frequently used in the health care industry and for food processing, but not a lot of research has been done to prevent bacteria from growing on these surfaces," Buket Demir, Ph.D. The researchers are presenting their results at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
