Scientists from the Department of Chemistry, Juraj Nikolić and Davor Kovačević, in collaboration with a former scientist of the Chemistry Department, Atiđa Selmani, and colleagues from Slovenia (Nives Matijaković Mlinarić, Aleksandar Učakar, Anamarija Zore, Anže Abram, Andrijana Sever Škapin, Monika Kušter, Klemen Bohinc), the University of Graz (Eva Roblegg), and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Stefanie Altenried, Sandro Lehner, Qun Ren), have published a paper titled "Biocompatible Polyelectrolyte Multilayers with Copper Oxide and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Inhibiting Bacterial Growth" in the prestigious journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Applied Nano Materials (IF = 5.9).
The study explores the potential use of copper (II) oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles of various shapes (nanotubes, nanosheets, and nanospheres) as additives in a biocompatible polyelectrolyte multilayer built from poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and alginate to protect stainless steel surfaces from Escherichia coli bacteria. The research demonstrates that zinc oxide nanotubes incorporated into the polyelectrolyte multilayer significantly inhibit the adhesion and growth of E. coli bacteria on steel surfaces. Conversely, copper (II) oxide nanoparticles, regardless of shape, only slow down bacterial growth on the steel surface. Furthermore, biocompatibility studies on human keratinocytes show that such protective coating of steel surfaces containing nanoparticles poses no danger to the human body. This research represents a significant step in the application of biocompatible polyelectrolyte multilayers and nanoparticles, particularly for protecting medical devices that are often exposed to E. coli bacteria.
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