An antibacterial copper composite more bioactive than metallic silver

Racheli Ben-Knaz Wakshlak, Rami Pedahzur, Barak Menagen, David Avnir*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although known for its biocidal activity, copper is still not considered as a viable alternative to silver in many of its biocidal applications, mainly because it is generally considered to be a milder antibacterial metal. As copper is much cheaper than silver (1/100), it is potentially more accessible to the health and hygiene needs of third-world countries, to large volume consumer products, and to large-scale agricultural and water treatment needs. Therefore, enhancing the biocidal efficacy of copper is a sought-after goal. We report a method for achieving this goal: by entrapping molecules of the biocidal agent chlorhexidine (CH) within a metallic copper metal powder, using a new materials methodology, the antibacterial efficacy of copper towards two model nosocomial opportunistic bacteria-the Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis-is enhanced to provide a powerful antibacterial agent exceeding the activity of silver. ICP-MS elemental analysis and UV-spectroscopy indicated that the enhanced bactericidal effects of the synthesized composite, CH@Cu, are associated with the sustained release of both copper ions and CH, giving rise to synergistically enhanced activity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4322-4329
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry B
Volume4
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

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