Cover up: Researchers have developed coatings for the prevention of corrosion and diseases

摘要

NEW COATINGS that are said to tackle metal corrosion and hospital-acquired infections were presented last week to the Society for General Microbiology in Harrogate. The first makes use of a naturally occurring bacteria to deal with the corrosion of metals at sea. Developed by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University, the coating includes spores from a bacterium into a sol-gel coating that can then be used to protect aluminium alloys from microbial damage. David Greenfield, a researcher on the project, explained: 'Some bacteria can lay down a biofilm over a surface and this can be detrimental to the metal underneath. We've tried to counteract this process by Selecting specific spores from a bacterium.