Issue 20, 2019

A rugged, self-sterilizing antimicrobial copper coating on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: a preliminary study on the feasibility of an antimicrobial prosthetic joint material

Abstract

We report here for the first time how the combination of a precursor solution and low temperature (170 °C) aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition were used to bond a copper coating to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and promote robustness. This metallic thin film remained intact on the UHMWPE substrate after the Scotch tape test and showed notable wear-resistance after 10 cycles of sand paper-abrasion. Antimicrobial assays against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus revealed potent dark bactericidal activity with 99.999% reduction in bacterial number within 15 minutes. These results suggest that the modified UHMWPE could be a potential candidate for antimicrobial plastics and in the long term may find application in prosthetic joint applications.

Graphical abstract: A rugged, self-sterilizing antimicrobial copper coating on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: a preliminary study on the feasibility of an antimicrobial prosthetic joint material

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Mar 2019
Accepted
23 Apr 2019
First published
26 Apr 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2019,7, 3310-3318

A rugged, self-sterilizing antimicrobial copper coating on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: a preliminary study on the feasibility of an antimicrobial prosthetic joint material

K. Wu, S. P. Douglas, G. Wu, A. J. MacRobert, E. Allan, C. E. Knapp and I. P. Parkin, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2019, 7, 3310 DOI: 10.1039/C9TB00440H

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