This photo, provided by the National Nanofab Center in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, shows a test bed for 12-inch semiconductors.
DAEJEON, April 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean researchers have developed an innovative polymer thin film that can prevent bacteria from adhering to medical products or daily necessities while remaining harmless to humans.
A joint research team from the National Nanofab Center and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology announced Thursday it succeeded in developing technology to produce nano-scale polymer thin film with the function of preventing the adhesion of harmful pollutants.
Thus far, heavy metals such as tin, mercury and copper have been used to prevent the adhesion of harmful bacteria.
Accordingly, research has been actively underway to develop harmless polymer materials. Nonetheless, it was difficult to apply them to actual products.
By using semiconductor manufacturing processes and a cleanroom environment-based chemical vapor deposition coating method, the research team succeeded in synthesizing a non-toxic polymer thin film that prevents protein or bacteria from adhering to the surface.
The polymer thin film can be applied without limit to the type of product and surface structure, while featuring excellent stability and mechanical durability.
The research team expects the newly-developed polymer thin film to be used as a pollution-free coating for medical products such as contact lenses and implant materials that are inserted into human bodies, as well as various home appliances.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
