Synthesis and Coating of Copper Nanoparticle Embedded Carbon Matrix for Antimicrobial Applications

Copper metal historically has been known for its innate antimicrobial properties long before commercial antibiotics were developed. Copper can be toxic when applied in high doses especially to bacteria and fungi and is difficult to develop resistances against in comparison to antibiotics. A big issue in the healthcare industry is hospital acquired infections from various bacterial and fungal pathogens that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics and treatments. We propose creating an antimicrobial surface coating with carbon coated copper nanoparticles that can be applied to many different surfaces from hospital beds to different medical devices. This coating is able to slowly release copper ions into different microbes on the surface until it is cytotoxic to the organism and will continue to inhibit growth of microbes afterwards as well. Beyond hospital environments, this material can also be utilized in other applications such as anti-fouling paint or additives or use in food packaging for preventing food borne microbes during travel and storage. We have developed a flexible and large-scale synthesis method for creating the copper-carbon composite. Based on current testing, C-MATT is able to kill gram positive and negative bacteria as well as fungi and keep growth inhibited on the surface afterwards as well.