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Fraunhofer Institute

Silver particles in medical plastics

The risk of infection is particularly high after an operation. Patients can become infected with antibiotic-resistant germs in hospital. New materials for implants and medical devices help to reduce this risk. Fraunhofer researchers from Bremen present the novel silver-containing materials at Medtec .

A look inside a hospital operating theater: scissors, swabs, scalpel, tubes, screws. Teeth or artificial joints are being implanted more and more frequently. Doctors use numerous instruments during an operation. The surfaces of medical instruments, prostheses and implants interact with the human body. Not every patient tolerates the procedure and contact with the foreign body.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM is developing materials that help to reduce this risk. The materials for implants and devices have a built-in antibacterial coating. A new process makes it possible to incorporate metallic silver in the form of nanoparticles into polymers. The large surface area of the particles has a sufficiently high concentration of silver ions. These kill bacteria on the surface of the material. The granules of a few millionths of a millimeter are incorporated into various standard plastics used in medical technology and contribute to good and long durability even with low metal concentrations.

“Silver and silver compounds were already used in the 19th century to treat burns and for disinfection and only disappeared from the market with the use of specific antibiotics,” explains Dr. Michael Wagener from IFAM. “Currently, material-bound solutions for reducing infections are experiencing a renaissance. Silver is an interesting alternative.”

A measurement method developed at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is a fundamental prerequisite for the rapid analysis of material combinations. The researchers find the best compound from a variety of materials. In cooperation with Bio-Gate GmbH, a spin-off from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, customer-specific material developments are now being offered.

Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft press release 04/ 2002

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