Scientists have developed antibacterial glass for smartphones – TANCS
By ForGeeks Scientists from Spain’s ICREA Catalan Institute, together with researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) and Corning, have unveiled a new copper coating for screens that can eliminate bacteria and make surfaces safer.
Touchscreen displays on devices contain high levels of bacteria. To improve safety, scientists have developed a special copper coating called TANCS (transparent nanostructured copper surface).
A new copper coating for screens that can eliminate bacteria and make the surface safer.
A 3.5 nanometer-thick copper film has been applied underneath the Corning Gorilla Glass protective glass. Using thermal annealing technology, the film was heated to 390 °C for 10 minutes and then cooled. This produced a homogeneous surface of copper nanoparticles.
The resulting material retained the antibacterial properties of copper, but became transparent and lost its electrical conductive properties. Silicon dioxide and oil-repellent elements were added to the top layer of the film to increase durability. In tests, TANCS was found to kill 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria within two hours and remained effective for two years, even with the use of cleaning agents.
