Nano-spike coated surfaces spear bacteria

Inspired by intriguing structures found on dragonfly wings, a team of Australian and Spanish researchers has developed a method to form surfaces with bactericidal nanoprotrusions. In their experiments they applied a special etching treatment to black silicon, but since the bactericidal effect is mechanical, the method is independent of the chemical composition. The method “represents an excellent prospect for the development of a new generation of mechano-responsive, antibacterial nanomaterials”, the researchers state in their paper.