Evaluation of antibacterial ability of some pure metals

Abstract

The biohazard in the medical treatment or the food industry sometimes is a matter of serious concern. Recently, the corrosion or degradation due to microbial activity is also coming to consider as one of significant problems in the industrial technology. In these biohazards, the proliferation and colonization of microbes on the material surfaces is recognized as the precursor. From a point of view of this point, the utilization of antibacterial material is considered as one of effective approach to control the activation of harmful microbes and to create a hygiene life space. Although there are so many commercial products with antibacterial ability, they are generally plastics, clothing fivers or ceramics. While, antibacterial metals (commercial products of metals with antibacterial ability) are not so popular as former. Moreover, there are some researches for antibacterial ability of silver or copper metal, the substance which is more paid attention as antibacterial agent is organic substances rather than inorganic ones. In this study, the interaction of some pure metals and microbes was examined by two experimental methods, the film contact method and the shaking flask method. Through these experiments, we evaluated the anti-bacterial ability of some pure metals and investigated the possibility of utilization for alloy element.