01/05/2013
New way to sterilize devices
It has been discovered that a compound derived from Douglas fir needles can be used sterilize surgical devices and medical implants.
The idea is to develop a self-sterilizing composite material derived from the needles of the Douglas fir. The extract from the needles will be combined with a silver nitrate solution, where the extract will function as a natural chemical reducing agent and convert the silver ions in the nitrate solution to nanoscopic silver metal particles. This will allow the nanoparticles to be dispersed in chitosan polymer to create a sterilizing coating for materials such as metal implants and surgical tools.
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