Observatory New Coating Technique for Microscopic Objects By DOUGLAS QUENQUA Applying a coating to microscopic objects like bacterial cells or colloidal particles has a wide array of potential applications in medicine and environmental science, like fending off corrosion and making medications go down easier. The trouble is that the process is difficult and expensive. Until now, that is. Writing in the journal Science, researchers in Australia say they have developed a coating technique that is quick, cheap and natural. Using iron ions and a natural polyphenol known as tannic acid, the researchers say they have created thin, nontoxic films that instantly assemble themselves on any number of substances. Current methods of coating “are time-consuming, involve multiple steps or require expensive, often synthetic materials,” Frank Caruso, an author of the paper and a professor at the University of Melbourne, wrote in an e-mail. “We have developed a rapid coating method from naturally occurring, generally recognized as safe, inexpensive materials” that can be “deposited on a diverse range” of substances. The new method is versatile enough to uniformly coat substances of varying shape, size, structure and composition, say the researchers, and can be applied equally to organic and nonorganic compounds — even living ones. The film it creates should also disassemble itself naturally under the right conditions, allowing for the timed release of substances within. Dr. Caruso and his team are testing potential applications for the coating that involve biomedical imaging (like CT and MRI scans) and metal ion separation. They are also examining the coating’s stability and its ability to disassemble in various environments.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 06:18:20 +0000
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