Scientists develop self-sanitising plaster
Washington: Scientists are developing and testing new self-sanitising plaster with more powerful antibacterial effects than penicillin. The material could be used in wall coatings, paints, art works and other products. Liang-jie Yuan of Wuhan University in China and colleagues have developed the new, first-of-its kind plaster - formed from different ingredients from traditional gypsum plaster - that retains plaster's mechanical properties while having added antibacterial effects. Lab tests showed that the so-called "supramolecular" plaster has a "very broad" antibacterial spectrum, killing five types of disease-causing bacteria. When compared with penicillin, the plaster was more effective at controlling growth of four kinds of bacteria, including dangerous Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. "It can be expected that the supramolecular plaster can be used for building, painting, coating and carving, and the coat, brick, or art ware constructed by th...