How many germs live on our phones, the one object we probably touch more than anything else throughout the day, often without even thinking about it? And how many of those germs travel from our phones onto all the other surfaces we set them on? Australian scientists are now proposing a groundbreaking solution to this vicious cycle of germ transmission. Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne have developed a germ-killing film, a plastic membrane, capable of destroying microbes that land on its surface, protecting human health in the process. As reported in Advanced Science, the material could be particularly effective on high-contact surfaces such as cell phones and keyboards, as well as medical equipment, where the transmission of viruses and other pathogens is both more likely and potentially more dangerous.
A Surface “Lined With Swords”
The scientists took an unconventional approach to fighting germs. The thin plastic film does not destroy microorganisms through chemical reactions the way standard disinfectants and conventional antimicrobial coatings do. Instead, thanks to the material’s advanced structure, any microbe that settles on its surface is subjected to mechanical stress.
The plastic is covered in countless microscopic spikes, known in nanotechnology as “nanopillars” because of their shape. These nanopillars are precisely sized and shaped to inflict serious structural damage on any microbe that comes into contact with them. In practice, when a microbe lands on the membrane, the strategically arranged nanopillars immediately exert intense mechanical pressure from multiple points at once, deforming it through twisting, pulling, or compression until it is destroyed.
The RMIT team tested the germ-killing film against hPIV-3, a virus associated with respiratory infections including bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Within just one hour of contact with the membrane, roughly 94% of viral particles were either destroyed or inactivated, losing their ability to replicate. The plastic cannot inflict comparable damage on human skin cells, which are far larger and far more resilient than viruses or bacteria.
Ready for Real-World Use
As lead author Samson Ma told the publication, “one of the most remarkable aspects of this new technology is that the membrane was made from flexible acrylic plastic, which can be mass-produced using standard industrial techniques similar to those used in producing everyday plastic films. The technology thus has the potential to move quickly from the lab to widespread application.”
The research team believes that in the future, such self-sanitizing surfaces could be deployed in hospitals, public spaces, and even consumer products, reducing the need for constant chemical disinfection. So far, the technology appears to work effectively against enveloped viruses, which are generally more vulnerable to mechanical stress. The researchers’ next goal is to test it against more resilient viruses and to evaluate its performance under more complex, real-world conditions.
