A spontaneous solid-state NO donor to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria

This study substantiates the chemical origin of a free-radical-driven antibacterial effect at the surface of biomedical silicon nitride (Si3N4) in comparison with the long-known effect of oxygen reduction by oxidized TiO2 at the surface of biomedical titanium alloys. Similar to the antibacterial effect exerted by reactive oxygen species (ROS; i.e., superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen, and hydrogen peroxide) from TiO2, reactive...