BiClean – Smart antibacterial surfaces using bidirectional display technology

Biofilms can form on almost any surface, as long as the supply of moisture is sufficient. The word biofilm describes an accumulation of microorganisms, mostly bacteria, which live in close community within a mucous substance. Especially in medicine there is a high risk of infection.

Within the framework of an internal funding project, the Fraunhofer FEP worked on a novel approach for the automated detection and inactivation of biofilms. The “BiClean“ project offers an innovative technical tool for the detection and removal of biofilms and thus preventing the risk of the transmission of pathogenic germs. "The idea of fighting biofilm is based on two steps," explains Dr. Gaby Gotzmann, Group Manager Disinfection, Sterilization and Biofunctionalization. "In the first step, the surface contamination is analyzed by means of a detector function via a bidirectional display. If a surface contamination is identified, secondly a customized chemical reaction is triggered on the surface by light emission, whereby biofilms can be inactivated.” Another research focus is the cleaning of the surface, which will also be done by light emission from the display.

Contact: Annett Hausdorf, Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP
Annett.Hausdorf@fep.fraunhofer.de