University of Tartu

The University of Tartu is represented in the project by two collaborating research groups, which complement each other both in terms of interdisciplinary links and approaches to science used by materials scientists and biologists, and in terms of the biological applications of the nanopowders developed by the materials scientists and the surfaces doped with them.

The collaboration between Prof. Vambola Kisand and Prof. Angela Ivask at the University of Tartu began in response to a local company’s request to evaluate the antibacterial properties of their door handles. Initial tests revealed that the claimed antibacterial effects were not accurate, prompting the researchers to develop their own effective solution. This led to the creation of an innovative surface coating incorporating zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles, capable of killing over 90% of bacteria within five minutes under UV light.

The present project is a development of these previous results, aimed at the creation of photocatalytic antibacterial materials activated by visible light.