Antimicrobial bandage with nanostructures
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsHuan Hu, Minhua Lu, Vince Siu, Gustavo Alejandro Stolovitzky
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Abstract
Bandage apparatus, methods, and antimicrobial bandages for facilitating wound healing by providing an antimicrobial functionality. A bandage apparatus includes a substrate with a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface. An attachment mechanism and a nanostructure film are provided on the first surface. The attachment mechanism facilitates removably attaching the substrate to a part of a body comprising a wound. The nanostructure film includes a plurality of nanostructures that contact the wound without puncturing the wound when the substrate is attached to the part of the body comprising the wound.
Claims16
A bandage, comprising:
- a substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface;
- an adhesive layer provided on the first surface that is configured to facilitate removably attaching the substrate to an epithelial layer associated with a wound;
- and
- a nanostructure film provided on the first surface, the nanostructure film comprising a plurality of nanostructures wherein respective nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures comprise a nanospike geometry and wherein the plurality of nanostructures are formed from a material that is configured to have rigidity to puncture and mechanically rupture bacterial cells proximate the wound and to have flexibility to bend over and around a curved surface of the body without breaking such that the plurality of nanostructures are configured to contact the wound without puncturing the wound when the substrate is attached to the epithelial layer.
A bandage apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface:
- an attachment mechanism provided on the first surface that is configured to facilitate removably attaching the substrate to a part of a body comprising a wound;
- and
- a nanostructure film provided on the first surface comprising a plurality of nanostructures wherein respective nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures comprise a nanospike geometry and wherein the plurality of nanostructures are formed from a material that is configured to have rigidity to puncture and mechanically rupture bacterial cells proximate the wound and to have flexibility to bend over and around a curved surface of the body without breaking such that the plurality of nanostructures are configured to contact the wound without puncturing the wound when the substrate is attached to the part of the body comprising the wound.
A method of mitigating bacterial infections associated with wounds, comprising:
- providing a bandage apparatus including a substrate, an attachment mechanism, and a nanostructure film comprising a plurality of nanostructures wherein respective nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures comprise a nanospike geometry and wherein the plurality of nanostructures are formed from a material that is configured to have rigidity to puncture and mechanically rupture bacterial cells proximate a wound and to have flexibility to bend over and around a curved surface of a body without breaking such that the plurality of nanostructures are configured to contact the wound without puncturing the wound when the substrate is attached to a part of the body comprising the wound, wherein the attachment mechanism and the nanostructure film are each provided on a first surface of the substrate that opposes a second surface of the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.