UMass Amherst-led Team Creates Biofilm-Resistant Glass For Marine Environments

Engineers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Florida Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have created ultraviolet (UV) rays-emitting glass that can reduce 98% of biofilm from growing on surfaces in underwater environments. Says lead study author Leila Alidokht, "As UV enters the glass, we scatter the UV from inside of the glass to the outside," using a coating made of light-scattering silica nanoparticles. "Contrary to an external UV irradiation technique, UV-emitting glass inhibits biofilm formation directly at the surface of interest – the surface itself serves as a UVC source," Alidokht adds.