Researchers at Flinders University have developed an electrically activated antibacterial coating that uses microscopic cracks in its surface to help destroy dangerous bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains.

The flexible material combines liquid gallium, a metal that melts near room temperature, with carbon nanotubes. When the coating dries, tiny cracks naturally form across its surface. Rather than weakening the material, these networks create electrical hotspots that enhance its antibacterial activity.

In laboratory tests, a one-minute electrical stimulation using a standard 9-volt battery killed more than 80% of bacterial cells within three hours, according to the researchers.

The findings could eventually support smart wound dressings, flexible medical devices and wearable technologies designed to help prevent infections without relying solely on antibiotics.

The international research team, led by scientists at Flinders University’s Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, developed the coating to generate an antibacterial response when activated by a small electrical charge.

As the liquid gallium and carbon nanotube mixture dried, microscopic cracks formed naturally across its surface. The researchers found that these structures concentrated electrical activity into tiny hotspots, helping amplify the material’s ability to damage bacterial cells.

Electrical stimulation increased stress inside the bacteria, contributing to cellular damage and death. The coating could also generate plasma, an energised gas that produces reactive molecules known to suppress bacterial growth.

This combination of electrical and plasma-related effects gives the material its antibacterial properties. The researchers say the cracks can be deliberately incorporated into the coating rather than treated as unwanted defects.

Associate Professor Vi-Khanh Truong from Flinders University’s College of Medicine and Public Health and the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute said the findings challenge conventional engineering approaches.

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