Nitric oxide-releasing materials, methods of making nitric oxide-releasing materials, and uses of nitric oxide-releasing materials are provided. The nitric oxide-releasing materials include a mesoporous silica core and an outer surface having a plurality of nitric oxide donors. In an exemplary aspects, the nitric oxide-releasing material includes a mesoporous diatomaceous earth core, and an outer surface having a plurality of S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine groups covalently attached thereto. Uses of the nitric oxide-releasing materials can include coatings for medical devices such as catheters, grafts, and stents; wound gauzes; acne medications; and antiseptic mouthwashes; among others.

A substrate subject to degradation at temperatures above 100° C. is coated with a nanostructured ceramic coating having a thickness in excess of 100 nm, formed on a surface of the substrate, wherein a process temperature for deposition of the nanostructured coating does not exceed 90° C. The coating may be photocatalytic, photovoltaic, or piezoelectric. The coating, when moistened and exposed to ultraviolet light or sunlight, advantageously generates free radicals, which may be biocidal, deodorizing, or assist in degradation of surface deposits on the substrate after use. The substrate may be biological or organic, and may have a metallic or conductive intermediate layer.

There is provided a method for decreasing leakage of matter from an object to a surrounding, said object being coated with a coating at least partially applied on the object, said coating comprising an at least partially covering layer comprising silver, said object optionally comprising area(s) without said layer, said coating comprising metal particles applied on the layer and optionally on areas without said layer, said metal particles comprising palladium and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, niobium, neodymium and platinum and wherein the amount of the metal particles is in the interval 0.01-8 μg/cm.sup.2. Advantages include that leakage of matter such as latex allergens of metal ions can be reduced while the coating is both biocompatible and antimicrobial. Further, the blood clotting can be reduced.

Invasive medical devices including a substantially non-eluting antimicrobial treatment. One or more external and/or internal surfaces of the medical device include a substantially non-eluting copper-coated surface that assists in preventing microbial colonization of the coated surface. This in turn reduces the incidence of infection to the patient originating from the medical device. In one embodiment, a catheter assembly is disclosed and comprises an elongate catheter tube that defines at least one lumen, at least one extension leg including a luer connector, and a bifurcation hub including at least one fluid passageway that provides fluid communication between the extension leg and the lumen. A substantially non-eluting copper coating is disposed on a surface of at least one of the lumen, the extension leg, the luer connector, and the fluid passageway. The coating is applied via an electroless deposition process. A water-shed coating is disposed on the copper coating.

Invasive medical devices including a substantially non-eluting antimicrobial treatment. One or more external and/or internal surfaces of the medical device include a substantially non-eluting copper-coated surface that assists in preventing microbial colonization of the coated surface. This in turn reduces the incidence of infection to the patient originating from the medical device. In one embodiment, a catheter assembly is disclosed and comprises an elongate catheter tube that defines at least one lumen, at least one extension leg including a luer connector, and a bifurcation hub including at least one fluid passageway that provides fluid communication between the extension leg and the lumen. A substantially non-eluting copper coating is disposed on a surface of at least one of the lumen, the extension leg, the luer connector, and the fluid passageway. The coating is applied via an electroless deposition process. A water-shed coating is disposed on the copper coating.

An antibacterial device is disclosed that includes a substrate and an antibacterial coating or antibacterial surface being provided on at least a part of the substrate's surface. The antibacterial coating or surface includes Angstrom scale flakes, where the Angstrom scale flakes are arranged in a standing position on the substrate surface and are attached to the substrate surface via edge sides thereof. The Angstrom scale flakes can, for example, be graphene flakes, or graphite flakes having a thickness of a few atom layers. It has been found that such standing flakes are efficient in killing prokaryotic cells but do not harm eukaryotic cells.

There is disclosed a substrate with an electron donating surface, characterized in having metal particles on said surface, said metal particles comprising palladium and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, wherein the amount of said metal particles is from about 0.001 to about 8 μg/cm.sup.2. Examples of coated objects include contact lenses, pacemakers, pacemaker electrodes, stents, dental implants, rupture nets, rupture mesh, blood centrifuge equipment, surgical instruments, gloves, blood bags, artificial heart valves, central venous catheters, peripheral venous catheters, vascular ports, haemodialysis equipment, peritoneal dialysis equipment, plasmapheresis devices, inhalation drug delivery devices, vascular grafts, arterial grafts, cardiac assist devices, wound dressings, intermittent catheters, ECG electrodes, peripheral stents, bone replacing implants, orthopaedic implants, orthopaedic devices, tissue replacing implants, intraocular lenses, sutures, needles, drug delivery devices, endotracheal tubes, shunts, drains, suction devices, hearing aid devices, urethral medical devices, and artificial blood vessels.

There is disclosed a substrate with an electron donating surface, characterized in having metal particles on said surface, said metal particles comprising palladium and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, wherein the amount of said metal particles is from about 0.001 to about 8 μg/cm.sup.2. Examples of coated objects include contact lenses, pacemakers, pacemaker electrodes, stents, dental implants, rupture nets, rupture mesh, blood centrifuge equipment, surgical instruments, gloves, blood bags, artificial heart valves, central venous catheters, peripheral venous catheters, vascular ports, haemodialysis equipment, peritoneal dialysis equipment, plasmapheresis devices, inhalation drug delivery devices, vascular grafts, arterial grafts, cardiac assist devices, wound dressings, intermittent catheters, ECG electrodes, peripheral stents, bone replacing implants, orthopaedic implants, orthopaedic devices, tissue replacing implants, intraocular lenses, sutures, needles, drug delivery devices, endotracheal tubes, shunts, drains, suction devices, hearing aid devices, urethral medical devices, and artificial blood vessels.

A medical device, the medical device including a substrate defining a surface; a plasma polymer layer bound to and coating the surface; and a bactericide layer bound to the plasma polymer layer, the plasma polymer layer being between the substrate and the bactericide layer. Also, a method for coating a surface of a substrate of a medical device with a bactericide layer, the method including: exposing the surface to a plasma to form a plasma polymer layer bound to the surface; and binding a bactericide layer to the plasma polymer layer.

A medical device, the medical device including a substrate defining a surface; a plasma polymer layer bound to and coating the surface; and a bactericide layer bound to the plasma polymer layer, the plasma polymer layer being between the substrate and the bactericide layer. Also, a method for coating a surface of a substrate of a medical device with a bactericide layer, the method including: exposing the surface to a plasma to form a plasma polymer layer bound to the surface; and binding a bactericide layer to the plasma polymer layer.