How do self-cleaning surfaces work?

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Lately I’ve been seeing anti-microbial and self-cleaning surfaces being put on public doorways and other routinely touched surfaces

How exactly do these surfaces self-clean? Do they really work as advertised or are they just a marketing gimmick to make people feel more comfortable?

In: Biology

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s not so much self-cleaning, it’s that the surface is designed to be inhospitable for bacteria. Or contains compounds that kill bacteria.

For example, if you have a [copper alloy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_copper) counter, it can kill bacteria that land on it within 1-2 hours. If that same surface was stainless steel, the bacteria could live on it for weeks.