Thin and airy like a spider’s web – this is the nanofiber membrane that Zane Zelča, the leading researcher at the Design Technology Institute of the RTU Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry, accurately separates with tweezers from the support material on which it was applied by the electrospinning machine. Picked up in fingers without rubber gloves, the delicate web dissolves and disappears under the influence of skin moisture. Although this particular coating is made of polyvinyl alcohol, a component of PVA glue, it clearly allows us to understand how the research object created by Zane – a similar web made of bee propolis nanofiber – is formed and behaves. In nature, bee propolis, which has antibacterial properties, is used to seal gaps in the hive, to disinfect the hive. In the future, the material developed by Zane can be used for the treatment of wounds, mucosal inflammations, cold sores, stomatitis, burns. The propolis membrane, when used in a bandage, adheres gently and painlessly, is breathable, dissolves and absorbs slowly, providing the necessary environment for healing. It is also edible and can be sucked as a medicine tablet. Perhaps the membrane could also be used in food packaging solutions. The main trump card of this nanomaterial is effective countermeasures against six types of bacteria and one virus – Covid-19. “Not tested on others yet,” Zane smiles.
Like butter
Zane’s postdoctoral research application was written right at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and aimed to create a material that would be useful for biodefense against this virus and others. Searching
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2023-11-05 10:56:42
#Twisted #propolis #nanoweb
