Studies show that the contamination of surfaces in hospitals results in hospital acquired infections that lead to millions of rehospitalizations each year globally. To find a solution, scientists studied metal surfaces' disinfecting properties. However, the studies have some gaps, e.g. oxides on metals were not acknowledged; stainless steel was used as a control; only two elemental metals were tested. To address the gaps, a systematic comparative study of disinfecting properties of transition metals that takes into account the realistic surface state is proposed. A trend was noted: the pattern of disinfection matched the trends of electronegativity, energy of second ionization, and electronegativity. The trend supports research on self-disinfecting surfaces for diverse applications.

Груздева И.В. (науч. рук. Груздев В.Е., Лесникович Ю.А.) Oxidized metal surface disinfection: a periodic trend // Сборник тезисов докладов конгресса молодых ученых. Электронное издание. – СПб: Университет ИТМО, [2026]. URL: https://kmu.itmo.ru/digests/article/16152