53 Volume 56 Issue 2 August 2012 Pages 53-60 International Scientific Journal published monthly by the World Academy of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering © Copyright by International OCSCO World Press. All rights reserved. 2012 Antibacterial properties of copper and its alloys J. Konieczny a, *, Z. Rdzawski a,b a Silesian University of Technology, ul. Konarskiego 18a, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland b Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, ul. Sowińskiego 5, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland * Corresponding e-mail address: jaroslaw.konieczny@polsl.pl Received 19.06.2012; published in revised form 01.08.2012 ABSTRACT Purpose: The goal of the work is analysis of the knowledge extent on the bactericidal activity of copper and its alloys. Design/methodology/approach: Analysis of publications on the antibacterial properties of copper in the engineering and medical journals, taking also into account publications on the earliest documented employment of copper as the bactericide or medicine. Findings: Analysis of the investigation results presented in more than 350 scientific publications and reports worked out under commission from the Ministry of Health, including 312 scientific publications from the years 1892-1973, indicate to the antimicrobial action of copper and its alloys, which killing bacteria and viruses slows down growth of the microorganisms, and especially of: cobacillus, Legionella pneumophila, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, poliovirus. Research limitations/implications: Application of the acquired research results in hospitals, outpatients’ clinics, and other public medical centres, will make it possible to reduce morbidity resulting from infections, especially of patients after serious medical treatment, operations, or after the complex antibiotic cure which has led them to decline of immunity. Practical implications: Reduction of health care costs is possible in every country by implementation of the acquired investigation results, as a consequence of the decreased treatment costs, by shortening the patients’ stay in a hospital. According to the assessment of the Department of Health of the United Kingdom these savings total to 1 billion pounds a year. Originality/value: Implementation of the analysis of results of investigations on the bactericidal activity of copper and copper based alloys will add to the increase of the patients’ safety level in the public medical centres. Keywords: Metallic alloys; Electron microscopy; Heat treatment; CuTi4 alloy Reference to this paper should be given in the following way: J. Konieczny, Z. Rdzawski, Antibacterial properties of copper and its alloys, Archives of Materials Science and Engineering 56/2 (2012) 53-60. MATERIALS 1. Introduction Pure copper and its alloys are characteristic of the unique mechanical- and physical properties. As early as in 1913 copper was established a standard for the electrical conductivity. Currently, copper and its alloys are widely used in many branches of the modern engineering. The extensive scope of application of pure copper results from its very good electrical- and thermal conductivity (being inferior in this respect only to silver), good 1. Introduction