Antibacterial Surface Treatments Tested on International Space Station

The French commission for atomic and renewable energy (CEA) has developed extremely thin films that could play a crucial role in the development of materials for future human space flights. The MATISS project aims to develop antibacterial materials for space habitats by exposing tablets covered with antibacterial surfaces in the ISS environments for a long time to collect bacteria that gets deposited on them. The ISS is teeming with bacteria and fungi due to the constant presence of astronauts, which can cause health care issues as well as degradation of materials and electronics if they accumulate to form biofilms. The antibacterial materials being developed as part of the MATISS project will address this problem and help reduce the time needed for cleaning the surfaces.