After nearly 20 years of scientific research and technological accumulation in the field of infection control, Sharklet has developed various medical products to control infections, improving the protective level of medical environments and safeguarding the health and safety of patients.
Among these, gloves are one of the simplest and most effective means of preventing hospital infections. However, existing ordinary medical gloves cannot prevent the risk of pathogenic bacteria spreading between surfaces.
Sharklet’s physical antibacterial nitrile gloves, a globally pioneering technology product, efficiently reduce the contact transmission of bacteria between gloves and people and gloves and object surfaces, blocking microbial contamination caused by gloves, and greatly reducing the risk of infection.
Those familiar with the Sharklet technology know that it creates specific micron-scale textures on object surfaces. These unique textures, only one-fiftieth the width of human hair, effectively reduce the adhesion and proliferation of bacteria and viruses, while also minimizing the contact transmission of microorganisms on surfaces.
Microscopic View of Sharklet Textures
This innovative surface engineering technology has broad application prospects in medical devices, public facilities, and consumer products. The key lies in the high-precision manufacturing processes of these microscopic patterns.
How is it applied to material surfaces and how does it work?
During the manufacturing process, the Sharklet technology requires advanced micro-nano manufacturing methods such as photolithography, nanoimprinting, and high-precision mold manufacturing techniques to create fine and consistent micron and nanometer patterns on material surfaces, ensuring their antibacterial effects. To achieve these subtle patterns, the manufacturing process faces many challenges.
First, maintaining consistency and accuracy at the micro-nano level is extremely difficult; any tiny error could affect its effectiveness. Second, selecting suitable materials is crucial as they must maintain the integrity of the micro patterns while possessing the required mechanical and chemical properties.
Furthermore, in large-scale production, it is also necessary to balance cost and efficiency to ensure the durability and ease of cleaning of products in practical applications. The characteristics of ceramic materials and the limitations of processing techniques make creating ceramic hand molds with Sharklet microstructures an extreme challenge. To transfer Sharklet microstructures onto ceramic glove molds, the material must bond well with the ceramic and exhibit acid and alkali resistance, high toughness, and long service life to meet repeated use requirements.
More challenging is that traditional micro-nano processing techniques are typically limited to flat or smooth surfaces, and even more advanced folding principles are only suitable for ordinary curved surfaces (such as smartphone backs). Creating complex 3D curved surfaces like ceramic glove molds, precisely controlling the shape and distribution of Sharklet micro-textures on these surfaces, and ensuring uniform antibacterial effects across all parts is extraordinarily difficult.
Facing these challenges, we established the Sharklet Micro-Nano Manufacturing Technology Research Center in Dongguan, focusing on solving difficulties in 3D micro-nano manufacturing and developing industrial-scale production technologies. After nearly two years of repeated experiments, we found suitable materials that meet mass production and low-cost requirements. Combined with in-depth research on curved shapes, we successfully achieved the precise replication of Sharklet micro-nano structures on ceramic glove molds. Recently, the sharklet pattern micro-nano ceramic glove mold automation equipment and production line have officially passed the test, and the development work has been a complete success.
These Sharklet ceramic glove molds are suitable for producing physical antibacterial disposable medical gloves made of materials like nitrile, PVC, and latex. Without altering the existing glove production process or materials, simply replacing the ordinary ceramic glove molds on the production line with Sharklet ceramic glove molds allows for the production of physically antibacterial Sharklet medical gloves.
The successful application of the Sharklet technology on disposable medical gloves demonstrates the enormous potential of micro-nano manufacturing and the necessity of further technological breakthroughs. This requires cross-disciplinary collaborative innovation and continuous research and innovation to overcome manufacturing challenges and achieve broader and more effective applications.
Additionally, in the process of independently developing the production line for glove molds, we have not only focused on technological breakthroughs but also actively pursued Sharklet glove trademark registration worldwide. Recently, we completed the US trademark registration, which will enhance the international influence of the Sharklet brand and lay a solid foundation for market expansion and product promotion.
We believe that the Sharklet technology, with its efficient bacteria and virus resistance, real-time blocking of pathogenic microorganisms’ contact transmission, and zero additives, will not only bring new development opportunities to the industry but also make a greater contribution to public health and safety.