SiNtx Technologies Inc (SINT)

[boston745]

Silicon nitride: A bioceramic with a gift

Giuseppe Pezzotti

Abstract

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) has been recently recognized for its peculiar surface chemistry for medical applications. When immersed in an aqueous environment, the slow elution of silicon and nitrogen from its surface enhances healing of soft and osseous tissue, inhibits bacterial biofilm formation, and eradicates viruses. These benefits permit it to be used in a wide array of different disciplines inside and outside of the human body including orthopedics, dentistry, virology, agronomy, and environmental remediation. Given the global public health threat posed by mutating viruses and bacteria, silicon nitride offers a valid and straightforward alternative approach to fighting these pathogens. However, there is a conundrum behind these recent discoveries: How can this unique bioceramic be both friendly to mammalian cells while concurrently lysing invasive pathogens? This unparalleled characteristic can be explained by the pH-dependent kinetics of two ammonia species – NH4+ and NH3 – both of which are leached from the wet Si3N4 surface.