Copper Layer on an Aluminum Door Frame to Prevent Spread of Bacteria

Abstract

The spread of disease by bacteria and viruses is very susceptible to outbreaks in public facilities through direct and indirect contact. Indirect contact occurs through intermediate such as housing equipment made of aluminum. One thing that people touch the most is door handles and frames. Aluminum frames are generally anodized to give a color effect because painted directly is difficult. Anodized products generally have a pore structure so that they can easily become an ideal place to grow and colonize bacteria and viruses. To overcome this, the coating process is carried out by electroplating. In this study, aluminum was treated with anodization and non-anodization. The concentration of sulfuric acid solution used was 0.5 M; 1M and 2M. The current used is 0.6A; 0.9A and 1.2M. Increasing the sulfuric acid concentration will increase the efficiency of the cathodic current and increase the mass of the deposit per unit area. Observation of the microstructure with an optical microscope shows the structure formed is dendritic in which the nucleus is continuous. The smooth and flat surface makes aluminum safe to be used and does not become a medium for bacteria or viruses to stick at aluminum surfaces.