Patent ID: 8586758

Claim:
A process for preparing an antimicrobial inorganic substrate, said process comprising coupling a functional group with an antimicrobial property onto a surface of said substrate in one or more steps by means of an organophosphorus coupling agent, wherein: the substrate is selected from the group consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal hydroxides, metal carbonates and metal phosphates; the organophosphorus coupling agent is selected from the group consisting of phosphonic acids and phosphonates of formula RPO(OX) 2 , bis-phosphonates of formula RR′[PO(OX) 2 ] 2 , the phosphinic acids and phosphinates of formula RR′PO(OX), monoalkyl phosphates of formula ROPO(OX) 2 , and the dialkyl phosphates of formula (RO)(R′O)PO(OX), in which: X represents a hydrogen atom or a group selected from the group consisting of metal ions, ammonium ions, alkyl or aryl groups containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and trialkylsilyl groups containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; R is an organic group selected from the group consisting of: (a) a group that is capable of releasing antimicrobial nitrogen monoxide; (b) a group which, after modification, has an intrinsic antimicrobial property or is capable of releasing species with antimicrobial properties, said group being selected from the group consisting of —(CH 2 ) n —SH, —(CH 2 ) n —CN, —(CH 2 ) n —NMe 2 , and —(CH 2 ) n -Hal, Hal representing a halogen atom n being between 1 and 20, n′ being between 1 and 5 and n″ being between 1 and 10; wherein the group is modified by immersion in a solution of silver nanoparticles or in a solution of AgNO 3 ; and (c) a group which is selected from —(CH 2 ) n —Br wherein by heating in a solution of trithylamine, n being between 1 and 20; R′ is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group or an organic group corresponding to the definition given for the groups R; and the organophosphorus coupling agent is attached to the surface of the substrate via M—O—P bond in which M represents the metal of the substrate, said bond M—O—P being originated from condensation of P═OX and/or from coordination of phosphoryl groups.