Cu has long been used to fight different strains of bacteria because it releases toxic ions.
However the advanced product formulated by collaborating scientists at RMIT University and the CSIRO breaks down and destroys bacterial cells more than 100 times faster and more effectively.
"A standard copper surface will kill about 97 per cent of golden staph within four hours," according to project team member Professor Ma Qian.
"Incredibly, when we placed golden staph bacteria on our specially-designed copper surface, it destroyed more than 99.99 per cent of the cells in just two minutes.
"So not only is it more effective, it's 120 times faster."
Prof Qian says the copper's structure has proved remarkably potent for such a common material and importantly, the results of the bacterial kill tests were achieved without the assistance of any drug.
He and his colleagues believe a huge range of applications awaits following further development.
The copper could be used to make antimicrobial doorhandles and other touch surfaces in schools, hospitals, homes and public transport.
It could also feature in filters in antimicrobial respirators or air ventilation systems and in face masks.
The team is additionally looking to investigate the enhanced copper's effectiveness against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Team leader Dr Jackson Leigh Smith says the copper's unique porous structure is key to its effectiveness.
A special mould casting process was used to make the alloy, arranging copper and manganese atoms into specific formations.
The latter were then chemically removed from the alloy, leaving pure copper full of tiny microscale and nanoscale cavities in its surface.
The result is a massive active surface area, Dr Smith says.
The pattern also makes the surface super hydrophilic or water-loving so that water lies on it as a flat film rather than as droplets.
"The hydrophilic effect means bacterial cells struggle to hold their form as they are stretched by the surface nanostructure, while the porous pattern allows copper ions to release faster," he says.
"These combined effects not only cause structural degradation of bacterial cells, making them more vulnerable to the poisonous copper ions but also facilitates uptake of copper ions into the bacterial cells."
CSIRO's Dr Daniel Liang says researchers world-wide are looking to develop medical materials and devices to thwart antibiotic-resistant super bugs.
"Drug-resistant infections are on the rise and with limited new antibiotics coming onto the market, the development of materials resistant to bacteria will likely play an important role in addressing the problem."
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