Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are an endemic problem in the American medical system, causing nearly 32% of all hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) [1]. Novel antimicrobial coatings for catheters, consisting of metal powders (Ag/Ag_2O) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), have recently been developed to combat this problem [2,3]. The active ingredients in these coatings were modeled using simplified assumptions in both ANSYS Maxwell and Quantum Espresso to determine the electric field strength at various particle radii. SEM/EDX analysis of the Ag/Ag_2O coating was also performed to simulate the particles in ANSYS and provide comparison between idealized models and actual particle geometries.
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