ANTIMICROBIAL GLASS AND GLASS-LIKE PRODUCTS AND METHOD OF PREPARING SAME

A glass or glass-like substrate having a contact-killing, non-leaching antimicrobial effective amount of metal ions contained in at least one surface region thereof, and having a color of b* .ltoreq. +6 on the CIE international color scale is disclosed. T he antimicrobial substrate is prepared by providing a metal ion precursor comprising at least one source of antimicrobial effective metal ions dissolved or otherwise dispersed in a carrier material; depositing the precursor onto at least one surface of the substrate; drying the substrate at a temperature of from about 20.degree.C to about 105.degree.C by removing volatiles from the metal ion precursor; and heating the resulting substrate at a temperature of about 600 - 650.degree.C for 2 - 5 min. to exchange or otherwise implant antimicrobial metal ions from the precursor and into the glass or glass-like substrate.