Development of biocide coated polymers and their antimicrobial efficacy

Rowan Watson, Maria Maxwell, Sophie Dunn, Alexander Brooks, Long Jiang, Harriet J. Hill, Georgia Williams, Anna Kotowska, Naa Dei Nikoi, Zania Stamataki, Manuel Banzhaf, David Scurr, Jack Alfred Bryant, Felicity de Cogan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Microbial contamination of plastic surfaces is a significant source of hospital‐acquired infections. To produce antimicrobial surfaces, chlorhexidine was attached to nitrided acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The uniformity of chlorhexidine distribution on the plastic surfaces was revealed by time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) imaging. Its antimicrobial efficacy was established against model pathogenic Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The stability of the bonded chlorhexidine was evaluated via a leaching test. The surfaces rapidly killed microbes: no viable colonies of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, or Candida albicans were recoverable after 45 minutes. It was effective against SARS‐COV‐2, with no viable virions found after 30 minutes. Additionally, the surfaces were as effective in killing chlorhexidine‐resistant strains of bacteria as they were in killing naïve strains. The surface was stable; after 2 weeks of leaching, no detectable chlorhexidine was found in the leachate. We believe that the technology is widely applicable to prevent the spread of fomite infection.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)442-453
Number of pages12
JournalNano Select
Volume4
Issue number7
Early online date10 May 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023

Keywords

  • antibacterial
  • antimicrobial
  • C7H4N2Cl–
  • chlorhexidine
  • coating
  • surfaces

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