Disease prevention through intervention by antimicrobial coatings in our surroundings can bring huge economic and social benefits, primarily due to reduced hospitalisation rates, decreased medical bills associated with medication, less psychological distress among the sick and their carers, etc. Although the current disinfectant technology is effective in preventing the spread of infectious pathogens via surface sanitisation, it still suffers from poor durability and requires regular daily applications to keep a high antibacterial activity.
This versatile formulation technology not only endows surfaces with anti-wetting features, but also imparts fast, potent, robust, and long-lasting antibacterial properties, which can be applied to both soft and hard surfaces through chemical bonding.
The technology’s competitive edge is mainly derived from the use of copper nanoparticles instead of the easy-to-wash-off organic disinfectants that require multiple and periodic applications. Relying on a contact-killing mechanism, a close to 100% bacterial killing efficiency within 45 seconds against hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, one of the major pathogens causing pneumonia, has been shown. In addition, the formulation can be engineered to coat upholstery and textile materials and on a variety of surfaces, such as plastic, wood, etc., thus providing a more ubiquitous protection against bacterial – and possibly viral – infections.
The technology can be adopted by potential partners in the field who would like to introduce additional antibacterial features in their existing products. The researchers will explore how to translate their current formulation to suit the intended applications.
This formulation can be coated on:
The technology is applicable to, but not limited to, the following areas and markets:
This technology contributes to the projected growth of the global antibacterial coatings market at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2021 to 2028.