Influence of surface material and reprocessing on the durability of antimicrobial surfaces

Abstract

The risk of infection from contaminated surfaces has already been shown in several publications. Due to the increased demand for optimized infection control measures during the Corona pandemic, antimicrobial surface technologies have gained more an interest. Apart from many proofs of efficacy, there are only a few studies dealing with the durability of these surface coatings with regard to the material and the reprocessing measures. This work did therefore examine the impact of different materials and surface textures, as well as different detergents and disinfectants, on the durability of antimicrobial surface technologies. Differently structured materials (glass, wood, plastics, metal) and wallpaper bonded to plasterboard were coated with an TiO2Ag based antimicrobial coating (HECOSOL GmbH, Bamberg). These test samples are then used to perform abrasion tests with various cleaning and disinfecting agents and cloth systems (microfiber cloth, cotton cloth, foam cloth). The majority of the test samples in our experimental setup showed at least significant activity. According to our results, both the selection of cleaning and disinfection methods including wiping systems and the surface material have a major impact on the durability of antimicrobial coatings. In order to be able to come to conclusions about the long-term activity of these surface technologies, the effectiveness should be tested not only during the development phase, but also in the finished product and again after several reprocessing cycles in use.

Keywords

• antimicrobial surface
• durability
• coating
• reprocessing