Development of biocide coated polymers and their antimicrobial efficacy

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 naive 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.