Antimicrobial polymeric composites for high-touch surfaces in healthcare applications

Antimicrobial polymer composites have long been utilized in the healthcare field as part of the first line of defense. These composites are desirable in that they pose a minimal risk of developing contagions with antibiotic resistance. For this reason, the field of antimicrobial composites has seen steady growth over recent years and is becoming increasingly important during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we first review the need of the antimicrobial polymers in high tough surfaces, the antimicrobial mechanism, and then the recent advances in the development of antimicrobial polymer composite including the utilization of intrinsic antimicrobial polymers, the addition of antimicrobial additives, and new exploration of surface patterning. While there are many established and developing methods of imbuing a material with antimicrobial activity, there currently is no standard quantification method for these properties leading to difficulty comparing the efficacy of these materials within the literature. A discussion of the common antimicrobial characterization methods is provided along with highlights on the need of a standardized quantification of antiviral and antibacterial properties in testing to allow ease of comparison between generated libraries and to facilitate proper screening. We also discuss and comment on the current trends of the development of antimicrobial polymer composites with long-lasting and specific antimicrobial activities, nontoxic properties, and environmental friendliness against a broad-spectrum of microbes.