Development and characterisation of antimicrobial epoxy resin.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Microbiology
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Surface contamination is a significant route for infection transmission.
• Developing effective antimicrobial surfaces is crucial for public health.
• Existing methods may have limitations in durability or broad-spectrum efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an epoxy resin incorporating chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) for antimicrobial properties.
• To assess the stability, optical properties, and surface distribution of CHX within the epoxy resin.
• To determine the antimicrobial efficacy, durability, and adhesion of the CHX-infused epoxy resin.

Main Methods:

• Chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) was suspended in epoxy resin.
• Optical transparency and CHX incorporation stability were analyzed.
• Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was used to assess CHX surface distribution.
• Antimicrobial efficacy testing was performed against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans.
• Adhesion and durability of the antimicrobial efficacy were evaluated.

Main Results:

• CHX was stably incorporated into the epoxy resin with minimal impact on optical transparency.
• Uniform distribution of CHX on steel surfaces coated with the CHX-epoxy resin was confirmed.
• Surfaces demonstrated significant and reproducible antimicrobial efficacy against Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and fungi.
• The CHX-epoxy resin exhibited good adhesion and durable antimicrobial activity.

Conclusions:

• The developed CHX-epoxy resin provides a stable and effective antimicrobial coating.
• This material offers a low-cost solution for conferring antimicrobial properties to various surfaces.
• Potential applications include preventing surface contamination and reducing infectious disease transmission.