Recent advances in metal-based antimicrobial coatings

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Microbiology
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Metal-based antimicrobial coatings are crucial for controlling microbial contamination in diverse industries.
• Recent advancements (2021-2023) focus on novel metal and metal compound coatings.
• Silver remains dominant, but copper shows significant antimicrobial potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review recent advancements in metal-based antimicrobial coatings.
• To comparatively analyze antimicrobial performance (R) of various metal coatings.
• To identify technological progress and knowledge gaps for practical implementation.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of 43 studies published between 2021 and 2023.
• Analysis of antimicrobial performance data from selected publications.
• Inclusion of insights from top ten patents and eight commercial products.

Main Results:

• Copper-based coatings demonstrate the highest antimicrobial performance, surpassing silver.
• Silver-based coatings are the most researched and commercially available.
• Most studies focus on bacterial inactivation, with limited data on fungi and viruses.

Conclusions:

• Copper emerges as a strong alternative to silver for antimicrobial coatings.
• The molecular mechanisms of action require further investigation.
• Real-world effectiveness assessments are limited, highlighting a critical research gap.