An Antimicrobial Copper–Plastic Composite Coating: Characterization and In Situ Study in a Hospital Environment

A method has been proposed for creating an operationally durable copper coating with antimicrobial properties for the buttons of electrical switches based on the gas dynamic spray deposition of copper on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. It is shown that during the coating process, a polymer film is formed on top of the copper layer. Comparative in situ studies of microbial contamination have shown that the copper-coated buttons have a significant antimicrobial effect compared to standard buttons. Analysis of swabs over a 22-week study in a hospital environment showed that the frequency of contamination for a copper-coated button with various microorganisms was 2.7 times lower than that of a control button. The presented results allow us to consider the developed copper coating for plastic switches an effective alternative method in the fight against healthcare-associated infections. © 2024 by the authors.

Authors
Emelyanenko A.M. , Omran F.S. , Teplonogova M.A. , Chernukha M.Y. , Avetisyan L.R. , Tselikina E.G. , Putsman G.A. , Zyryanov S.K. , Butranova O.I. , Emelyanenko K.A. , Boinovich L.B.
Journal
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Issue number
8
Language
English
State
Published
Link
External link
DOI
10.3390/IJMS25084471
Number
4471
Volume
25
Year
2024
Organizations
  • 1 A. N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 31, Moscow, 119071, Russian Federation
  • 2 N. S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Leninsky Prospect 31, Moscow, 119071, Russian Federation
  • 3 Department of Medical Microbiology, Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 18 Gamaleya St., Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation
  • 4 City Clinical Hospital No. 24, Moscow City Health Department, 10 Pistsovaya St., Moscow, 127015, Russian Federation
  • 5 Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology, Institute of Medicine, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba, 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St., Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation
Keywords
ABS plastic; antimicrobial effect; bactericidal coatings; copper; healthcare-associated infections
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