ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A new copper coating that reportedly kills bacteria more quickly and effectively than current coatings could soon be available for use in hospitals and other public facilities.

The coating, developed at Canada's University of British Columbia, incorporates bacteria-killing nanoscale features plus zinc. The nanoscale particles are designed to kill bacteria by rupturing their cell walls, while zinc - which is also antibacterial - selectively oxidizes in the presence of copper and helps to kill bacteria faster than pure copper alone.

While today's pure copper coatings are antibacterial and self-sanitising, they kill bacteria with thinner cell walls more slowly than those with thicker cell walls.

"The use of our coating could significantly reduce the incidence of bacterial infections from high-touch surfaces in healthcare facilities such as doorknobs and elevator buttons, since it kills bacteria using multiple approaches," said materials engineer and study lead Dr Amanda Clifford. "And the fact that it contains less copper than existing coatings means it would also be cheaper to make."

According to the researchers, the coating was able to kill 99.7 per cent of Staphylococcus aureus - a gram-positive pathogen commonly responsible for hospital-acquired infections - in just one hour compared with two hours for pure copper.

"Not only does this coating kill pathogens faster than pure copper, it also helps to ensure that antibiotics remain effective," said Dr Clifford. "By using this new formulation we're killing pathogens before patients become infected and before they need to use antibiotics against them, slowing the rise of antibiotic resistance."

The researchers plan to further evaluate the material against other pathogens such as viruses with the eventual aim of commercialising their coating.