Markel Ocaranza

Visiting student (Mondragón University, Spain)

DEVELOPEMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MULTICOMPONENT ANTIMICROBIAL NANOCOATINGS ON TEXTILE SURFACES

 

Supervisors: Dr.-Ing. Zoya Hadzhieva and Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Dr. h.c. Aldo R. Boccaccini

The development of multifunctional antimicrobial coatings has emerged as a critical strategy in combating the increasing threat posed by pathogenic microorganisms, including viruses, drug-resistant bacteria, and fungi. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the urgent need for broad-spectrum antiviral surfaces, personal protective equipment (PPE), and specialized sanitary materials to provide short-term protection against new infections (Bregnocchi et al., 2022).

Metal ions have shown exceptional promise in this domain, as they can interact with viral genomes to inhibit replication and cause contact killing of bacteria and fungi by rupturing cell membranes and inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Qian et al., 2023). Additionally, polymers such as mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGN) and chitosan enhance antimicrobial coatings by providing controlled release of active agents and creating protective barriers that disrupt microbial growth.

The aim of this work is to develop chitosan-based coatings for textile substrates, integrating biocides such as bioactive glasses and metallic nanoparticles, using different coating techniques, such as dip-coating, or spraying. The so-produced coatings will be characterized in terms of their morphological, chemical, mechanical and biological properties. The project is carried out in the frame of the EU project Nanobloc.

Bregnocchi, A., Jafari, R., & Momen, G. (2022). Design strategies for antiviral coatings and surfaces: A review. Applied Surface Science Advances, 8, 100224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2022.100224

Qian, J., Dong, Q., Chun, K., Zhu, D., Zhang, X., Mao, Y., Culver, J. N., Tai, S., German, J. R., Dean, D. P., Miller, J. T., Wang, L., Wu, T., Li, T., Brozena, A. H., Briber, R. M., Milton, D. K., Bentley, W. E., & Hu, L. (2023). Highly stable, antiviral, antibacterial cotton textiles via molecular engineering. Nature Nanotechnology, 18(2), 168-176. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-022-01278-y