Antimicrobial nano-coatings for hospital textiles to prevent the spread of healthcare associated infections

The main objective of NANO-PROTECT is to develop innovative antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-biofilm (4A) nano-enabled coatings for medical textiles, upholstery fabrics, and personal protective equipment (PPE) which would be susceptible to pathogens contamination in hospitals. This proposal will focus on designing a pallet of antibiotic-free nanocomposites for coating medical textiles. Novel inorganic nanoparticles with broad antimicrobial activities comprising antibiotic-resistant strains and viruses will be fabricated. The designed nanoparticles will be used for fabricating nano-enabled inorganic/bio-based composites comprising different mechanisms of anti-biofilm and antimicrobial activities. The durability of the antimicrobial function will be monitored by visual indicators. Safer water-based sonochemistry, bio-based metal reduction, self-assembling, enzymatic crosslinking, and a combination thereof would be employed. Moreover, versatile high-precision technologies for nanometric coatings (spray coating, and ink-jet printing) will be tested with a lower quantity of NPs requirements. Further, single-step sonochemical fabrication and coating will be evaluated to make “ready-to-use” products with nano-structured antimicrobial surfaces. Therefore, NANO-PROTECT's nanotechnology-based solutions will provide environmental health safety for patients, visitors, and professionals.