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Game-changing substance could transform infection control for hospitals and health clinics
In a nutshell
- Researchers have developed an antimicrobial paint that kills dangerous bacteria on contact by adding chlorhexidine to epoxy resin, potentially preventing hospital-acquired infections
- The painted surfaces completely eliminated E. coli and Candida while reducing MRSA by 99.9%, and remained effective even against bacteria evolved to resist chlorhexidine
- Unlike many antimicrobial coatings, this technology uses commercially available materials, making it affordable and practical for widespread use in healthcare settings
NOTTINGHAM, England — Hospital surfaces are breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria. Now, researchers believe a special paint could be the answer to stopping infections before they start.
Scientists have created a paint that kills germs on contact by adding a common antiseptic to commercial epoxy resin. This innovation could turn ordinary hospital surfaces into germ-killing barriers against common hospital pathogens like MRSA, E. coli, and Candida.
The researchers found that surfaces coated with this paint continued killing microbes even after multiple exposures without needing additional cleaning.
“We believe that this material has a wide array of applications, and could be utilized to confer significant, low-cost antimicrobial efficacy to existing surfaces, to prevent surface contamination, and to stop the transmission of infectious disease,” the researchers wrote in their newly published paper in Scientific Reports.
The Hidden Danger on Hospital Surfaces
Healthcare-associated infections remain stubbornly common in hospitals worldwide. Research shows that 52% of healthcare workers pick up vancomycin-resistant Enterococci from contaminated surfaces, while 40% acquire methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after touching contaminated surfaces.
Many dangerous organisms can hang around for weeks or months on hospital surfaces. E. coli survives more than 28 days on stainless steel, MRSA persists six weeks on steel and over 90 days on plastic. The fungus Candida albicans remains alive on glass and steel for three days and on fabric surfaces for up to 14 weeks.
A Simple Solution with Powerful Results
Scientists from the University of Nottingham and University of Birmingham tackled this problem by mixing chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX), a familiar antiseptic already used in mouthwashes and skin cleansers, into off-the-shelf epoxy resin. CHX works by breaking down the outer membrane of microbes, killing the cells.
Tests against common hospital pathogens yielded impressive results. The painted surfaces completely eliminated E. coli and Candida, while reducing MRSA by 99.9%. The antimicrobial paint also worked effectively against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is known for forming stubborn biofilms that resist cleaning.
Most impressively, the paint maintained its germ-killing abilities even against bacteria specifically evolved to resist chlorhexidine. When chlorhexidine-resistant E. coli was placed on the painted surfaces, no viable bacteria remained after incubation.
Built to Last: Durability and Practical Applications
Durability tests showed that the paint maintains effectiveness over time. After two weeks of leaching tests in a solution designed to mimic real-world conditions, the painted surfaces maintained their antimicrobial properties with no detectable release of CHX. The antimicrobial agent stays firmly embedded within the resin rather than washing out over time, making it suitable for long-term use.
Even after three months of storage under normal conditions, the paint maintained full germ-killing effectiveness. Most importantly, the painted surfaces kept working even after repeated bacterial exposures without any cleaning between contaminations.
This technology solves several infection control challenges. Unlike many antimicrobial coatings that require specialized equipment and chemicals, this approach uses commercially available materials, potentially making it much more affordable and accessible.
Current approaches to preventing surface transmission of pathogens depend heavily on frequent cleaning and disinfection, which requires significant labor and is often incomplete. Self-disinfecting surfaces could complement these efforts, especially on frequently touched items like door handles, bed rails, and countertops.
The epoxy resin could be applied to various surface materials found in healthcare settings, including metals, plastics, and ceramics. Adding CHX had minimal effects on the paint’s transparency, scratch resistance, and sticking properties.
By stopping pathogens from lingering on hospital surfaces, this technology could significantly reduce a major transmission route for dangerous infections, potentially saving lives and cutting healthcare costs associated with treating hospital-acquired infections.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers created the antimicrobial epoxy resin by adding chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) solution at a 1:10 dilution to make a 2% CHX concentration in commercial epoxy resin. They applied this mixture to metal surfaces, allowing it to cure for 90 minutes at 60°C. They characterized the painted surfaces using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to confirm CHX presence and distribution. The team tested the paint’s antimicrobial efficacy by applying bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa) and fungi (C. albicans) to painted surfaces in a simulated splash pattern and measuring survival after 18 hours. They also evaluated the paint’s physical properties, including optical transparency, water contact angle, scratch resistance, and adhesion strength.
Results
The antimicrobial paint demonstrated significant biocidal activity, completely eliminating E. coli and C. albicans while reducing S. aureus concentrations by three log units (99.9%). The paint also proved effective against chlorhexidine-resistant bacterial strains. CHX was uniformly distributed across the painted surfaces and remained stably incorporated without leaching out during two weeks of durability testing. The material maintained its antimicrobial efficacy even after repeated exposures to bacteria without intermediate cleaning. The addition of CHX to epoxy resin had minimal effects on the paint’s physical properties, including optical transparency, scratch resistance, and adhesion.
Limitations
While the study demonstrated effectiveness against several common hospital pathogens, it did not test against all clinically relevant microorganisms or viruses. The researchers did not conduct real-world trials in actual healthcare settings, where conditions might differ from laboratory testing. The long-term durability beyond three months of shelf storage was not evaluated. The study did not compare the antimicrobial efficacy of the paint to other commercially available antimicrobial coatings or standard disinfection protocols.
Funding and Disclosures
The work was funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Some of the authors are affiliated with Indestructible Paint Ltd., which provided the epoxy resin used in the study. The researchers declared no competing interests.
Publication Information
The paper titled “Development and characterisation of antimicrobial epoxy resin” was published in Scientific Reports (2025, volume 15, article number 12463) and authored by researchers from the University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham, and Indestructible Paint Ltd.