Surfaces with Instant, Persistent and Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Efficacy

Surfaces contaminated with infectious bacteria and viruses contribute to transmission and pose a significant threat to global public health. Common liquid spray disinfectants kill microbes in seconds to minutes, yet they require reapplication often. Surfaces that rely on heavy metals or metallic nanoparticles for antimicrobial efficacy remain antimicrobial over a long period of time but take hours to kill pathogens leaving time for disease transmission. There is currently no surface that can provide instant and persistent antimicrobial efficacy against a broad spectrum of bacteria and viruses. Inspired by the naturally antimicrobial secondary metabolites secreted by plants, we created a new class of highly durable polyurethane surfaces capable of rapid disinfection (&gt;4-log reduction in minutes) of various pathogens, including <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, and SARS-CoV-2. These surfaces maintain this efficacy over several months and under significant environmental duress due to the chemical stabilization of the natural antimicrobial components within the polyurethane. Additionally, we show that the surfaces can be applied to surfaces using various commercial techniques such as spray-, flow-, or brush-coating allowing for a wide range of potential applications.