Engineering rechargeable antibacterial coatings on steel for efficient inactivation of pathogenic bacteria in the presence of organic matter

Abstract

Since 600,000,000 people are affected by foodborne illnesses each year all around the world, food safety has become an important issue. Stainless steel is widely used in the food industry so, it is pivotal to endow stainless steel with potent rechargeable antibacterial function. In this study, a “clickable” coating for stainless steel was developed. Quaternized azido-hydantoin (C1), quaternary ammonium compound (C2), azido-hydantoin (C3), and C1 together with azido-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) were bonded to the stainless steel to yield four samples SSMC1, SSMC2, SSMC3, SSMC1-PEG. The coating was stable during the chlorination process which was used to convert the immobilized C1 and C3 to their N-chloramine counterparts. Results reveal that chlorinated SSMC1 sample has the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli in both high protein medium and phosphate-buffered saline even after 5 cycles of chlorination-dechlorination.