Rapid antibacterial activity of anodized aluminum-based materials impregnated with quaternary ammonium compounds for high-touch surfaces to limit transmission of pathogenic bacteria

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria are a major public health problem. Their transmission is strongly linked to cross contamination via inert surfaces, which can serve as reservoirs for pathogenic microorganisms. To address this problem, antibacterial materials applied to high-touch surfaces have been developed. However, reaching a rapid and lasting effectiveness under real life conditions of use remains challenging. In the present paper, hard-anodized aluminum (AA) materials impregnated with antibacterial agents (quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) and/or nitrate silver (AgNO(3))) were prepared and characterized. The thickness of the anodized layer was about 50 μm with pore diameter of 70 nm. AA with QACs and/or AgNO(3) had a water contact angle varying between 45 and 70°. The antibacterial activity of the materials was determined under different experimental settings to better mimic their use, and included liquid, humid, and dry conditions. AA–QAC surfaces demonstrated excellent efficiency, killing >99.9% of bacteria in 5 min on a wide range of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridioides difficile, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium) and Gram-negative (streptomycin-resistant Salmonella typhimurium and encapsulated Klebsiella pneumoniae) pathogens. AA–QACs showed a faster antibacterial activity (from 0.25 to 5 min) compared with antibacterial copper used as a reference (from 15 min to more than 1 h). We show that to maintain their high performance, AA–QACs should be used in low humidity environments and should be cleaned with solutions composed of QACs. Altogether, AA–QAC materials constitute promising candidates to prevent the transmission of pathogenic bacteria on high-touch surfaces.