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High-touch surfaces are known to be a major route for the spread of pathogens in healthcare and public settings. Antimicrobial coatings have, therefore, garnered significant attention to help mitigate the transmission of infectious diseases

Thrombus formation and infections caused by bacterial adhesion are the most common causes of failure in blood-contacting medical devices. Reducing the interaction of pathogens using repellent surfaces has proven to be a successful strategy in preventing device failure. However, designing scale-up methodologies to create large-scale repellent surfaces remains challenging. To address this need, we have created an all-polymeric lubricant-infused system using an industrially viable swelling-coagulation solvent (S-C) method. This induces hierarchically structured micro/nano features onto the surface, enabling improved lubricant infusion. Poly(3,3,3-trifluoropropylmethylsiloxane) (PTFS) was used as the lubricant of choice, a previously unexplored omniphobic nonvolatile silicone oil. This resulted in all-polymeric liquid-infused surfaces that are transparent and flexible with long-term stability. Repellent properties have been demonstrated using human whole blood and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria matrices, with lubricated surfaces showing 93% reduction in blood stains and 96.7% reduction in bacterial adherence. The developed material has the potential to prevent blood and pathogenic contamination for a range biomedical devices within healthcare settings., E.A. thanks Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the FPI Grant (BES-2017-080057). T.F.D. acknowledges support from NSERC Discovery Grant, Ontario Early Researcher Award and McMaster Start-up funds to T.F.D. T.F.D and Z.H.D are Tier II Canada Research Chairs.

The surface fouling of biomedical devices has been an ongoing issue in healthcare. Bacterial and blood adhesion in particular, severely impede the performance of such tools, leading to poor patient outcomes. Various structural and chemical modifications have been shown to reduce fouling, but all existing strategies lack the combination of physical, chemical, and economic traits necessary for widespread use. Herein, a lubricant infused, hierarchically micro- and nanostructured polydimethylsiloxane surface is presented. The surface is easy to produce and exhibits the high flexibility and optical transparency necessary for incorporation into various biomedical tools. Tests involving two clinically relevant, priority pathogens show up to a 98.5% reduction in the biofilm formation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. With blood, the surface reduces staining by 95% and suppresses thrombin generation to background levels. Furthermore, the surface shows applicability within applications such as catheters, extracorporeal circuits, and microfluidic devices, through its effectiveness in dynamic conditions. The perfusion of bacterial media shows up to 96.5% reduction in bacterial adhesion. Similarly, a 95.8% reduction in fibrin networks is observed following whole blood perfusion. This substrate stands to hold high applicability within biomedical systems as a means to prevent fouling, thus improving performance.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has attracted considerable attention toward innovative methods and technologies for suppressing the spread of viruses. Transmission via contaminated surfaces has been recognized as an important route for spreading SARS-CoV-2. Although significant efforts have been made to develop antibacterial surface coatings, the literature remains scarce for a systematic study on broad-range antiviral coatings. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the antiviral materials and coatings that could be implemented for suppressing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 via contaminated surfaces. We discuss the mechanism of operation and effectivity of several types of inorganic and organic materials, in the bulk and nanomaterial form, and assess the possibility of implementing these as antiviral coatings. Toxicity and environmental concerns are also discussed for the presented approaches. Finally, we present future perspectives with regards to emerging antimicrobial technologies such as omniphobic surfaces and assess their potential in suppressing surface-mediated virus transfer. Although some of these emerging technologies have not yet been tested directly as antiviral coatings, they hold great potential for designing the next generation of antiviral surfaces.