Innovative Antimicrobial surface Materials by Green production technologies

The contamination of work surfaces, medical equipment and devices poses a significant risk to both exposed individuals and those with compromised health, heavily contributing to over 13.7 million worldwide deaths caused by infectious diseases in 2019. It is imperative to explore alternative approaches to combat the increasing resistance to commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics. Consequently, there is a strong emphasis on the development of antimicrobial
surfaces utilizing engineered advanced materials. Certain nanoparticles (NPs) are already widely used in various commercial applications, notably silver (Ag). However, the growing prevalence and oversaturation of Ag in the environment raises significant sustainability concerns. Therefore, a pressing need to reduce and replace its usage in accordance with the requirements of the Green Deal of the European Union is presented, which aims for a non-toxic environment by 2050. This study aims to assess more environmentally sustainable alternatives
in comparison to already established antimicrobial NPs. Hereby green synthesized Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials doped with folic acid are identified as a viable candidate, which will be compared to the intensely-used and widespread state-of-the art nanomaterials and their ability to perform similar antimicrobial functions with, however, drastically reduced environmental
and cytotoxic side effects. Folic acid (FA) provides fluorescent labelling of the NPs and its applicability for the intended use will be investigated here.