In a government-sponsored project, Tomsk State University (TSU) (Tomsk, Russia) and Yaroslavskie Kraski (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia), a Russia-based paint and coating manufacturing corporation, have created a new type of paint enhanced with biocidal nanoparticles that can neutralize most common pathogens, including nosocomial (or hospital-acquired) infections.
Nosocomial infections are a serious issue that has yet to be solved—along with worsening the condition of patients, they are highly resistant to antibiotics and are hard to cure. To that end, the new TSU paint will soon be used on the walls of two Tomsk region hospitals where biocidal paint is needed due to high risk of infection.
Developing new materials for ensuring the safety of the nation is one of the central research areas that TSU is currently engaged in. This project is also supported by a number of governmental programs, including the Priority 2030 program.
“The paint has biocidal properties thanks to the TSU scientists,” says Alexander Vorozhtsov, TSU vice-rector for Research and Innovation. “They developed zinc oxide nanoparticles doped with sliver. It has been experimentally proved that these particles are effective in fighting against a lot of pathogens, including A/H1N1 flu virus and SARS-CoV-2, as well as widespread nosocomial bacterial infections like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and others.”
The premium paint has two types of composition: the first has already been tested and certified, and the second is an upgraded and cheaper version of the first that makes it more available to potential buyers. The laboratory studies demonstrate that both types are equally effective.
The paint will be used in hospital emergency rooms, wards, treatment rooms, relatively clean areas, and—in one hospital—a manipulation room. In the following six months, researchers will take wipe samples to determine the presence of bacteria and viruses, determine the efficiency of different types of compositions, and investigate nanoparticle activity.
Preliminary tests of concentrated nanoparticles proved their effectiveness against the most widespread nosocomial infections, developers of the paint note, adding that they aim to preserve this result for paint with biocidal properties.
Source: Tomsk State University, https://en.tsu.ru.