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One of the greatest challenges worldwide is containing the spread of problematic microorganisms. A promising approach is the use of antimicrobial coatings (AMCs). The antimicrobial potential of certain metals, including copper and zinc, has already been verified. In this study, polyethylene terephthalate and aluminum (PET-Al) foils were coated with copper, zinc, and a combination of these two metals, known as core-shell particles, respectively. The resistance of the three different types of coatings to mechanical and chemical exposure was evaluated in various ways. Further, the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the bacteriophage ϕ6 were used to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of the coatings. The best efficacy was achieved with the pure copper coating, which was not convincing in the abrasion tests. The result was a considerable loss of copper particles on the surfaces and reduced effectiveness against the microorganisms. The core-shell particles demonstrated better adhesion to the surfaces after abrasion tests and against most chemical agents. In addition, the antimicrobial efficiency remained more stable after the washability treatment. Thus, the core-shell particles had several benefits over the pure copper and zinc coatings. In addition, the best core-shell loading for durability and efficacy was determined in this study.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have focused on new preventive measures to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. One promising application is the usage of antimicrobial materials on often-touched surfaces to reduce the load of infectious virus particles. Since tests with in vitro-propagated SARS-CoV-2 require biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories with limited capacities and high costs, experiments with an appropriate surrogate like the bacteriophage ɸ6 are preferred in most studies. The aim of this study was to compare ɸ6 and SARS-CoV-2 within antiviral surface tests. Different concentrations of copper coatings on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were used to determine their neutralizing activity against ɸ6 and SARS-CoV-2. The incubation on the different specimens led to similar inactivation of both SARS-CoV-2 and ɸ6. After 24 h, no infectious virus particles were evident on any of the tested samples. Shorter incubation periods on specimens with high copper concentrations also showed a complete inactivation. In contrast, the uncoated PET foils resulted only in a negligible reduced inactivation during the one-hour incubation. The similar reduction rate for ɸ6 and SARS-CoV-2 in our experiments provide further evidence that the bacteriophage ɸ6 is an adequate model organism for SARS-CoV-2 for this type of testing.