Validation of Antibacterial Systems for Sustainable Ceramic Tiles

Valeria La Torre,Elisa Rambaldi,Giulia Masi,Daniele Ghezzi,Martina Cappelletti,Maria Chiara Bignozzi,Silvia Nici

doi:10.3390/coatings11111409

Valeria La Torre, Elisa Rambaldi + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11111409

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Abstract

Ceramic tiles are bacteriostatic materials; however, the COVID-19 emergency has pushed tile producers to improve surfaces’ antibacterial properties. The aim of this work was to validate a silver-based antibacterial treatment applied to porcelain stoneware tiles based on natural and waste materials, thus correlating surface functionalization to tile composition and relevant physical, microstructural, and textural parameters. The treatment was applied before firing, with and without a polymeric primer. Antibacterial activity tests, stain resistance tests, and contact angle measurements were carried out on fired tiles. Further investigations were made by SEM and optical profilometry in order to study the morphological–structural profile of tile surfaces. Results showed strong antibacterial activities for all the functionalized tiles, which were mainly correlated to the morphological and textural parameters of ceramic surfaces, as well as the presence of the polymeric primer.

Highlights

Ceramic tiles are bacteriostatic materials due to their inorganic nature and vitrified surface, which prevent the proliferation of microorganisms and pathogens, and as a result, they are easy to be hygienically cleaned by means of traditional procedures [1,2]
Since ceramic surfaces are susceptible to bacterial contamination in any destination of use, the constant removal of microbial cells from the surface is essential for the sanitization of the environment
All the ceramic tiles tested in this work showed antibacterial activity against E. coli

Summary

Introduction

Ceramic tiles are bacteriostatic materials due to their inorganic nature and vitrified surface, which prevent the proliferation of microorganisms and pathogens, and as a result, they are easy to be hygienically cleaned by means of traditional procedures [1,2]. Since ceramic surfaces are susceptible to bacterial contamination in any destination of use, the constant removal of microbial cells from the surface is essential for the sanitization of the environment. In this perspective, the ceramic tile industry aims to process ceramic tiles to imbue the surfaces of tiles with antibacterial properties, already offering a rather wide range of treatments [3,4,5,6,7]

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