Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
December 24, 2025
Self-Healing Antibacterial Coating Could Revolutionize Device Protection
TLDR
- This transparent coating gives devices a competitive edge by self-repairing scratches and preventing bacterial growth, reducing maintenance costs and extending product lifespan.
- Dynamic selenonium salts in polyurethane enable self-healing when heated and antibacterial action through contact-killing, maintaining transparency and function after recycling or seawater immersion.
- This coating makes the world better by reducing waste through recyclability and preventing infections on medical devices and public surfaces, promoting health and sustainability.
- A transparent coating acts like living skin, healing scratches in minutes under heat while killing bacteria, ideal for phone screens and marine sensors.
Impact - Why it Matters
This development matters because it addresses multiple real-world problems simultaneously: scratched phone screens, bacterial contamination on public surfaces, and marine biofouling that costs industries billions annually. Traditional coatings either heal damage once or resist bacteria but rarely do both while maintaining transparency. This innovation could extend device lifespans, reduce maintenance costs for ships and medical equipment, and potentially lower infection risks on frequently touched surfaces. As consumers increasingly demand durable, sustainable products and industries face pressure to reduce chemical leaching and waste, this coating represents a significant step toward multifunctional materials that serve both practical and environmental needs.
Summary
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking transparent polyurethane coating that combines self-healing capabilities with antibacterial properties, potentially revolutionizing protective surfaces for electronics, marine equipment, and medical devices. The innovative material, engineered by a collaborative team from Jiangsu University of Technology, Soochow University, and Ghent University, uses dynamic selenonium salts to enable scratches to repair themselves under moderate heat while simultaneously preventing bacterial growth. This dual functionality addresses longstanding challenges in coating technology where improving one characteristic typically compromises another, offering a solution that maintains clarity comparable to bare glass even after seawater immersion and recycling.
The coating's development was detailed in a study published in the Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, where researchers described how the selenonium-containing polyurethane network allows polymer chains to reorganize when heated, enabling visible scratch recovery within 20-60 minutes at 140°C. Antibacterial testing showed dramatic inhibition of E. coli and S. aureus growth, with high-loading formulations nearly eliminating bacterial colonies through a contact-killing mechanism that ruptures cell membranes. The material maintained approximately 90-91% light transmittance, pencil hardness of 1H, and adhesion ratings of 4B-5B, meeting practical standards for protective applications while preserving optical clarity essential for phone screens, touch panels, and underwater lenses.
This technology represents a significant advancement toward "living surfaces" that can both repair damage and defend against microbial contamination, potentially reducing maintenance costs and biofouling in challenging environments. The coating's recyclability supports sustainable material design, and its performance after multiple reprocessing cycles suggests durability for long-term use. With applications ranging from consumer electronics to marine windows and medical devices, this innovation opens new possibilities for next-generation protective coatings that maintain cleanliness, clarity, and repairability throughout their lifespan, addressing daily challenges of wear and contamination across multiple industries.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Self-Healing Antibacterial Coating Could Revolutionize Device Protection
