Antimicrobial lightweight materials and components

Abstract

Lightweight materials and components have gained remarkable scientific and technological importance in the recent times as the main drivers of innovation. They are finding widespread use across all industry sectors to reduce the production cost and enhance materials quality and functionality, while maintaining the strength of the final material. In particular, antimicrobial lightweight materials have been garnering increased interest for management of resistant pathogens that are mainly responsible for the food spoilage and the occurrence of severe foodborne and hospital acquired infections. Research initiatives have been devoted to engineering various innovative materials as nanoparticles, hydrogels, foams and surface coatings with improved antimicrobial properties. In this chapter we summarize the recent advances in development of antimicrobial nano-enabled lightweight solutions using polymers, biopolymers, and different types of highly effective than their bulk counterparts nanoparticles with low probability for resistance development, showing the way forward to limit the spread and emergence of antimicrobial resistance.