Smart antimicrobial coatings and surfaces represent an important element of the smart materials space. The market for smart antimicrobial coatings and surfaces is driven by the need to selectively combat new threats from bacteria, viruses and fungi. Also important to the future of smart antimicrobial coatings is the mandate to reduce hospital-acquired infections. But, the opportunity for antimicrobial surfaces extends well beyond healthcare facilities. In a growing number of cases, the next generation of antimicrobial coatings and surfaces will be smart enough to kill harmful microbes while leaving the beneficial ones, or will combine antimicrobial action with the ability to self-clean. Currently, the smart antimicrobials market is dominated by silver-based materials, although some smart antimicrobials based on photosynthesis are also widely available. The silver-based smart antimicrobials market will continue to grow. There will also be a strong trend towards combining smart antimicrobials with additional self-cleaning and self-healing functionality. Self-cleaning adding to the antimicrobial effect by washing away microbes while self-repair of cracks gives microbes no place to hide. Sales of smart antimicrobials will focus on medical equipment and medical uniforms. Growing the market for smart antimicrobials into non-healthcare markets will be a challenge; life and death concerns will be hard to evoke as part of a business case. There will be more markets outside of medical markets where smart antimicrobials are likely to sell well. These include high-use and high-traffic areas in buildings, and clothing and textiles. The interior surfaces of cars, truck, aircraft and marine vessels present additional opportunities for smart antimicrobial surfaces, as per Markets and Markets.

As per Grand View Research, antimicrobial coatings are used to protect surfaces from microorganisms including parasites, bacteria, germs and fungi. Initially introduced to inhibit the effect of microorganisms on the surfaces to which they were applied to; increasing health concerns regarding the impact of such microorganisms on the human health, have seen antimicrobial applications cover both human and surfaces. Growing demand for coatings in healthcare and medical device applications is expected to drive the antimicrobial coatings market. Increasing demand for indoor air quality and HVAC systems is also expected to augment antimicrobial coatings market demand. However, health concerns regarding the use of silver in antimicrobial coatings coupled with high degree of regulatory intervention, particularly in the U.S. and in Europe is expected to a key challenge for market growth. Huge untapped potential, mainly in Asia Pacific and Latin America is projected to be a major opportunity for industry participants in the near future.

Surface modification and coatings dominated the global antimicrobial coatings market, accounting for over 50% of the total demand in 2013. These products have been further segmented as E.Coli, listeria, and Pseudomonas among others. However, antimicrobial powder coatings are expected to be the fastest growing product segment at an estimated CAGR of 10% from 2014 to 2020. The global market for silver powder based antimicrobial coatings was valued at US$556.9 mln in 2013 and is expected to register a CAGR of 13.1% from 2014 to 2020. Major applications covered in the study include indoor air quality, mold remediation, medical/healthcare, antimicrobial textiles, construction and others. Indoor air quality was the largest application for the antimicrobial coatings market, accounting for over 25% of overall volume in 2013. In addition to being the largest market, indoor air quality is also expected to be the fastest growing application market for antimicrobial coatings at an estimated CAGR of 10.3% from 2014 to 2020. The global demand for antimicrobial coatings in the construction industry is expected to reach a market worth US$312.9 million by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 11.3% from 2014 to 2020.

Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market Volume, by Product, 2013

North America emerged as the largest regional antimicrobial coatings market in 2013, accounting for over 35% of total demand. In addition to the being the largest market, North America is also expected to be the fastest growing market for antimicrobial coatings at an estimated CAGR of 10.6% from 2014 to 2020. High standards of living and increasing healthcare expenditure mainly in the U.S. is expected to remain a key driving factor for the market over the forecast period. However, the growth of major end use industries such as medical, construction and food mainly in China and India will serve as major opportunities for companies to invest in Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific antimicrobial coatings market revenue was estimated at US$532 mln in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2014 to 2020. The global antimicrobial coatings market has medium concentration levels with top four companies accounting for under 50% of total revenue in 2013. The market also displays somewhat oligopolistic characteristics, with a few multinational corporations accounting for a large chunk of the total revenue generated by the industry. Key industry participants include AkzoNobel NV, Dow Microbial Control, Sherwin-Williams, and Diamond Vogel.

As per n-Tech's research, as drug-resistant microbes and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) continue to spread, smart materials are being used to combat them. This report quantifies the market for these "smart antimicrobials," which include antimicrobial peptides, smart polymers, silver preparations and super-hydrophobic preparations. It also covers multifunctional materials that combine antimicrobial action with self-cleaning and self-healing capabilities. Today, smart antimicrobials are dominated by silver-based materials, although some smart antimicrobials based on photosynthesis are also widely available. The silver-based smart antimicrobials market will continue to grow, reaching US$913 mln by 2020, but will be hurt by the appearance of more effective smart antimicrobials such as peptides as well as environmental concerns about silver itself. There will also be a strong trend towards combining smart antimicrobials with additional self-cleaning and self-healing functionality. Self-cleaning adds to the antimicrobial effect by washing away microbes while self-repair of cracks gives microbes no place to hide. By 2020 smart multifunctional coatings and surfaces are expected to generate.
Growing the market for smart antimicrobials into non-healthcare markets will be a challenge; life and death concerns will be hard to evoke as part of a business case. However, n-tech still sees important niches outside of medical markets where smart antimicrobials are likely to sell well. These include high-use and high-traffic areas in buildings, and clothing and textiles. The interior surfaces of cars, truck, aircraft and marine vessels present additional opportunities for smart antimicrobial surfaces. By 2020, we expect the market for smart antimicrobial coatings and surfaces in non-healthcare markets to reach US$225 million, going on to reach US$500 million by 2022. While this figure is still lower than that of the full market including healthcare settings - which may reach US$3.3 bln in value by 2018, as per a report from n-tech Research. It is projected that implementation in non-healthcare facilities will continue to grow. Factoring into these projects is the fact that while silver-based smart antimicrobials are the most popular selection and will continue to rise in popularity, the growth will be hampered by more institutions and FMs choosing effective alternatives such as peptides as well as environmental concerns about the use of silver.

While healthcare facilities are expected to remain as the largest user of the coatings and surfaces, areas such as high-traffic areas in buildings are highlighted as an area of strong market growth due to the serious threat that microbes can pose to occupants.