# HaloFilm: a spray-on, re-chargeable, re-applicable antimicrobial coating

> **NIH NIH R43** · HALOMINE, INC. · 2020 · $250,255

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
In the US, about 1.7 million Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAls) occur in hospitals each
year, resulting in 99,000 deaths and an estimated $20 billion in healthcare costs. According to
previous reports, as much as one third of HAI cases can be attributed to environmental
surfaces, namely “high touch” surfaces (e.g. bed rails, machine buttons, equipment), in a
hospital. Self-sanitizing coatings, i.e. antimicrobial surfaces, are an ideal theoretical solution for
eliminating persistent pathogens; however there has been no commercially available
antimicrobial material which can fulfill all requirements of high-efficacy against pathogens: easy
to apply, broad material compatibility, no pathogen resistance development, and cost-effective.
That makes HaloFilm™ a breakthrough product. HaloFilm is a spray-on product that when
dried leaves a thin transparent film on a surface. The film is a polymer composed of one
monomer to stick to the surface, and another monomer that stabilizes chlorine, i.e. N-halamine.
HaloFilm turns the surface into a chlorine battery so using even a household brand sanitizer will
leave a surface covered with chlorine which can last longer than two weeks. HaloFilm has
superior efficacy against pathogens compared to the most popular antimicrobial agent, silver,
because it relies on the efficacy of chlorine which has decades of use, and broad-spectrum
efficacy against pathogen without generating pathogens with resistance.
In addition, we recently developed a formulation that include anti-fouling monomers, zwitterion
moieties and poly(ethylene glycol). These additions to the polymer backbone mean that
HaloFilm can be effective even without being charged with chlorine. This project will evaluate
HaloFilm with these two anti-fouling monomers against HaloFilm without them. The best
formulation will then be tested for efficacy and safety.
HaloFilm is Halamine Inc.’s first product and is protected by exclusively licensed patents from
Auburn University and Cornell University.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10079763
- **Project number:** 1R43AI155114-01
- **Recipient organization:** HALOMINE, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Mingyu Qiao
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $250,255
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-05 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10079763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10079763, HaloFilm: a spray-on, re-chargeable, re-applicable antimicrobial coating (1R43AI155114-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10079763. Licensed CC0.

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