The cost of developing new biocide molecules specifically for the coatings sector has become prohibitive. This is because market size dictates a low probability of return on investment opposite escalating R&D, regulatory, and manufacturing costs. Available products all have strengths and weaknesses but do an effective job provided that they are used selectively. To extract the maximum benefit from a given biocide, it is essential to underpin traditional microbiological skills with expertise in organic, physical and analytical chemistry.
In the past, it has been standard practice to judge a molecule based on the outcome of standard microbiological tests. To exploit fully the available biocides, it is important to apply chemistry know-how to understand why molecules behave as they do in different matrices and identify ways for improving their performance.