Recherche de partenaires

Résumé

A Slovene research institute has developed a solution for antimicrobial surface protection which provide continuous protection through illumination by natural sun light or widely spread fluorescence lamp light. Applications based on near-UV light excitation can reach even 200 times better protection than can be achieved by the sterilization by the UV light without anitimicrobial coating. The institute is looking for partner interested in licence agreement or technical cooperation.

Description complète

Titan-oxide nanocoating have been optimized to achieve high photoinduced antimicrobial activity. Deposition process has been optimized to increase the stability of the coatings at very diverse surfaces such as polymeric, metal or glass.

Photoexcited coatings prevent bacterial contamination by cutting the binding polysaccharide layer. Illumination can be used to control the material anti-microbial activity and at the same time increases the effect of near-UV irradiation for one to two orders of magnitude.

Sterilization of infrastructure surfaces in food processing industry, hospitals, kindergartens, schools and even in heat transfer in civil engineering applications requires a continuous use of large quantities of detergents and even antibiotics to prevent the growth of various pathogenic bacteria. Among them European veterinary administration reports Listeria monocytogenesas as one of the most dangerous species due to intensive growth at lower temperatures and especially lower total number of bacteria, up-to 70% mortality and very delayed flue-like symptoms. Preventing growth of such bacteria with purely physical means is therefore highly desired to reduce use of large amount of chemical agents. The employment of antimicrobial coatings that can bind to surfaces efficiently can do exactly this - reducing the release of chemicals in the environment and preventing bacterial growth. The proposed system offers stable deposition at high antimicrobial activity.

The proposers are internationally recognized biophysicist and synthetic chemist working in the field of inorganic and organic chemistry, chemistry of materials, polymers, physics and biophysics of biointerfaces as well as microbiology and veterinary sciences. The proposers join all the interdisciplinary expert knowledge in development and optimization of this coatings.

Aspects innovants

Unravelled mechanism of action allows this solution to be optimized for surface protection. On the contrary to the biochemical-based antimicrobial protection, this solution primarily target and prevent the attachment of bacteria. The action of the coating is strictly local (relative to the surface). If the surface is mechanically damaged, so the coating is released into environment it becomes 1-2 orders of magnitude less efficient.
Nanocoating requires extremely small amount of material, meaning that the price per m2 is relatively low with respect to the processes where materials are integrated into the finishing layer of the surface, which is usually at least 100 time thicker.
Nanocoating deposition methods are diverse and simple, can be post-processed on already finished surfaces of different chemical composition from metals to plastics. The deposition can be up-scaled or integrated into other technological processes.
Photoexcitation can be achieved by native sun light irradiation or widely spread fluorescent bulbs. In application where high efficiency and precise control over photoexcitation is required, near-UV diodes can be used very cost-efficiently.

Expertise recherchée:

- Type of partner sought:
Industry, research organization.

- Specific area of activity of the partner:
Construction industry, hospitals, laboratories, veterinary, meat packing plants, meat industry, food-processing industry, civil-engineering (heat recovery, heat transfer).

- Task to be performed by the partner sought:
Joint further development, adaptation to specific needs and applications.