Waterborne coatings with fungal growth resistance
How effective are antimicrobial additives in water-based coatings? This question has been pursued by South American researchers in a study.
Silica is used as supporting additive in coatings, such as waterborne paints and, on the other hand, the addition of Ag nanoparticles into different materials is being widely studied for its effective antimicrobial properties.
Silver additives were the most efficient
The additives were synthesised by sol-gel method and characterised by potentiometric titration and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, the paints were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at the end of the test. To carry out the bio-resistance assay, Chaetomium globosum and Alternaria alternata fungi were used. After 4 weeks of assay, paints prepared with the silver additives were the most efficient inhibiting the growth of both fungi. These paints, after their exposure for 6 months, in an internal environment with sunlight incidence, kept the antifungal activity against Chaetomium globosum and showed a higher activity against Alternaria alternata.
The study is published in: Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 108, July 2017, Pages 36–43
