Wipe-on glass creates antimicrobial surfaces
The spin-off from the Leibniz-Institute for New Materials (INM) in Saarbrücken, Nano-Care launches the third generation of ultra-thin coatings: "wipe-on glass" provides hard surfaces with a self-disinfecting performance for a period of several months, to several years.
Simply by wiping onto the surface, this robust and effective barrier against hospital germs MRSA), odour-causing bacteria, mold, fungi and yeast provides protection against the most substantial problem the 21st century faces: pathogen microorganisms. Nano-Care’s self-disinfecting, “wipe-on glass” transforms any kind of substrate into an interception point for pathogen microorganisms with anti-microbial effect: After curing, the surface is slightly rough on the microscopic scale, thus destroying the cell wall of the colonizing microorganism – without leaving any visible or touchable (haptic) traces.
Key point: Wipe application needs no training and is easily achieved by the consumer. “Besides medical application which requires intensive examination we focus on use in everyday life”, states Oliver Sonntag, CEO of Nano-Care AG. Everything touched by hand in daily life, constitutes a potential source of infection. “We expect a broad take-up of application on items such as smartphones, touchscreens, keyboards, the computer mouse, steering wheels, door pulls, toilet lids, in wet rooms, on fitness products, shoes or hand rails”.
Other areas of application
Additionally, critical areas such as public toilets, motorway service areas, gambling machines, fitness studios, saunas and swimming pools are vital areas of application for the product. “Following the development of invisible non-stick coatings such as 9H ceramic coatings and self-cleaning or superhydrophobic coatings, self-disinfecting coatings constitute the logical and consequential next step , heralding a new era of invisible coatings”, says Sonntag.
Company facts: Following the spin-off from the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM) in 2000, Nano-Care Deutschland AG developed transparent surface coatings (known as nano or ceramic coatings) as an alternative to PTFE and fluorocarbons. Whilst early years focused on supplying own-brand Private Label customers (virtual manufacturers), internationaliaation of the brand is proceeding with distribution partners in more than 70 countries. The strategy of reactive innovation pursued from 2016 to 2018 has enabled Nano Care to become a system supplier to large-scale companies in the textile, automobile and mechanical engineering industries
