Leibniz-Institute for New Materials (INM) in Saarbrucken, Nano- Care Deutschland AG, has launched the third generation of ultra-thin coatings – Wipe-on Glass, which provides any kind of hard surface with a self-disinfecting performance for a period of from several months, to several years. It provides protection against the most substantial problem the 21st century faces: pathogen microorganisms and acts as a barrier against hospital germs, odour-causing bacteria, mould, fungi and yeast.
It 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 colonising microorganism – without leaving any visible or touchable (haptic) traces.
“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.”
Additionally, critical areas such as public toilets, motorway service areas, gambling machines, fitness studios, saunas and swimming pools are useful areas of application for the product.
