In a recent study of germs in airplanes and airports, the dirtiest touch point was the touchscreen on the check-in kiosk, which had 10 times as many contaminants as the toilet seat. The combination of this study and comments from customers led experts from NanoTouch Materials to develop a clear, self-cleaning adhesive film that can be easily applied to all forms of touch screens.
The film includes mineral nanocrystals, which are powered by light and generate an oxidation reaction stronger than bleach. It uses a residue-free adhesive, which holds up to use in public spaces better than traditional static cling films – and the self-cleaning action works continuously to completely break down any organic contaminants deposited on the screen.
“The more our product development team thought about it, the more applications became obvious,” says Mark Sisson, co-founder of NanoTouch Materials. “We’d be in a restaurant eating lunch and see multiple servers touching the same checkout screen after handling people’s dirty dishes and money. We’d see doctors carrying an iPad, entering information during multiple patient visits. So it became much bigger than just an airport kiosk.”
