Speciality Chemicals Magazine SEP / OCT 2021 | Page 59

BIOCIDES
protection can be used in the retail , healthcare , travel and hospitality , industrial and education sectors , from vending machines , laptops , points of sale and ATMs to self-service restaurant kiosks and medical devices . The technology could also help control spread where risk of contagion is high , such as in schools or at public events .
oxygen species generated on surfaces disrupt the bacteria ’ s cell wall until it is eliminated . The real differential here is that bacteria cannot build up a resistance or immunity , enabling the technology to positively fight the spread of ‘ superbugs ’. As the primary fuel sources are unlimited , the coating ’ s protective antimicrobial power is ‘ always on ’ and once built in , is designed to last 24 / 7 , for the lifetime of the treated surface . Even when light is not present , the technology continues to work in the dark .
Kastus expert testing for antibacterial and antiviral protection
In 2020 , Kastus was awarded a European Commission grant to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and support recovery in Europe . It is currently partnering with global brands , such as Lenovo , Lavazza and Kone , to add enhanced antiviral protection to their touchscreen products . For instance , it has offered a bespoke range of commercial antimicrobial and antiviral screen protectors up to 79 cm in diameter to Lenovo . The applications are far-reaching : embedded antiviral and antibacterial
References : 1 : www . mobilenewscp . co . uk / news / article / kastus-consumers-keen-buy-smartphones-antibacterialprotection 2 : www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / pmc / articles / PMC4378521 / 3 : www . nature . com / articles / s43246-021-00153-y
Lessons from the pandemic
It has become an overriding priority for advanced materials specialists to help find ways to eliminate the spread of the pandemic and now , the potentially more serious threat of mutating variants . Added to the increasing number of infectious diseases caused by multi-drug resistant germs , the pandemic has only accelerated this need . MRSA infection kills more than 600,000 healthcare patients / year in the US alone , more than HIV / AIDS , Parkinson ’ s disease , emphysema and homicide combined . 2 The WHO , meanwhile , sees anti-microbial resistance as a global crisis that is already on track to be a bigger killer than cancer by 2050 . Technologies that combat the transmission and spread of coronavirus and other infectious viruses and bacteria , can help to prevent or control the outbreak of future of epidemics . This is more vital now more than ever in a world faced with the reality of living with deadly viruses and superbugs rather than eliminating them . As viruses and bacteria inevitably evolve , so too will the capabilities of nanotechnology to help combat their spread . One thing that has become even clearer in these unprecedented times is the pivotal role that material science can play in the development of conceptual and practical measures to slow infectious outbreaks . 3
Scot Devine
DIRECTOR
ARROWEYE COMMUNICATIONS k + 44 7957 381 982 J scotdevine @ arrow-eye . co j www . arrow-eye . co
SEP / OCT 2021 SPECCHEMONLINE . COM
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