Covestro and Heraeus: Antimicrobial textile coatings

Laboratory tests show that Heraeus Precious Metals' AGXX antimicrobial surface technology is fully compatible with the Impranil PU dispersions that are part of Covestro's Insqin water-based textile coating technology, enabling more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings. These test results come at a crucial time for the textile coating industry. The sharing economy is booming, bringing more and more people into regular contact with frequently used surfaces. This in turn creates ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. Possible applications range from office furniture for shared offices to vehicle interiors, which are often used in car sharing, to public transportation. Conventional antimicrobial technologies based on the release of silver ions also face the challenge of meeting the requirements of the Biocidal Products Regulation under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) review process due to concerns about potential adverse effects on human health, animals and natural ecosystems. Many of these conventional solutions are now set to be replaced in the coming years.

Long-lasting antimicrobial properties for textile coatings

To meet the demand for more sustainable antimicrobial surface coatings, Heraeus Precious Metals has developed AGXX: a system that eliminates a wide range of bacteria, fungi and viruses without the release of harmful silver ions. AGXX relies on the catalytic reaction of two precious metals that converts oxygen into reactive oxygen species (ROS) using atmospheric moisture. These ROS eliminate microbes by destroying their outer cell membranes, organelles and DNA. Martin Danz, Global Head of Antimicrobial Technologies at Heraeus Precious Metals, comments: "AGXX is skin-friendly, BPR-compliant and suitable for a wide range of applications. The results of our joint tests with Covestro now show that AGXX can be combined with Impranil PU dispersions to impart long-lasting antimicrobial properties to synthetic textile coatings."

Increasing demand for more sustainable textile coatings

These tests also show that the incorporation of AGXX into Covestro's Insqin textile coating technology has no impact on manufacturing processes. "We were able to confirm that AGXX can be combined with our Impranil products without compromising the performance or properties of either solution and without requiring any changes to the manufacturing processes for coated textiles," said Dr. Torsten Pohl, Global Head of Textile Coatings at Covestro. "In combination with AGXX, our Insqin technology retains its cleanability, flexibility and durability over long-term use. For textile coating manufacturers, this proven guide formulation offers a fast and effective way to add safer and more sustainable antimicrobial properties to their coatings while benefiting from the sustainability advantages of our low VOC water-based PU dispersions." The demand for hygienic, reliable, BPR-compliant and safer textile coatings is expected to increase in the near future. The combination of AGXX and Insqin technology offers textile manufacturers a way to quickly adapt to these rapidly changing requirements of the sharing economy.