ANTIVIRAL, ANTIBACTERIAL & ANTIFUNGAL NANOCOATING PLATFORM

The NanoBloc consortium of 4 leading universities & institutes, and 5 companies (3 SMEs & 2 large enterprises) will develop & upscale (from TRL3 to TRL6) new all-European antimicrobial, antifungal & antiviral coatings made by industrially scalable, green technology suitable for application on a variety of substrates- porous filter materials (air filtration units, face masks), textiles (protective clothing, mattress covers, aprons, wallpaper), & on a variety of high-traffic solid surfaces (door knobs, handles, handrails, sanitaryware-taps, etc.). A research line will focus on thin coatings- <200 nanometers- deposited by Physical Vapour Deposition, formed by a glass and/or ceramic matrix (e.g. silica) capable of incorporating silver or other metal nanoparticles, which can be applied on countless substrates. These coatings allow a gradual release of ions without dispersing the nanoparticles in the surrounding environment & have demonstrated their effectiveness toward proliferation of bacteria, fungi & viruses including respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus A & with demonstrated virucidal effect towards SARS-CoV-2 on face masks. They can withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees celsius without altering their antimicrobial properties, thereby suited for thermal regeneration. In addition, the project will build on previous work in obtaining coatings effective against a range of pathogens using technologies such as UV cured lacquers, sol-gel and electrophoretic deposition. A key strength in our approach is in merging these research lines to obtain innovative products that will be brought to market by our industry participants. New knowledge generated in the project on antiviral mechanisms & coating durability in operating conditions, will be used to select the most suitable technology for each application & to develop and up-scale effective & durable biocidal/virucidal coatings to relevant demonstrators with no toxic effects for health & environment.