DesiKu - Self-disinfecting antimicrobial plastic surfaces without biocides

In this project, the goal is to make plastics antimicrobial through the addition of additives. To this end, biocide-free additives are blended into a wide variety of plastics using a melt-mixing process (compounding), and their effectiveness is investigated. The antimicrobial effect is achieved through the addition of a synthetic resin that operates on a physical principle. This synthetic resin cures after being added, thereby enabling it to exert its effect.

Antimicrobial surfaces are to be applied to structural components—which are manufactured from unmodified plastic—using a thin film top layer. This allows the mechanical properties of the structural components to remain unaffected, while at the same time the surface is modified to be antimicrobial.

To optimize the effectiveness for the specific application, the effects of the process and materials must be investigated.
In addition to investigating the antimicrobial effect and the additive’s influence on mechanical and optical properties, specific applications should also be examined.