Interreg

With our application, we want to systematically expand the R&D work for paints, coatings and 3D printing materials established at HIT, which is carried out intelligently and in high throughput, to include catalytically functionalized materials and thus open up new areas of application. Catalytically functionalized filter materials are already very well established in the liquid phase for sterilization purposes. To the best of our knowledge, catalytically coated filters which, for example, reduce pollutants in the gas phase are not yet available. The (photo-)catalytic, antibacterial and antiviral effects of materials such as titanium dioxide and silver nanoparticles are known, but effective solutions for use in air filtration are lacking. Problematic in the introduction of the catalytic effect are influences by the nature of filter material and the functional material, which significantly reduce the activities.
The aim of the IEFG project is the rapid development of textile filter materials with an antiviral function as well as the reduction of pollutants through catalytically active substances. The use of digital capabilities of iHIT SE and high-throughput equipment enable the rapid implementation of the development, as an accelerated optimization is achieved compared to the usual laboratory analysis. The intended use for these composites is a highly effective reduction of the concentration of bacteria and viruses in ventilation systems and mouth-nose protective masks beyond the filtering effect. The effectiveness of air filtration, which is a pillar in pandemic response, is significantly improved. The transfer of textile composite catalysts to other applications is also possible, as the substances to be incorporated also catalytically degrade a large number of other pollutants.

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