Sukano Masterbatches demonstrate long-term antiviral effect
Many viruses have been shown to survive on surfaces including metal, cardboard and plastic. However, plastic items can be treated to trap and inhibit the replication of viruses. Sukano has developed Antiviral Masterbatches for PET and PA fibers that have a strong antiviral effect on the plastic parts, while also potentially helping to reduce waste and improve the sustainability credentials of the final articles produced.
Sukano’s Antiviral Masterbatches work by directly integrating an antiviral additive into the polymer, using proprietary technologies. The power of this technology is that the antiviral effect not only remains stable during the usage of the product, but that it is maintained after washing. This is because the additive is consistently present on the surface of the product, without being released into the environment. Sukano conducted tests at an external laboratory specialized in microbiological testing and in accordance with ISO 18184:2019 (fabrics) and ISO 21702:2019 (plastics inject moulded parts and films) to independently confirm the effectiveness of its antiviral effect on the plastic parts. The result showed that over 98 % of the Feline Coronavirus was eliminated within the first two hours. The tests were performed using the Influenza H1N1 virus and a Feline Coronavirus, which has structures and mechanisms similar to SARS-Cov-2.
Sukano Antiviral Masterbatches for PET and PA applications are the only known masterbatch technologies that have externally proven their efficacy against viruses at different dosage levels, polymers and conversion processes, all of which can impact potential antiviral protection performance. “Beyond the textile and fiber applications, our external lab results confirm the efficacy of our technology used in our PET and PA based masterbatches when applied in film extrusion processes and injection moulded parts,” states Michael Kirch, Global Head of R&D for Sukano. “This opens the door to a potential array of additional applications to feature antiviral properties.”
