Hohenstein develops textile finishing with dual qualities

In a second step, fixing was carried out using a polymer binding agent in a cold padding process to protect the copper particles against mechanical abrasion. These copper finishes also produced good evenness, but there was a slight green tone compared to the originally lighter fabric colour. All samples passed the laboratory tests on skin-friendliness.

The effectiveness tests under realistic conditions were carried out on different surfaces, such as glass, stainless steel or wood, which were contaminated with viruses and wiped with the finished cleaning cloths. The bacterial virus MS2, a non-pathogenic surrogate virus, which due to its structure and environmental stability is comparable to clinically relevant viruses such as novovirus, poliovirus, hepatitis A or enteroviruses, was used as the test virus.

The finished microfibre cloths absorbed 91 % of the applied viruses. At the same time, the virus concentration in the cloth was reduced by approximately 90 %. Effectiveness tests against bacteria and mould were also carried out in accordance with standards (DIN EN ISO 20743 and EN 14119). With this test set-up, the finishes were optimised in a targeted manner.

The research project reveals that antiviral cleaning cloths provide an efficient hygienic effect and can help to reduce the germ transfer rate e.g. of pathogens in nurseries and child day care centres. However, this new functionalisation could be of interest in the domestic environment, in hospitals, old people's homes, care homes and in communal facilities (e.g. canteens) and in protective clothing for the fire brigade, emergency services and military.

Hohenstein