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06 December 2011 | General, MPNS
COST's Antibacterial Tiles presented at the Innovation Convention

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, and Philippe Maystadt, President of the European Investment Bank, visited the work of COST Action 540 on antibacterial surfaces at the Innovation Convention Exhibition on 5 and 6 December 2011.

The exhibit featured tiles with an antibacterial coating that kills pathogens when exposed to light. The technology converted the work of COST Action 540 into a commercial product when Robert Hickson, Managing Director of VitrA Ireland that now manufactures the tiles, wanted to develop the photocatalytic technology for use on ceramics.

The light-activated antibacterial surface coating has been developed by a team at the Centre for Research in Engineering Surface Technology (CREST) in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), working with VitrA Ireland through funding from Enterprise Ireland. The photocatalytic technology was originally developed by a research team at DIT.

Each year Healthcare Acquired Infections (HCAI) directly impact over 4 million Europeans. Tests carried out by DIT and by the accredited lab Airmid Health Group in Dublin, Ireland, have found the technology is 99.99 per cent effective at killing the hospital ‘superbug’ MRSA, E. coli and the fungus that causes athlete’s foot. The innovation developed is activated by visible light which in itself is a novelty since normal photocatalytic technology is activated by UV light and therefore not suitable for indoor use.

"We believe it will also be active against other bacteria and micro-organisms,” explains Dr Suresh Pillai, Senior R&D Manager at CREST. He describes how the technology should have applications in the healthcare setting, swimming pools, schools and gyms.

"VitrA is known for excellence in design and technology, and we are very active in commercial projects such as airports and hotels, leisure centres and hospitals around the world,” adds Hickson. “This global reach gives us an excellent platform to launch new products and technologies.”

“COST Action 540 on photocatalysis allowed us to work with the top photocatalytic researchers in Europe, accelerating our product development. With the help of the Action, Radical Coatings were able to validate our novel photocatalytic coating technology and show it exceeded the current state of the art,” added Hugh Hayden, Managing Director, Radical Coatings.

Thanks to the work of this COST Action and its partners, turning on a light switch causes the ceramic tile to start destroying bacteria on the ceramic surface, without the need for chemicals such as bleaches.

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