Non-Silver Technology for PP, ABS, and PC Resins Could Help Resist Microbes

A new, non-silver technology offers “built-in-the-polymer” protection against infection-causing pathogens. Evermoin, developed by Lotte Advanced Materials, boasts a 99% bacterial growth inhibition rate for pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli and also inhibits the growth of fungi. The product maintains its antimicrobial capabilities in a variety of environmental conditions such as light and moisture as well as daily scratches, with little changes in color. “Our material is not silver-based for a few reasons,” said Andrew Ji, business development manager at Lotte Advanced Materials USA Inc., in an interview with MD+DI. “Silver is very costly, and in order for manufacturers to guarantee antimicrobial properties, they have to add a lot of nanosilver materials. This will increase the overall cost,” he said, noting that some manufacturers tend to minimize the use of silver for this reason, but in doing so, the antimicrobial performance of the products may become unstable. Ji explained that another issue with using silver is the time and difficulty involved in processing the substance. When manufacturers use nanosilver, they have to make the resin first and then go through a separate process of adding the nanosilver materials, he said, adding that this additional step not only adds time, but also cost. By contrast, Ji said that Evermoin requires no ...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Materials Source Type: news