ADDITIVES | ANTIMICROBIALS
be suitable for use in sectors such as transporta- tion, healthcare, recreational and consumer products, and retail and workplace environments. “Techmer designs and formulates materials with
Cupron’s additive to achieve optimum dispersion, colour control and processing stability for the desired end-use for mouldings, fibres or films in a wide range of different polymers,” says Techmer PM Product Development Manager Kaan Serpersu. “Although the natural colour of our copper
Above: Avient’s antimicrobial GLS TPEs inhibit bacterial growth by 99.9% or more and resist fungal growth
The UK’s departure from the EU has also had an
impact. “In addition, there have been delays to active substance approvals where the UK was acting as the evaluating member state. These applications have been reassigned to other member states, but work has been slowed by this transition,” he says. Clegg, who is based in the UK, says Brexit also
means some uncertainty around UK regulation. “Due to Brexit, we now have duplicate regulations in the UK,” he says. “Recent UK activity has focused on reapprovals of already approved actives; no timeline has yet been published for the remaining applications including PT9 (plastics).” OBPA is used and approved in the US. In June
2021, the EPA published an Interim Decision follow- ing completion of the public portion of a registration review. According to Adrian Krygsman, Director Product Registration at Troy Corporation (part of Arxada and a manufacturer of OBPA), the EPA’s draft risk assessment and Interim Decision are closed with no red flags on OBPA’s toxicology or concerns for its use as an industrial preservative for plastics.
Compound developments Last year, Techmer PM, a leading materials design company, struck a deal to strengthen and expand a long-standing partnership related to Cupron’s patented, copper-based antimicrobial technology. Techmer now acts as Cupron’s primary technology partner, manufacturer, and sales and marketing representative for a wide range of market applications. Cupron, a copper-based antimicrobial technol- ogy company based in Richmond, VA, US, formu- lates an active, oxidised copper ingredient in powder form, which Techmer encapsulates during its polymer compounding process. The additive is said to help eliminate bacteria and imparts durable antimicrobial, anti-odour, and skin-enhancing properties to various finished products. It is said to
30 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2022
material is rust red, our colour experts can tailor a custom formula to a customer’s specific colour needs,” says Steve Loney, Director of Market Development at Techmer PM. “Examples of copper-infused custom colours can be seen in performance apparel, and other fabrics spun on Techmer’s in-house fibre lines.” Cupron has been used in extrusion coating over non-woven fabric to create hospital and surgical gowns. However, Loney reports increased interest in anti-microbials in plastic films. “The incorpora- tion of anti-microbials in plastic film applications has expanded beyond the healthcare area with use in building materials to help combat mould and other fungi. Specific applications include vapour barriers in walls and film to protect the crawl space of a house,” he says. “Cupron has proven to be an excellent function- al choice for these applications. The copper colour helps construction workers apply the film correctly where the copper side is placed towards the most prone to contamination,” Loney adds. In May 2021,Avient introduced three GLS thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) formulations that contain antimicrobial additives. Tested in accordance with JIS Z2801 and ASTM G21-15 standards, these additives protect moulded plastic parts by inhibiting bacterial growth (99.9 percent or more) and resisting fungal and mould growth. The grades are available under the Versaflex and OnFlex banners. Potential applications include consumer electronics, personal care item grips, and automotive applications such as cup holder mats and HVAC seals. The new TPE compounds protect finished parts
from microbial growth on both textured and smooth surfaces. They are formulated with what Avient says is an EPA-registered antimicrobial from Arxada, understood to be zinc pyrythione. They are commercially available in the US and Asia. Addi- tional antimicrobial-containing formulations are in development. Viruses and bacteria can survive on plastic surfaces for several days, meaning that surfaces can be a continuing risk for cross-infection. UK-based Symphony says its d2p suite of antimicrobial
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IMAGE: AVIENT/GETTY IMAGES
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