Transmission of viruses may occur through contaminated surfaces, where viruses can remain active for varying periods of time, from hours to several days, on different materials. To lower the possibility of spread of infections through contact with high-touch surfaces such as elevator buttons, grocery carts and door knobs, antimicrobial materials su

Strongly corrosive acids and highly toxic cyanide-based solutions are currently the most commonly used lixiviants for extraction of silver from solid wastes through hydrometallurgy. While acids are generally able to achieve high extraction of silver, it is non-selective and leaches most of the other metals present, resulting in a complex mixture th

Air pollution poses serious health threats. Even limited exposure to air pollutants, such as during haze periods, can trigger respiratory symptoms and aggravate existing heart or lung conditions. While there is a strong need for economical and effective technologies for air filtration, most nanofibres currently used in air filters require intensive

Extensive sanitation needs arising from COVID-19 are adding high costs to both businesses and consumers. Such costs are mostly related to the supply chain, and involve processing, transportation, and storage of dangerous substances. Furthermore, the packaging of finished sanitation products consumes large amounts of shelf space at the point of sale

Antimicrobial resistance developed due to the overuse of conventional antimicrobial agents in surface coatings and consumer products is a global concern for treatment of infectious diseases in recent years. To address this concern, US FDA has banned the use of a number of conventional antimicrobial agents in consumer and healthcare products such as

About two decades after its first proof-of-concept, 3D concrete printing is on the threshold to become more matured. It provides new opportunities such as higher degree of architectural freedom, lower costs due to a lack of scaffold, less labour intensive manpower and less material required. To achieve these, the print processes need to be more rob

After post-harvest washing and processing, fresh fruits and produce suffer from poor shelf-life due to microbial spoilage and processing damages. To retard spoilage, coatings have been developed, allowing the produce to survive its journey through the value chain to the market. Conventionally, such coatings are made of natural and/or synthetic mate

It is highly desirable to keep various types of surfaces clean and easy to maintain to retain their aesthetic appearance and/or functional performance. This can be achieved through self-cleaning coatings, that work by breaking down organic materials and by creating a water-loving surface to allow rain or other water sources to easily wash them off

The use of antibacterial antimicrobial functionalised material combined with well-established rules of hygiene enables optimal reduction of bacterial contamination. By incorporating antimicrobial function into widely used plastics, bacterial proliferation can be prevented without extensive disruption of daily life activities. Existing technologies

Photocatalytic effect is a crucial element for achieving self-cleaning surfaces in an indoor environment. Self-cleaning surfaces minimise the need for labour intensive and costly cleaning and maintenance services. However, commercially available self-cleaning solutions are typically in the form of coatings that wear off with time and require re-app

Metallization is an integral part of a modern electronic device. Every electronic device has metal electrodes in it. Foldable devices, OLED, sensors, solar cells, touchscreens, wearables and energy storage need new materials and technologies for making flexible metal electrodes. This new metallization technology is suitable for functional metallic

Aerogel is the world's lightest solid material and exhibits the lowest thermal conductivity. Aerogel has more than twice the insulating performance of still air. It also has an open structure that allows vapour to readily diffuse through its matrix. Incorporating aerogel into existing or new insulation materials can displace air and replace it with

Water capture and dehumidification of climate-controlled areas are typically performed in energy intensive processes with single use materials, or those that are difficult to regenerate. While these materials are effective in capturing water, the inability to recycle these materials efficiently, limits their applicability. Aluminium fumarate is a n

Typically, a hydrophobic coating is achieved by surface modification, using treatments that involve adherence, absorption or coating of micro- or nanostructures. These coatings work in biomimetic ways, where they mimic the mechanism of naturally hydrophobic occurrences, such as lotus leaves, rose petals and duck feathers. The hydrophobic properties

Removal of malodours and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are of key importance to improve air quality and overall quality of life. A proprietary technology based on the use of cucurbiturils has been developed for the capture of unpleasant smells and volatile compounds. The technology is several orders of magnitude more efficient than current stat

In response to the growing health threat posed by resistant pathogenic micro-organisms, the tech owner had developed Antimicrobial Polyimidazolium Polymeric salts.This technology is a library of Polyimidazolium Polymeric salts that have excellent anti-microbial properties.

This company has developed a novel sunlight activated larvicides to destroy Aedes mosquito larvae. This plant-derived eco-friendly solution offers a new tool to combat mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and zika. When activated by sunlight, this technology generates free radicals that are highly lethal and effective to kill larvae before they beco

As the consumption of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for the transportation and consumer electronics sectors continues to grow, so does the pile of battery waste. Lithium-ion battery waste retains value particularly in the form of metal ions in the cathode part of the device, but few standardised methods exist to extract, recover, and reuse these pre