TAGS: Plastic Coatings Industrial Coatings
The MicroGuard™ coating range was developed and launched by Peerless Plastics & Coating Ltd following extensive independent testing, proving 99.99% effective, against bacteria such as MRSA and E-Coli.
With the clear increase in concern regarding surface hygiene and protection against viruses following the Covid-19 pandemic, Peerless quickly submitted their established and proven MicroGuard™ hard coatings for testing against the FCoV (Feline Coronavirus) as a substitute enveloped virus for Sars-Cov-2.
This protective hard coating is available in both clear & matte finishes along with an Anti-Fog option, making it the perfect solution for a range of uses.
Following initial success proving that MicroGuard™ reduces FCoV by 76% after only 2 hours, further development work has taken place to offer a wider range of coatings which provide improved surface performance.
Good Level of Abrasion and Chemical Resistance
MicroGuard™ is a hard coating for plastics and printed or painted surfaces. It offers excellent chemical and
abrasion resistance giving a permanent superior surface for plastics such as PMMA and Polycarbonate.
Incorporating the same Silver ion technology as the MicroGuard™ Clear and Matt Hard Coatings, MicroGuard™ Anti-Fog was developed with the view to offering superior Anti-Fog performance for face coverings such as visors and goggles, whilst offering improved surface hygiene.
MicroGuard™ Anti-Fog was initially tested against E-Coli under the ISO 22196:2011 test conditions and proved 99.99% effective. This coating was submitted for testing against the NL63 (Human Coronavirus) under the ISO21702:2019 test method.
MicroGuard™ Anti-Fog proved to be 99.9% effective against the NL63 (Human Coronavirus) meaning that it offers Anti-Viral performance after only 2 hours.
The MicroGuard™ Anti-Fog coating was further tested against Bacteriophage Phi6 under the same test conditions, proving to be 99.99% effective, giving great confidence that this coating offers excellent Anti-Viral performance. Interest in Anti-Fog coatings have risen as manufacturers of PPE seek to improve the performance of their products and offer wearers of essential face coverings, such as NHS and other Key workers, with a more suitable solution.
Development work continues utilizing alternative formulations and Anti-Microbial additives within Peerless’s range of hard coatings, with positive results expected in the near future.
Peerless will continue to promote the benefits of hard coatings for plastics which make them longer lasting and easier to clean by providing surface properties including scratch resistance,
chemical resistance and now Anti-Viral performance!
IS021702:2019 Test Method and MicroGuard™ Anti-fog Performance
IS021702 is a standard protocol to quantify the antiviral properties of non-porous surfaces. A pre-determined concentration of virus is applied to the test and a reference surface under this protocol. The samples are then incubated at room temperature for 2 hours in a humidified chamber (under this test standard, samples are usually tested after 24 hours).
Following this time period, the samples are recovered by washing with neutralizer with the amount of infectious virus in each suspension qualified using a TCID50 assay. For the assay to be valid, the material tested must have no cytotoxic activity on the cells used to quantify the virus, nor interfere with cell sensitivity to infection.
MicroGuard™ Anti-Fog displayed viricidal activity against NL63 Human Coronavirus under the test conditions with an R value of 2.93 (>99%) with no cytotoxic activity detected.
Source: Peerless Plastics & Coating