A material has been developed that imparts antibacterial and antiviral functions to existing products simply by adding it, without any additional processing, raising expectations that it will enable a direct response to concerns regarding viral infections such as COVID-19.

A research team led by Dr. Chang-Su Kim of the Nano-Bio Convergence Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Jeong-Hwan Lee), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, has succeeded in developing a material that imparts antibacterial and antiviral functions to various products we commonly use without altering their physical properties.

The material developed by the research team is an antibacterial and anti-vibration additive that generates high levels of metal ions.

By adding only a small amount of about 1 to 2 weight percent (wt%) to various resins, the antibacterial properties were improved to 99.99% and the antiviral properties were improved by more than 10 times within 2 hours without causing changes in the optical, mechanical, or thermal properties of existing products.

Since the developed material is used as an additive, it can be subjected to UV and heat curing without additional processes for existing products, and its advantage is that it can maintain an antibacterial effect semi-permanently when mixed with resin.

In addition, the developed antibacterial and antiviral additive consists entirely of non-toxic materials that do not use any organic antimicrobial agents or nano-compounds.

Principal Researcher Kim Chang-soo, the research leader, said, “Display"It is a technology with wide-ranging applications, including films for lighting, functional textiles, films for home appliances and furniture, window films, automotive interior and exterior materials, kitchen, bathroom, and hygiene products, and medical supplies," he said. "We are currently conducting mass production tests with various companies that require the technology, and we will do our best to contribute to solving the problem of novel infectious diseases in preparation for the post-COVID era, where people's interest in personal hygiene is expected to increase significantly."

Lee Jeong-hwan, President of the Korea Institute of Materials Science, stated, “We will continue to discover excellent ideas with commercial potential within the institute and strive to materialize and commercialize them quickly from a market perspective.” He added, “We will spare no support or encouragement to accelerate the localization of functional antibacterial and antiviral materials, as well as the penetration of overseas markets.”

Meanwhile, this research achievement was made possible with support from the Korea Institute of Materials Science's major projects, and the research team is currently working to support its practical application by pursuing the establishment of a research institute spin-off company to facilitate the rapid commercialization of the technology.