EU projects on antimicrobial nanocoatings get together
Triple-A-COAT is part of a group of research projects funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme to develop new antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal surface nanocoatings.
On May 18th, our sister project SUSAAN organised a zoom call of all the EU-funded project consortia, particularly to discuss potential cooperation on dissemination and communication activities, life cycle assessment (LCA), and sustainability analyses.
Around 20 people took part in the joint call, from 8 projects. Participating on behalf of Triple-A-COAT were Thijs Vackier (KU Leuven), Angelica Mendoza Beltran (2.-0 LCA consultants) and Michael Baldwin (EGS).
It was fascinating to find out more about the other projects. Between the research teams, there are many different approaches for making antimicrobial coatings, including inorganic nanoparticles, laser nanopatterning, bio-based materials, varied synthesis processes and essential oils.
The range of test cases are also very interesting. Triple-A-COAT focuses on transportation with testing its coatings in a bus environment. Other projects consider other types of frequently touched surfaces, for example in operating theatres, residential care homes, and everyday electrical appliances.
All the projects build in “safe and sustainable by design” principles, including life cycle assessment, risk assessment, and safety testing at each stage before coatings are developed further. We were joined in the call by the IRISS project which is an EU-funded network developing roadmaps and expert networks to support this approach being used in future across all product development.
We also shared lots of ideas for future possible cooperation on dissemination of results, for example joint stalls at exhibitions, or organising a conference. Watch this space!
Angelica Mendoza Beltran was very positive about the call. “Applying LCA within these projects allows us to find more sustainable raw materials, synthesis processes, and application techniques. We can also reduce chemical use, and human toxicity and ecotoxicity during use of the developed nanocoatings, especially compared to current coatings. Collaboration by all projects during the application of LCA allows a wider spectrum of possibilities to be covered by the analysis. We can also act as a think-tank helping to manage uncertainties and support better modeling choices.”
