Triple-A-COAT update September 2026…….looking ahead

The Triple-A-COAT consortium has completed its four years of research to develop novel antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral nanocoatings. Our final consortium meeting was held end of August 2026 in Ghent, Belgium.

In the last 6 months of the project, the most promising antimicrobial coatings were tested on the interior surfaces of a bus, under controlled conditions at KU Leuven facility TRANSfarm. Bus components including seats, poles and buttons were removed and taken to SIRRIS who applied the coatings at its own premises nearby in Leuven, before the coated components were re-installed onto the bus.

To represent a real-life environment as well as possible, a collection of 5 bacteria species were identified from samples taken from buses in service in Leuven and applied to the bus surfaces at regular intervals. The survival of the bacteria was assessed 2 hours and 24 hours after their inoculation on the surfaces where the different coatings had been applied, including two Triple-A-COATings and a benchmark antimicrobial coating. The results are still under assessment, but the majority of samples showed Triple-A-COATings were more effective than the benchmark product against the applied bacteria.

Life cycle assessment was also completed by our partner 2.-0 LCA for one of our Triple-A-COATings, in comparison with the same benchmark product. Since the LCA uses confidential industry data, it will not be published but it will be taken into account as partners plan the next stages of development.

Triple-A-COAT partners have identified the results that have potential for exploitation, either directly as antimicrobial surface coatings or as know-how and materials that could be used in different applications. More results are due to be published in peer-reviewed journals over the next few months. We will keep our website and social media accounts updated with announcements of new publications and other Triple-A-COAT related news, so please keep following us!

Results from Triple-A-COAT were also shared and discussed at a joint workshop held after our project meeting, that also involved our sister projects SUPREME, STOP and NOVA. The workshop involved very positive interaction between the consortia as we shared insights and experiences of our research and discussed possible future cooperation. See our separate report for more details. In addition, KU Leuven MICA group has made a new video about their work which features Triple-A-COAT. This is due to be published in October.

As we mark the official end of the Triple-A-COAT, we wish to send a big THANK YOU to all our partners, researchers, funding agencies and everyone we have interacted with outside the consortium. We look forward to the next stage of our research and making our contribution to a safer and more sustainable world.