As a partner in an international research project, Oerlikon Balzers is now using this expertise, the result of longstanding partnerships with medical experts and universities and university clinics, to develop antibacterial and virucidal coatings for plastic components.

The more people there are in one place, the greater the probability that different surfaces are contaminated with microbes which include bacteria and viruses. Viruses can survive for a long time on plastics in particular and regular cleaning, even with disinfectants, only helps for a short time.

A number of studies have been conducted on how long viruses can survive on different surfaces. It has been demonstrated that some can survive for up to three days on plastics, longer than on cardboard and metals. This is a challenge for the aerospace industry, as plastics are used in a large number of components in order to reduce the weight of aircraft, make them more efficient and reduce their carbon footprint.

“The solution would be to give certain coatings antimicrobial properties,” explained Alain Denoirjean, research director CNRS/HDR at the Institut de Recherche sur les Céramiques (IRCER), who is leading the RELIANT international research programme with which Oerlikon Balzers has partnered. “For bacteria, three approaches have already been tested: coatings that gradually release antibacterial products but have a limited lifespan; bacteriostatic coatings, which prevent the deposition of bacteria and limit their proliferation; and finally, bactericidal coatings that kill bacteria by contact. One solution could therefore be an antimicrobial coating on plastic components that are likely to be touched by passengers, such as shelves, luggage compartments and so on – in short, all the possible points of contact that they’re likely to encounter during a flight.”

The RELIANT project (researching metallic coatings to protect against contamination of plastic surfaces by SARS-CoV-2) is developing a durable virucidal and antibacterial solution to protect plastics used in aircraft. It is an interdisciplinary project and a multi-year programme conducted by the joint research laboratory PROTHEIS, which has been established by the CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research), the University of Limoges, Safran and Oerlikon. One of the main focuses of RELIANT is biological testing on real SARS-CoV-2 viruses, using the expertise of the P3 security lab at the University Hospital and University of Limoges.

Once the coating has been developed and successfully confirmed in test laboratories, it can also be utilised in many other industries in which Oerlikon Balzers is operating.

“We are very proud to be involved in this pioneering project, which will not only benefit our customers and partners in the aerospace industry, but will also have a direct positive impact on the health of mankind in the long term,” stated Gilles Widawski, president of Oerlikon France.

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