What is an antimicrobial additive?
An antimicrobial additive is an active substance that is intended to destroy, deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means. Antimicrobial additives are subject to many different global regulations such as European BPR, FDA & EPA that govern where and in what product types they can be used.
What is an antimicrobial masterbatch?
An antimicrobial masterbatch is a mixture of antimicrobial additives that are compounded into a suitable polymer carrier and formed into pellets. This antimicrobial polymer masterbatch is then incorporated into the bulk polymer material by manufacturing processes such as extrusion or injection moulding, to provide long term antimicrobial efficacy, often for the life of the product.
We will work closely with you to deliver the best possible outcome, designed to suit your individual needs, delivering an effective, economical and regulatory compliant solution that doesn’t compromise your material’s properties.
Have a question? We are always happy to chat, so feel free to give us a call on +44(0)1495211400.
Our antimicrobial masterbatch only uses active substances from established suppliers, including inorganic actives based on silver (e.g. silver phosphate glass, silver chloride, silver zinc zeolite) and organic actives including thiabendazole.
Any additive can compromise the physical or aesthetic properties of your material. Our experience enables us to deliver solutions that avoid the unwanted side-effects of using antimicrobial polymer additives.
The active substances we choose for your antimicrobial plastics will have all necessary approvals, such as European Biocidal Product Regulations & UK Biocidal Product Regulations.
All antimicrobial plastic and antimicrobial masterbatch is tailored to your specific requirements. No generic, universal solutions here.
Bespoke solutions can be formulated and manufactured in hours, not days or weeks. With three in-house extrusion lines we can produce anything from 1kg of trial material to 1 tonne of antimicrobial masterbatch or antimicrobial plastic per day.
Since all of our antimicrobial plastics products are formulated and manufactured in-house, we can easily provide materials combining multiple additives or modifiers. If you need a bright blue, antimicrobial, x-ray detectable, anti-static polymer, we can provide it as a single masterbatch or compound.
The importance of minimising contamination makes healthcare products like diagnostic equipment and examination lighting one of the most common areas in which antibacterial materials are used.
Anti-mould additives are easily incorporated into moulded & extruded materials, such as window frames & car seats, significantly reducing the likelihood of mould growth that can often lead to a negative perception of your products.
Our Antimicrobial additives & materials can be utilised in a broad range of consumer products, whether to prevent the growth of microorganisms on a VR headset or eliminate odours in sports clothing or travel luggage, providing you with a simple means of adding a USP to your product range.
Along with the older JIS Z 2801 method, ISO22196 is the main test for determining antimicrobial efficacy of hard surfaces. Tests typically use Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, although materials can also be challenged with a broad range of other organisms, including Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, Klebsiella and Listeria.
In most cases, our article protection solutions are required to combat the growth of mould, such as Cladosporidium, whereas for products used in healthcare environments it may be more relevant to test against Aspergillus or Penicillium. Tests are generally conducted over four weeks, but this can be extended to several months if appropriate.
While testing antimicrobial surfaces against viruses or bacteriophage is feasible, it is also important to consider the real world benefits and the implications of anti-viral claims on regulatory compliance. For most applications, it is difficult to see a genuine benefit and our work in this field is typically only for research and product development.
Anti-viral testing is expensive. Often, particularly for development purposes, virus surrogates are used, such as bacteriophage Phi6. This can notably reduce costs while providing a meaningful indication of the likely anti-viral performance.
This is a hugely interesting topic that requires careful consideration.
Fundamentally, it is possible to modify a polymer so that the surface will deactivate viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs are debatable and there seems to be both a lack of understanding and a great deal of misinformation. Furthermore, in many countries the regulatory requirements for anti-viral claims make most applications cost prohibitive.
For these reasons, Radical does not typically offer anti-viral solutions, although we are happy to assist with research & development in this field.
A large proportion of our work is the development of custom solutions, often outside the scope of our normal product range. We relish a challenge, so feel free to test our capabilities..
With the on-site capabilities and facilities, Radical Materials are able to support small to large custom developments from lab scale all the way up to full production.
A wide suite of test facilities are available to support developments. These include mechanical tests as well as properties such as thermal conductivity and surface resistivity.
A wide suite of test facilities are available to support developments. These include mechanical tests as well as properties such as thermal conductivity and surface resistivity.
A continuing focus on new and novel technologies to bring advantages and progression to conductive polymers.
Most plastics will support bacterial growth, which is undesirable or problematic in some products and applications.
By incorporating an antimicrobial, or biocide, into the plastic either by compounding or through the use of a masterbatch, the products subsequently made from the plastic will exhibit inherent antimicrobial properties.
Antimicrobial is a broad term encompassing materials that reduce the growth of microorganisms. Antibacterial & anti-mould are essentially more specific sub-sets of “antimicrobial” that target bacteria and mould respectively.
Typically, anti-mould materials are less effective against bacteria and antibacterial materials are less effective against mould, but through the careful selection of active substances for any given application it is possible to create materials that have the appropriate efficacy against both bacteria and mould.
Most polymers… including but not limited to polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), acetal (POM), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), PVC, ABS, polycarbonate (PC), polyester (PET/PBT), PTFE, silicone, natural rubber, NBR and SBR.
Our materials are compatible with processing techniques including injection moulding, extrusion, calendaring & compression moulding
The mechanical properties of any polymer will invariably be affected by introducing additives. Our years of experience enables us to mitigate or eliminate any negative effects by modifying our materials to perfectly suit your specific needs. Where appropriate, we can actually improve the performance of a polymer while still delivering excellent antimicrobial properties.
It depends very much on the type of active substance, the material in which it is used and the nature of the application. In many instances, the treated material can remain antimicrobial for more than 10 years.
We can offer additives capable of delivering antiviral properties, but for most customers we believe the benefits are outweighed by the costs, particularly those associated with testing and regulatory compliance. That being said, we’re always happy to discuss options and we have collaborated on a number of antiviral research & development projects.
Radical Materials Ltd
Unit 10, Rassau Industrial Estate, Ebbw Vale, Gwent NP23 5SD, United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1495 211400 info@radicalmaterials.com
SCOPIC® & KONDUCT® are registered trademarks of Radical Materials Ltd. AIRSENTIAL® is a registered trademark of Radical IP Ltd.
Radical Materials is presently working on a project aimed at developing performance polymer compounds to provide EMI/RFI shielding solutions in moulding/extrusion applications. This project is being undertaken with financial support from the ERDF via the SMARTCymru 2014-2020 West Wales and the Valleys Operational Programme.
