Earth abundant Ca-Fe-oxide-based materials with tailored antimicrobial functionalities for diverse applications on surface, in water and membranes - CaFeOx

Project summary

Due to the increase in microbial resistance and survival after biocide treatments, there is a strong interest in nanomaterials exhibiting antimicrobial activity in coatings and membrane filtration. Currently, the highest recognizability is seen in various photocatalytic materials that require light irradiation to be efficient. The Ca-Fe oxide nanopowders synthesized within CaFeOx exhibit very high antimicrobial activity in dark by using much cheaper, earth-abundant, non-toxic materials synthesized by more straightforward scalable approaches. Apart from synthesis and further improvement in the antimicrobial efficiency through doping and well controlled non-stoichimetry, the nanopowders will be applied and evaluated for water disinfection, as well as for coatings on polymer membranes to prevent fouling. The efficiency and biofouling potential will be tested in laboratory scale pilot systems, validated at an industrial level and assessed for their commercialization potential.