Creating safer spaces with a new anti-viral surface treatment

AFFIX Labs competed with 22 start-ups in the CHEManager Innovation Pitch and won in the ‘Value to Society’ category! As part of the EIT Crisis Response Initiative, EIT RawMaterials supported AFFIX Labs team with EUR 200 000 funding to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We are happy to see the start-up receive such recognition for a new type of anti-microbial coating for fighting pathogens on surfaces, including Sars-Cov-2 pathogens.

Supporting the first long-lasting surface treatment to kill the COVID-19 pathogen

AFFIX Labs has created a new type of anti-microbial coating for fighting pathogens on surfaces, including Sars-Cov-2 pathogens. The breakthrough innovative Si-Quat is a sprayable, non-toxic, long-lasting antimicrobial coating for all surfaces. Si-Quat directly contributes to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a new solution for epidemic prevention: it kills viruses, bacteria, and fungi upon direct contact; it kills 99.9% of bacteria and stops the growth of fungi. With fund­ing from EIT RawMaterials, AFFIX Labs has ramped up testing and development of these solutions ready for global launch.

By killing the COVID-19 pathogen on surfaces before it can infect people, the Si-Quat solution is a game changer. It can provide increased security and peace of mind to your communities, as well as your customers.

Tom Sam, CEO of AFFIX Labs

Si-Quat has been tested to kill 99.99% of microbes within minutes, while still being fully safe to touch. Proven to be effective for about a month on frequently touched surfaces, it is the longest lasting anti-viral surface treatment available to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The product is non-corrosive, free from silver salts and heavy metal nanoparticles, and perfectly safe to touch. Several major agencies around the globe have already accepted quaternary ammonium, the main ingredient in the surface coating, to be an effective surface treatment against the novel coronavirus, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Environmental Protection Agency, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the European Chemical Agency (ECHA).

Si-Quat was invented in January 2020 by the AFFIX Labs’ Repeltec development team to specifically help combat the COVID-19 outbreak. The product is based on the trusted and safe disinfectant quaternary ammonium, which is chemically bound to align silane quaternary ammonium molecules (silane quats) in a highly effective manner. Positively charged nitrogen particles actively attract viruses and bacteria, penetrating the membranes and killing them within minutes.

On heavily used surfaces, such as door handles and counters, Si-Quat will be effective for about a month. On rarely touched surfaces like walls, it has the potential to protect for years. Since the product is incredibly easy to apply, technicians require minimal training and only basic protection. They simply have to brush or spray Si-Quat onto the surface and allow it to dry for six hours.

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