Environmentally Adaptive Antimicrobial Surfaces for Application in the Aircraft Industry (2017–2020)
- Abstract:
- With over 2 billion airline passengers per year, the spread of infectious disease (e.g. SARS) on commercial air travel has led to serious health issue globally, and has cost the airline industry billions of dollars in lost revenue. Research shows that microbes transfer mainly by surfaces through multiple common touch points such as seat tray tables, lavatory doorknobs, seat belts etc. To date, no virus specific killing surface has been applied to aircraft interiors, and in broader applications including biosecurity, childcare, healthcare and restaurant settings. This project aims to develop an innovative antimicrobial surface using the next generation of adaptive polymers that will effectively kill microbes (more specifically viruses) on diverse aircraft interior surfaces and be self-cleaning. This antimicrobial technology will play an important role in reducing aircraft disease transmission, and will supersede current expensive and ineffective technologies (e.g. UV light). Boeing Defence Australia is located in Brisbane and carries out extensive research into aircraft manufacturing, and considers cabin disease transmission a high economic and safety priority for the company. In collaboration with Boeing, the project will benefit the Queensland manufacturing sector by developing new antimicrobial products and improving Queensland¿s biosecurity by decreasing disease transmission from abroad.
- Grant type:
- Advance Queensland Research Fellowships
- Researchers:
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
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- Funded by:
- Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
