IonArmour® Next Generation Antimicrobial Technology

This SBIR Phase I proposal to the Department of Defense, Army, requests funding for Innova Materials to demonstrate the feasibility of a technology for providing the highest levels of safe, cost-effective, continuous antimicrobial protection for products and materials. The proposed technology is called the IonArmour® Next Generation (IonArmour® NG) technology platform, and it is initially targeting application to US Army Deployable Medical Systems (DEPMEDS). As described in Army Topic A09-168, “Antimicrobial Coatings for Medical Shelters,” there are several serious shortcomings to existing antimicrobial technology, including inadequate efficacy, lack of amenability to application to walls, toxicity/health concerns, easy damageability in the field, poor durability, and high cost. The key proposed innovation involves a new method of incorporating antimicrobial ingredients into materials. While the focus in the antimicrobial industry has historically been placed on antimicrobial ingredients themselves, the ways by which those ingredients are incorporated into materials can dramatically alter antimicrobial properties, cost, and other considerations. IonArmour® NG focuses on this overlooked optimization pathway. This proposal seeks to demonstrate how embedding antimicrobial ingredient particles directly into the surfaces of materials or into the surfaces of coatings can overcome the shortcomings of existing antimicrobial technology.