FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR INTERFACIAL ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY IGB, STUTTGARD, GERMANY. Titanium dioxide when incorporated furniture or smartphone surface can get rid of skin oils, fingerprints even of bacteria and fungi when activated by sunlight.
The process is called photocatalysis. Titanium oxide, which is a photocatalyst, is activated by UV light triggering an electrochemical reaction that leads to its release of free radicals. These free radicals then destroy the cell walls, cytoplasm and DNA of bacteria and fungi. The most explicit application of which is on garden furniture which prevents algae, moss and mildew accumulation.
Titanium oxide has so much research and marketing potential that its particles can be incorporated into paint and “clean” a dirty wall with sunlight. When applied to a smartphone screen, it would also gradually remove fingerprints and skin oils by exposing it for one hour under sunlight.
The picture shows how titanium dioxide works.
| Invention | Self-Cleaning Sunlight-Activated Surface |
|---|---|
| Organization | Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Stuttgart, Germany |
| Researcher | Dr. Iris Trick et.al. |
| Field(s) | Nanotechnology, Materials Engineering, Titanium Oxide |
| Further Information | fraunhofer.de |
