Photocatalytic products

In appearance and application, they do not differ from typical paint coatings. They provide smooth, durable, white or coloured, wash-resistant surfaces. They are intended for painting walls and ceilings indoors (IN, LX AG) and outdoors (FA, DR).

No special processing or equipment is required. The coatings are applied by traditional methods, using a brush, trowel, roller or spray.

The unique advantages of the photocatalytic products are evidend during the use of coated rooms or buildings. The aesthetic qualities are joined by new characteristics not achievable with typical materials. The self-cleaning performance of the surface appears.

In contrast to products that are passively “self-cleaning” (by forming a surface coating that makes it difficult for contaminants to adhere, e.g. silicone or “lotus effect” paints), photocatalytic products actively remove contaminants.

The photocatalytic oxidation technology did not come out of the blue. It is the result of many years of research and testing at leading research centres. There, the enormous potential of materials obtained through nanotechnological processes was quickly recognised. Contributing to the use of these opportunities is the research at the Institute of Inorganic Chemical Technology and Environmental Engineering of the Szczecin University of Technology, conducted under the direction of Prof. dr. hab. inż. Antoni Morawski. The result of this work is patents based on which the unique TITANIUM® photocatalytic products are manufactured.

The result of the action of the catalyst present in the products includes:

1. Removal of deposits on surfaces (self-cleaning).

There is no need to convince people of the advantages of self-cleaning coated surfaces on façades and in interiors:

• The aesthetic, clean appearance lasts longer than on walls coated with traditional products;
• Renovation of surfaces has to be carried out less frequently, which reduces maintenance costs and the inconvenience of repair work.
• Cleaning of surfaces in indoor spaces where obvious reasons make removal of dirt by rain impossible.

2. Treatment of rooms to remove unpleasant odours (deodorisation).

In many rooms, there is a constant presence of odours, often quite unpleasant. The application of coatings made with photocatalytic products:

• Can significantly reduce the nuisance associated with these odours;
• Eliminate the presence of harmful components.

3. Treatment of air to remove harmful fumes and gases.

• The products effectively remove urban and industrial pollution from the ambient air: tobacco smoke, harmful components of exhaust fumes, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, solvent vapours, and gasoline.
• Façades of buildings coated with the products are an additional air-purifying element along roads and at street crossings;
• Wall surfaces inside tunnels, underground car parks and rail platforms coated with photocatalytic paints have a positive effect on the quality of the ambient air.

4. Reduction of the growth of bacteria, mould and other microorganisms.

Surfaces contaminated with microorganisms are not only difficult to keep clean, but can also be hazardous to exposed people, as we spend most of our time in rooms filled with dust, mites, bacteria, fungi and mould. The microorganisms accumulate in walls and furnishings, feeding on the components in the dirt with which these surfaces are covered. This results in asthma, allergies, and infections, while foodstuffs spoil faster.

The photocatalytic products:

• reduce microbial growth in sports, public and healthcare facilities;
• are an excellent complement to antibacterial and antifungal chemicals;
• protect rooms in the food industry without contamination with harmful chemical components;
• help protect rooms that require high sterility, like hospital and treatment rooms, without posing a threat themselves (the photocatalytic products are not harmful to health).

Many products on the market are advertised as anti-allergenic. The performance of “anti-allergenic” products is usually based on the sole fact that the products themselves do not contain allergenic ingredients. But only a few of them contain components that are effective against various types of allergens. The TITANIUM® photocatalytic paints belong to this small group. They remove all kinds of microorganisms and polluting chemical components and do not feature any biocidal chemicals; hence, they are not a source of allergies.

60 minutowe naświetlanie powierzchni farby TITANIUM® zwykłą świetlówką pokojową z odległości 2,6 m powoduje 96.5% redukcję liczby cząstek wirusów, a po 24 godzinach redukcja wirusów wynosiła 99,999%.

Przy zastosowaniu lampy UV-A po 60 minutach zredukowano 97.5% wirusów, po 24 godzinach naświetlania – zredukowano 99.9995% wirusów (tzn. z pierwotnych 2.000.000 PFU/ml pozostało tylko 10 PFU/ml).

Badania potwierdzające potencjał działania wirusobójczego farby TITANIUM® wobec wirusów osłonkowych (jakimi są SARS-CoV-2, BHV-1, wirusy grypy) wykonano w oparciu o normę ISO 21702 w Zakładzie Biologii Molekularnej Wirusów Instytutu Biotechnologii Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego. Dokładny raport z badań na stronie: https://farbypigment.pl/en/

In addition to the typical protective properties of paints, these products are highly effective in removing urban and industrial gaseous pollutants, such as tobacco smoke, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, solvent vapours (alcohols, benzene, xylene, paraffin, and gasoline) and neutralising bad odours. As a result of the photocatalytic process which is triggered by exposure to light and oxygen (from ambient air), atmospheric pollutants which come into contact with the coated surfaces are oxidised and transformed into substances harmless to health and the environment (mainly carbon dioxide and water). The nanocatalyst (contained in the paint) also removes stains (e.g. from nicotine) from wall surfaces. This effect occurs in exposure to both sunlight and artificial light, be it direct, reflected, or scattered. Rain is a factor in the performance of self-cleaning, but even the moisture in the air (e.g. in rooms, in the case of interior paints) is sufficient for the process to be triggered. The larger the surface area covered with photocatalytic materials, the faster the elimination of contaminants from the environment.