SELF-DISINFECTING ANTIVIRAL FILTER MATERIAL, MANUFACTURING AND USE THEREOF, AND AIR FILTER DEVICE WITH THE FILTER MATERIAL

Abstract

A self-disinfecting antiviral filter material 10 includes an air-permeable carrier 11 and a composite coating 12 including at least one color pigment 13 with antiviral activity and an inorganic matrix material 14 bonded to the carrier 11. The at least one color pigment 13 preferably includes at least one compound from the group of phthalocyanines. The matrix material is preferably selected from the group including metal oxides. An air filter device including the self-disinfecting antiviral filter material, a method of manufacturing the filter material, and a method of inactivating viruses are also described.

Claims

1. A self-disinfecting antiviral filter material comprising an air-permeable carrier, and a composite coating bonded to the carrier and comprising at least one color pigment with antiviral activity and an inorganic matrix material.

2. The self-disinfecting material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one color pigment is effective to react upon exposure to light and in a presence of oxygen to form singlet oxygen with antiviral activity.

3. The self-disenfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 2, wherein the at least one color pigment is effective to react upon exposure to visible light in a wavelength range from 400 nm to 750 nm.

4. The self-disenfecting antiviral material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one color pigment comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of phthalocyanines.

5. The self-disinfecting, antiviral filter material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one color pigment is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ZnPc, C1A1Pc, FePc, NiPc, CoPc, CuPc and C.sub.32H.sub.18N.sub.8.

6. The self-disinfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 1, wherein the matrix material is selected from the group consisting of metal oxides.

7. The self-disinfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 6, wherein the matrix material is selected from the group consisting of SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, ZnO, MoO.sub.3 and mixtures thereof.

8. The self-disinfecting filter material according to claim 1, wherein the composite coating comprises phthalocyanine pigments and at least one metal oxide that form a multi-layer or mixed layer deposited from a vapor phase.

9. The self-disinfecting antivira1 filter material according to claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of woven textiles, non-woven textiles, air-permeable plastics, paper, cardboard, organic porous materials and inorganic porous materials.

10. The self-disinfecting filter material according to the claim 1, wherein the carrier with composite coating is breathable.

11. The self-disinfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 1, wherein the carrier with composite coating is flexibly deformable.

12. An air filter device provided with the self-disinfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 1.

13. The air filter device according to claim 12, comprising a breathing mask

14. A method of manufacturing the self-disinfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 1, comprising the steps: providing the air-permeable carrier, and coating the carrier with at least one color pigment and an inorganic matrix material.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the coating of the carrier is realized by deposition of at least one of the color pigment and of the matrix material from a vapor phase under high vacuum.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the deposition of the color pigment and the deposition of the matrix material from the vapor phase are carried out simultaneously.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the deposition comprises a color pigment deposition followed by a matrix material deposition.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein, after the deposition of the color pigment and of the matrix material to provide a deposited material, the deposited material is tempered.

19. A method of inactivating viruses, wherein the self-disinfecting antiviral filter material according to claim 1 is brought into contact with the viruses or a virus-containing material.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein contact takes place in a presence of light and oxygen.

21. The air filter device according to claim 12, comprising an air filter of an air purification device.

22. The air filter device according to claim 12, comprising an air filter of an air purification device of an air-conditioning system.

Description

[0036] FIG. 1: a sectional view of an embodiment of the filter material according to the invention,

[0037] FIG. 2: an application of the filter material in a breathing mask, and

[0038] FIG. 3: an application of the filter material in an air purification device.

[0039] In a specific embodiment, a layer of the filter material 10 (see FIG. 1, not to scale) of a conventional breathing mask is provided as a carrier 11 onto which a composite coating 12 with the color pigment 13, for example ZnPc, and the matrix material 14, for example SiO.sub.2, is applied in equal proportions by volume with a layer thickness of, for example, 300 nm. The filter material 10 is adapted for the specific application by cutting it to the size and shape of a filter receptacle of an air filter device, such as a breathing mask 21 (see FIG. 2), or in an air purification device 22 (see FIG. 3).

[0040] Viruses are inactivated when the air filter device is used, by the fact that air is drawn through the light-exposed filter material 10, is spread over the composite coating and passes through it. The air is transported, for example, by inhalation pressure on the breathing mask 21 or by a pumping apparatus of the air purification device 22.

[0041] The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, the drawings and the claims may be significant, both individually and in combination or sub-combination, for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.