"Indoor air safeguard is a major concern to businesses, habitants and employees because it can impact the health, comfort, well-being, and productivity of the building occupants, as most Europeans spend up to 90% of their time indoors on their working places or in their home environment.
In the NANOGUARD2AR project, Partners have decided to develop and deliver the breakthrough engineering solution, based on Air-Curtain technology and enhanced by innovative NMs providing “microbial-free air barrier"", operating as antimicrobial air wall, which could be also considered as personal or targeted object protection/air cleaning system, being simultaneously both transparent and penetrable, unlike a glass and brick protection walls.
The R&D and S&I objectives are planned in the line of the Technology Readiness Levels from TRL 2 3 [current] to TRL4 [in the end of the project].
Advanced NMs-driven Photosensitizers will be fitted into the air-curtain installation designed in adjustable modular modes to provide sustainable “microbial-free” solution for indoor buildings environment. The proposed advanced NM-driven photocatalytic unit will provide both effective indoor air disinfection and high efficient sterilization of all types of the microorganisms (fungus, fungal propagules, bacteria, their spores and germination). Being penetrable, purifying/fumigating and transparent, the disinfection air-barrier will protect the premises from microorganisms, both of environmental and of accidental human origin.
Expected potential Impact.
The main features of the project make it strongly relevant to the priorities and objectives of the Future of European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, ERDF investment priority 1 Research, technological development and innovation, by:
• Developing excellence and capacity in R&I by creation of the nanomaterials based sustainable air barrier engineering solution aimed at its practical implementation for indoor air safeguard;
• Establish advanced team, which facilitates innovative R&I; thus making a step towards promotion center of competence and international collaboration on NANO ENVIRONMENT SAFEGUARD activities toward public health and green buildings;
• Transfer the developed technology to the End-Users to insure social innovation;
• Raising attractiveness in R&I sector for industrial investment;
• Joints advanced S&T human resources, stimulating networking and clustering aimed at further application for a support from the Structural Funds;
• Supporting research and applied technology, first production in key enabling technologies exploring the cross-sector potential of nanotechnologies and advanced materials to drive competitive advantage and sustainability to the of European research and industry
• Promoting substantial advances at the frontiers of knowledge, and encourages new productive lines of enquiry, products and processes, including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between nanomaterials, environmental and engineering sciences;
• thus, supporting diffusion of multipurpose technologies at photosensitizers, nanotechnologies, advanced materials, civil engineering, sustainable environment and indoor air quality and green buildings.
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