Antimicrobial coatings by physical & chemical vapour deposition for application in aerorospace (ANCOP)

Microbial and fungal growth in space environment are important challenges for the space industry. Typically, the number of microbial organisms is controlled through extreme disinfection and quarantine of astronauts but there is no established means of eliminating the organisms once in the space environment. The ANCOP project is focused on exploiting the disruptive innovation involving nano-cluster enabled Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coatings, nano-composite PVD coatings and functionalised Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) diamonds to address the problem of microbial growth in space environment both on surfaces and critical components in manned satellites. Nano-cluster enabled PVD & nano-composite PVD coatings will enhance and retain surfaces' antimicrobial properties by controlling the size of silver nanoparticles in the coatings. In parallel, CVD-deposited functionalised diamond will be developed, adding anti-microbial functionality to the hard, wear resistant and/or decorative aspects of that coating. Post-project, similar coatings will also be exploited in terrestrial environments, including healthcare, agri-food & transport (automotive, aerospace, rail, marine, etc.). This business-led project brings together one industrial partner in the UK, Teer Coatings Ltd (TCL), with two UK universities, Aston University (AU) and Birmingham City University (BCU) and a partner in Shanghai, Shanghai Aerospace Equipments Manufacturer (SAEM).