UMF Corp., a Wilmette, Ill.-based developer of high-performance infection-prevention products, has
unveiled Micrillon® rechargeable antimicrobial polymer chemistry for applications such as wipes and
other textile products that are used in healthcare environments to help eliminate
healthcare-associated infections. The first application for the embedded, nonleaching,
broad-spectrum technology is the company’s PerfectClean® wiping products, which are used to remove
pathogens and other organic matter from environmental surfaces in hospitals and other healthcare
facilities as well as in hotels, schools and other such environments.
UMF has an exclusive license to use the patented technology, which was developed at the
University of Texas. According to George Clarke, UMF’s CEO and founder, the technology is embedded
in microdenier man-made fibers rather than applied to the material as a finish, and it is the first
embedded rechargeable, broad-spectrum antimicrobial technology that is effective against bacteria,
viruses and fungi. As such, he said, the technology has greater durability than an antimicrobial
finish.
“We started out looking at how to combine a high-performance microdenier fiber with
antimicrobial chemistries in order to come up with effective infection prevention products,” Clarke
explained. “Initially, a compatible and effective antimicrobial chemistry didn’t exist for man-made
fibers. The products, supported by a comprehensive patent portfolio, have evolved through a lot of
trial and error and prototyping into the product offering we have today.”
PerfectClean wipes with Micrillon are recharged during laundering with chlorine bleach. “We
put the additive in at the raw material stage of fiber production, and because it is embedded, it
can’t leach or come out,” Clarke said. “During laundering, the chemistry attracts chlorine
molecules in the wash water and binds them to the fiber surface. The amount of chlorine bound is
extraordinarily high, but there’s no chlorine smell,” he added, noting that the microdenier fiber
provides an “enormous surface area that enables huge volumes of chlorine to be absorbed.”
Clarke said the chlorine acts very quickly to destroy pathogens, noting that the PerfectClean
Micrillon wiper removes and kills methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in two
minutes. Testing also has shown that the H1N1 influenza virus, athlete’s foot fungus and other
microbes are eliminated in less than five minutes, with an ultimate elimination rate of up to
99.999 percent of pathogens. By contrast, competitive products may take hours to achieve comparable
results. In addition, Clarke noted, Micrillon’s performance theoretically may increase over time
with continued recharging and use, “because as you abrade the fabric, it exposes more binding
sites.”
UMF’s PerfectClean products are used to clean surfaces such as bed rails, curtain pulls, door
knobs, light switches, table tops and all other points of contact. The first products featuring
Micrillon are expected to be available early this year.
January 12, 2010
