Textile chemistry

2025-10-01

Covestro and Heraeus Precious Metals collaborate to enable safer, more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings

Laboratory tests reveal that AGXX antimicrobial surface technology from Heraeus Precious Metals is fully compatible with Impranil® PU dispersions which are part of the waterborne INSQIN® textile coating technology from Covestro, paving the way for more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings. This discovery comes at a key moment for the textile coatings industry. As the sharing economy continues to grow, more people are coming into regular contact with high-use surfaces, creating ideal conditions for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms to thrive.

Armrest covered with antimicrobial PU coating based on INSQIN® and AGXX technology © Covestro

Applications range from office furniture used in shared offices to car interiors, which are frequently used in car sharing, to public transport.

At the same time, according to the review process of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), conventional antimicrobial silver technologies face the challenge of meeting the requirements of the BPR due to concerns over potential harm to human, animal, and ecological health. Many are now set to be phased out in the years ahead.

To address the demand for more sustainable antimicrobial surface coatings, Heraeus Precious Metals created AGXX: a system that eliminates a wide range of bacteria, fungi, and viruses without releasing harmful silver-ion components. AGXX works due to a catalytic reaction of two precious metals that converts oxygen into reactive oxygen species (ROS) using moisture derived from air humidity. These ROS eliminate microbes by disrupting their outer cell membranes, organelles, and DNA.

Martin Danz, Global Head of Antimicrobial Technologies at Heraeus Precious Metals said: “AGXX is skin-friendly,* BPR-compliant, and suitable for a wide range of applications. Results from our joint tests with Covestro now show that AGXX can be combined with Impranil® PU dispersions to add long-lasting antimicrobial properties to textile coatings for synthetic materials.”

Antimicrobial PU textile coating based on INSQIN® and AGXX technology © Covestro

Tests also revealed that incorporating AGXX with INSQIN® textile coatings technology from Covestro does not impact manufacturing processes. “We found that AGXX could be mixed with our Impranil® products without dulling the performance or properties of either solution or requiring any changes to manufacturing processes for coated textiles,” said Dr. Torsten Pohl, Global Head of Textile Coatings at Covestro. “When combined with AGXX, our INSQIN® technology maintains its cleanability, flexibility, and ability to withstand usage over long periods. For textile coating manufacturers, this tried-and-tested guide formulation offers a fast and effective way to infuse their coatings with safer and more sustainable antimicrobial properties and still gain the sustainability improvements of our low-VOC waterborne PU dispersions.”

With demand for hygienic, reliable, BPR-regulation-compliant, and safer textile coatings expected to increase, the combination of AGXX and INSQIN® technology will enable textile manufacturers to quickly adapt to the rapidly evolving needs of the sharing economy.

To see how the combined guide formulation works in real-world applications, visit Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt from April 21 to 24, 2026. Items coated with AGXX and Impranil® will be on display at the Covestro booth.

*Tested by bio compatibility test according to ISO 10993-5