Reduce indoor air contaminant levels
These pollutants have varying impacts on health, comfort, and productivity, depending on their nature, the level of exposure, and individual characteristics.
Furthermore, increasingly stringent energy performance requirements have led to the design of ever more airtight buildings, reducing air renewal and creating new challenges for indoor air quality (IAQ).
In this context, Materia Nova develops innovative materials and coatings dedicated to the degradation of airborne pollutants. Its expertise is based on complementary approaches:
🔆 1. Photocatalysis
Materia Nova’s teams design materials and coatings based on photocatalysts (doped or undoped TiO₂, ZnO, etc.) capable of decomposing atmospheric pollutants under visible or UV light. These materials can then be applied to various substrates such as plaster, paper, wood, textiles, or metals…
🧪 2. Room-temperature catalysis
Room-temperature catalysis involves the removal of air pollutants through catalytic reactions under ambient conditions. Materia Nova develops hybrid surfaces composed of polymers and metallic nanoparticles that are active in this process. These surfaces are prepared using a dry technology based on cold plasmas. More specifically, a thin polymer film functionalized by plasma and bearing thiol groups capable of stabilizing gold nanoparticles through covalent interactions is developed. These materials can subsequently be deposited onto nanostructured powders as well as flexible substrates.
⚡ 3. Plasma technologies for air pollution control
The plasma processes developed by Materia Nova offer several advantages:
Destruction of gaseous pollutants, in particular VOCs emitted by modern construction materials.
Additional functionalities, such as CO₂ sequestration or biocidal properties, integrated into filtering media without compromising their initial performance.
🌱 4. Bio-based filtering materials
Materia Nova also develops electrospun membranes based on (ligno)cellulosic fibers for the filtration of atmospheric pollutants. These materials offer the possibility of structural gradients—such as porosity level, fiber diameter, or fiber/sphere ratio—as well as compositional gradients, including hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and biodegradation time.
🧬 5. Biomolecule encapsulation for targeted pollutant degradation
Bio-coatings rely on the incorporation of enzymes or pollutant-specific microorganisms (formaldehyde, BTEX) into matrices such as sol–gels or functional paints. These systems enable active catalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds, beyond simple adsorption. They represent a promising approach for the sustainable improvement of air quality, although challenges remain regarding the stability and durability of the biocatalysts.
🛰️ 6. Optimization of sensor-sensitive layers
Our center is also involved in the development and optimization of sensitive layers for sensors dedicated to air quality monitoring, including both functional and structural characterization. We have access to various devices and test chambers enabling emission measurements, material characterization, and monitoring of pollutant abatement efficiency for your materials.
