It starts with antimicrobial infusion
IonArmour®-enhanced products derive the base of their power from a cutting-edge performance infusion process known as Innlay™ that durably embeds microscopic active particles into surfaces, the very places where microbes normally flourish. IonArmour® holds the exclusive rights for the use of Innlay™ technology in the antimicrobial market. Products enhanced with IonArmour® feature surfaces infused with antimicrobial particles that protect surfaces against microbes for the natural life of the products. Unlike other treatments, no third party substances are mixed throughout the product or coated on top of it in order to impart it with antimicrobial properties.
Naturally safe protection
IonArmour® uses naturally-based ingredients rather than synthetically engineered chemicals as the active ingredients to protect surfaces against microbes. IonArmour® is technology neutral and selects antimicrobial ingredients based on specific application needs, ensuring that IonArmour®'s superior efficacy and safety standards are met as a selection criteria. The antimicrobial ingredients used in IonArmour® enhancement are FDA listed and EPA registered for a broad range of uses, including food and water contact. Unlike antibiotics, there is no evidence suggesting that active ingredients used for IonArmour® protection lead to resistant strains of microbes.
Silver-based antimicrobials are an example of an ingredient used by IonArmour® to provide excellent antimicrobial properties while remaining safe and natural. The power of these antimicrobials stems from the powers of naturally safe silver—the same silver that has been plating silverware and jewelry for centuries.
Multi-pronged protection
Although the efficient incorporation of silver and other natural ingredients into products via IonArmour® enhancement is a technological breakthrough, their protective properties have been known across cultures around the world for millenia. In fact, Aristotle advised Alexander the Great in 335 BC to have his troops store water in silver vessels to prevent fouling that occurred with earthenware containers. The Vikings would line the hulls of their longboats and ships with strings of silver to prevent fouling. Even the ancient Egyptians were aware of silver's sterilizing powers. However, it hasn't been until recently that scientists have been able to deduce that silver and other natural ingredients inhibit microbes via multiple pathways: ions prevent microbe proliferation, disable microbe metabolism, and hinder microbe membrane function. The combined effect is to prevent microbes from multiplying and surviving.
"The polymer surface modification described is something that I and many others have long wanted for a wide variety of applications...It seems that I get a call every few months looking for a proposal to solve a problem of this type - and now I know of a promising approach."
"IonArmour fills an increasingly urgent and global need for advanced microbe eradication technology that offers people ultra high performance while remaining easy for product makers to adopt."