IonArmour originated as a response to the global water crisis
In early 2006, a materials science engineering student from the University of Pennsylvania was struck with an idea while volunteering in rural Honduras. The water pipe that he and fellow Engineers without Borders volunteers were laying with villagers was bringing desperately needed water from a spring 5 km away. Although filtration of the water before use would always be advisable, the student wondered if embedding antimicrobial particles into the inner surface of the pipe would help to neutralize microbial threats as a safety net level of protection. If an embedding process could be developed that was efficient enough, pipe and other water-interfacing surfaces everywhere could feature this protection, even if the protection wasn't built into the surfaces from the outset.
From idea to reality
After receiving validation from academia, industry, and sustainable development experts, the student in the above story went on to co-found Innova Materials, the company that developed IonArmour. Today, Innova Materials is partnering with non-profit organizations and companies around the world to explore the use of its embedding technology, called Innlay™, for addressing water quality issues. The work has gained momentum and today enables not just antimicrobial action, but also arsenic remediation and soon removal of other deadly water contaminants. Research has moved beyond pipes to encompass water containers, filter devices, and other simple yet effective water treatment systems, and early plans for field use are underway after careful and extensive test evaluation.
"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."