Hong Kong Industrialist Aug Oct 2021

LOCAL DISCOVERY | 本地科研 core and a water-based outer shell. After the spray is applied, water evaporates and the oil-based cores would fuse with each other firmly, forming a durable coating. Natural biopolymers that kill germs Unlike traditional core-shell particles that are made from monomers, Prof. L i ’ s t echno l ogy a l l ows t he use o f polymers, such as natural biopolymers, as starting materials. “I believe using natural antimicrobial biomaterials would be the safest option to humans and the environment, and my core-shell technology makes it possible. I modified food-grade chitosan from crustacean shells and encapsulated thymol from the culinary herb thyme to further boost their natural antimicrobial properties.” Chitosan forms the outer shells of the particles in CareCoatex TM spray and they create a positively charged water-based layer over the oil-based film-forming cores. Negatively charged pathogens 天然生物聚合物殺菌消毒 有別於只能以單體分子為原料的傳統核殼 顆粒技術，李教授的創新技術可以用聚合 物作為核殼顆粒的原料，包括天然聚合 物。「天然抗菌、抗病毒的生物材料是對人 類和環境最安全的選擇，而我的技術就能 將天然生物聚合物變成核殼顆粒。通過改 造來自甲殼類動物的食品級殼聚醣，封裝 來自食用香草百里香的百里酚，我們進一 步提升了兩者的天然抗菌、抗病毒特性。」 聚護芯 TM 塗料粒子的殼聚醣外殼會在成 膜的油溶性內核層之上，形成帶正電荷 的水溶性外層，然後通過靜電作用將帶 負電的病原體殺死。實驗證明，聚護芯 TM 塗料能有效消滅99%常見細菌和病毒。 「聚護芯 TM 不僅發揮接觸殺滅功能，它還有 延時釋放作用，保護期長達六個月。除了 門柄、電梯按鈕、醫療設備等高頻接觸表 面外，它也適用於布料、衣物上，亦可用 來製造消毒濕紙巾。」 創業路上一拍即合 儘管李教授有如此不凡的構想和豐富的專 業知識，但若沒有獨具慧眼的生產商支 持，多出色的技術也無法開花結果，成為 影響深遠的產品。幸而適逢在理大攻讀博 士課程的林先生剛接手家族化工業務。原 於資訊科技界擔任高級行政人員的他說： 「那時我想用頂尖的技術振興傳統家族企 業，就在那個時候遇上李教授。她的技術 有著龐大的潛力，令我非常佩服。」然而， 林先生沒有選擇技術授權或顧問服務等合 作模式，而是與李教授合作成立初創企業。 will interact electrostatically with the chitosan-thymol based particles and get killed. Experiments show that it kills 99% of common bacteria and viruses. “The coating offers not only contact killing, but also time-release action for as long as six months. Besides high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, elevator buttons, and medical devices, it can be sprayed on fabric and clothing items, or even used in antiseptic wipes.” Comradeship in entrepreneurial adventure Though Prof. Li had brilliant ideas and expertise, the technology can never be translated into real impact without the support from a savvy manufacturer. Right then, our DBA candidate, Mr Lam, a veteran executive in the information technology sector at that time, happened to inherit his family’s chemical business. “I wanted to revitalise the traditional business with cutting-edge technologies, and that was when I met Prof. Li. I was Contact killing and time-release killing properties of CareCoatex™ 聚護芯 TM 在接觸殺滅及長效釋放殺滅病毒和細菌方面的特性 112 | 8-10/2021