Members of the clean team: (from right), Prof. Yeung King-Lun, Prof. Han Wei, alumnus Donald Lai, Prof. Joseph Kwan, and Mr. Hamilton Hung, Chiaphua Industries Ltd. proven to be non-toxic and is safe for skin and the environment. This means MAP- can be turned into products including hand sanitizers, paints and coatings, lter materials for air and water puri cation, along with clothing and surgical masks. Chiaphua, a multinational industrial and consumer product manufacturer, is now producing the antimicrobial coating under the name Germagic Thyme , incorporating polyethylenimine and thyme essential oil. Germagic is the rst major spin-o from a joint laboratory established by HKUST and Chiaphua in . The HKUST-CIL Joint Laboratory of Innovative Environmental Health Technologies is directed by Prof. Yeung, with the aim of accelerating the transfer of ideas and research to create products that bene t industry and society. A retail version of Germagic has already been launched. The School’s Engineering Student Ambassadors, who outreach to potential students and the public, have played their part, helping to spray schools. Three of Prof. Yeung’s previous MPhil students have also been involved as employees of Chiaphua. Donald LAI Yue-Tak’s key duties include explaining the technical aspects and functionality of the products to internal team members and external clients, purchasing raw materials, and supervising mass production. Winsor LEE Jong-Hong still spends time at the HKUST lab, while LUO Yutang is employed at the Germagic air lter plant in Shenzhen. The alumni engage in product testing in response to clients’ speci c disinfection requirements and to comply with di erent international regulations. Local, national, and international media coverage has been extensive, with more than news articles and broadcasts since February . Prof. Yeung is not stopping there. The Hong Kong government has awarded funding to the Yeung team for two Innovation and Technology Fund Public Sector Trial Scheme (ITF PSTS)-COVID- projects involving Haven of Hope Christian Service, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, and United Muslim Association of Hong Kong. A further community initiative with Lee Hysan Foundation involves HKUST and two local high schools working to design and fabricate prototypes of novel high-intensity, narrow wavelength (HiNW) light-based disinfection robots for use in homes for the elderly and community NGOs. “Being able to deploy the antimicrobial technology to assist both local endeavors and communities beyond Hong Kong to safeguard people’s health means the years of research and testing have really been consequential,” Prof. Yeung said. “It shows how thinking outside the box to de ne the essential attributes of such a technology combined with engineering can really make a di erence.” 15 IN FOCUS MAP-1 way to disinfection Using a special blend of antimicrobial polymers, the MAP- coating e ectively kills up to . % of bacteria and viruses through contact killing and anti-adhesion technology. The technology involves the creation of surface moieties that actively disrupt the microbial envelope and biomolecules, rendering the microorganisms “non-viable” (inactive) on contact. The coating also prevents microbial adhesion on the surface, thus keeping it clean frommicrobial contaminants. Prof. Yeung and his team have worked with the Hong Kong government’s Water Supplies Department and the Drainage Services Department to eld test MAP- in coating materials for water pipes and sewage drainages to prevent microbial contamination and infrastructure corrosion. Earlier in , Chiaphua Industries Ltd. donated up to HK$ . million worth of antimicrobial air lters – air-puri cation technology developed by Prof. Yeung’s team in – to various hospitals in Mainland China, including Wuhan’s emergency Huoshenshan Hospital.
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