State College, PA, January 19, 2006--NanoHorizons, Inc. announced new additives for urethane and nylon, adding new nanoscale materials to its existing SmartSilver(TM) line of permanent anti-odor/antimicrobial additives for polyester and 100% cotton. SmartSilver standards for effectiveness and a comprehensive Quality Assurance Program were also announced. NanoHorizons is the only manufacturer of antimicrobial additives to define standards of performance and mandatory ongoing manufacturer quality monitoring.
SmartSilver imparts new anti-odor/antimicrobial capabilities to target materials through enhancements that take place at the molecular level. SmartSilver material modifications are permanent, safe, exceptionally low-cost and fully compatible with existing manufacturing processes for fiber, fabric, and coated products. SmartSilver-modified fibers can be used to create odor- resistant shoe linings, T-shirts, socks, gloves, carpets and more. Urethane applications include rainwear, upholstery, paints, caulks and other coatings for which SmartSilver adds odor-resistance as well as resistance to mildew and mold growth.
Coating and solids applications of SmartSilver are available directly from NanoHorizons. SmartSilver-enhanced fabrics and fibers are sold exclusively under the E47(TM) brand name and are only available through ARC Technologies. ARC's E47 is available in a wide range of standard and custom fabrics, and is supported by a comprehensive branding, marketing, and licensing program. ARC will be exhibiting at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market (Booth 4107), January 28-31, in Salt Lake City.
Many non-permanent antimicrobial chemicals require special handling due to their toxicity. Providing a natural and far safer alternative, silver has been the ideal permanent antimicrobial since antiquity. Yet using silver has always posed challenges of cost, permanence and manufacturability. Silver-coated fibers are expensive, difficult to use, and shed silver flakes, reducing effectiveness and creating potential effluent problems. So-called "nano- silver" powders clog extruding spinnerets, do not bond to polymers or cotton, and generate airborne silver dust.
Engineered at the nanoscale to overcome these challenges, SmartSilver enables manufacturers to immediately and inexpensively add permanent anti- odor/antimicrobial properties to their products. SmartSilver permanently bonds to host materials, ensuring "like new" anti-odor performance for the life of the product.
Of utmost importance to fabric and apparel designers, SmartSilver does not alter stretch, wicking, hand, or dyeability of fibers and fabrics, enabling designers to add permanent and effective anti-odor properties to their favorite fabrics and fibers.
Existing manufacturing processes adapt easily and reliably to SmartSilver -- and its fundamental design virtually eliminates the potential for manufacturing safety and effluent problems.
NanoHorizons provides manufacturers with specific formulas for achieving their desired level of anti-odor performance. SmartSilver 100 is designed to offer 100% of the performance of any comparable permanent silver-based solution. SmartSilver 200 is targeted at applications demanding far stronger anti-odor properties, such as sock-less running shoe liners, skates or ski- boot linings. In addition, NanoHorizons plans to deploy SmartSilver 500 formulas for medical-grade applications later this year.
NanoHorizons requires all manufacturers using SmartSilver to utilize authorized formulas that deliver assured levels of anti-odor effectiveness in the end product. NanoHorizons' Quality Assurance Program requires submission of samples from every fiber and fabric batch -- each batch is laboratory tested to ensure that it meets the required levels of performance.
"With SmartSilver, we now can offer permanent, integrated anti-odor properties for nearly
