May 1, 2011
Techmer PM’s latest antifungal additive, called PM14873, packs a powerful punch: it blocks fungal growth at loadings of just 7.5% in polyethylene films.
“PM14873 is our most potent antifungal product yet,” says Dr. Bhushan Deshpande, Product Development Manager at Techmer PM headquartered in Clinton, Tennessee. “It can be used in just about any polyethylene film, including LDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE.”
PM14873 complies with FDA requirements for food contact, and its active ingredient is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of “minimal concern” chemicals that are exempt from registration under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act.
“When we tested PM14873 under the ASTM G21 standard, the results showed how effective it is against the four specified fungi,” says Dr. Deshpande. “After 28 days at 84○F (about 29○C) the unmodified control sample was covered with heavy growth. But the film sample with 5% of our antifungal agent showed only a trace–less than 10%–of fungal growth, and the film with 7.5% of PM14873 had absolutely zero growth.”
Full details on the ASTM G21 tests are available on Techmer PM’s website (www.techmerpm.com). The company compounds the antifungal additive into polyethylene pellets. The recommended maximum processing temperature for PM14873 is 600○F, or 315○C.
Techmer PM, LLC is a major producer of value-added colors and additives for the plastics and fiber industries. The company has worldwide manufacturing capabilities focusing on high-performance applications where quality, technical support, and problem solving are critical.