AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, has joined forces with Valencian company Inesfly to develop an insect-repelling material for sandals that could prevent the transmission of diseases carried by pests.
Mosquito
Together with research partners at the University of Zaragoza, the innovative material allows the manufacture of sandal soles and mats to produce a product that is actively fighting the war against the likes of malaria, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and dengue fever.
The foamed plastic product is impregnated with insecticide properties. This new technique has, up until now, only been possible in mosquito nets, animal collars, cattle ear tags and anti-mosquito nets using filler incorporation. However, the project Inmaplesp allows the incorporation of insecticide into material through microcapsules. This new technology will protect the insecticide substance from degradation during the processing of the material and allows for a
more controlled diffusion in the final product.
Inesfly's micro-encapsulation technology has had success already in insecticide paints, while the innovation is now moving over to plastic matrixes.
Not only will the mats and sandals manufactured with this clever insecticidal foam help fight the insect-transmitted disease battles that are a daily occurrence in Equatorial Africa, South and Central America, but they will prove to be increasingly important in Europe, where climate change is believed to be paving the way for subtropical species such as tiger mosquitos moving north.
The project INMAPLESP lasts 24 months and is funded by the Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness within the programme RETOS DE COLABORACIÓN 2014, RTC-2014-2613-1.
