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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Through its expertise, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST has provided a significant contribution towards the successful revision and publication of the international standard ISO 10678. The standard regulates the procedure for determining the photocatalytic activity of surfaces by means of the degradation of methylene blue under UV irradiation. It enables an objective assessment of the self-cleaning properties of surfaces and provides manufacturers of coated materials with a reliable basis for product certification.
Photocatalytically active surfaces contribute towards the degradation of organic soiling such as exhaust gases, fats or soot by means of light energy. In the presence of sunlight, a certain degree of self-cleaning effect can be achieved in façades, and glass surfaces require less frequent cleaning. As a result, not only are maintenance costs reduced, but savings are also made on cleaning agents and water - a significant advantage for the environment and sustainability. ISO 10678 creates a reliable basis for this and ensures that both the methodology and the photocatalytic properties of products are verifiable and comparable. In particular for manufacturers of self-cleaning tiles, glass, roof tiles, wall paints or textiles, the standard offers a reliable possibility for proving the effectiveness of their products and, consequently, providing consumers with clear orientation.
Scientific basis and development
The work began back in 2013 with a regular revision of the existing ISO standard. The review, which is conducted every five years, revealed that the test conditions for highly active samples had altered significantly over time. As German experts had originally published the standard in 2008 as the first “self-cleaning standard” worldwide, the review was assigned to the German Institute for Standardization DIN. The head of the DIN working group “Photocatalytic self-cleaning” at this time was the graduate engineer Frank Neumann, an employee of the Fraunhofer IST, which therefore took charge of the process. In collaboration with other representatives of the DIN committee, members of the French network “Association française de normalisation AFNOR” and representatives of the “Japanese Industrial Standards Committee JISC”, the contents of the standard were revised, whereby the experts took into account the current state-of-the-art as well as opinions received concerning drafts of the standard. The aim was to create an internationally recognized and technically precise standard that corresponds to the latest scientific knowledge. Following a number of international consultations, the finalized standard was published in December 2024.
Frank Neumann, responsible Project Manager at the Fraunhofer IST, explained: “The revision of ISO 10678 was a challenging but important undertaking. Thanks to the close cooperation with national and international experts, we were able to adapt the standard to the current state-of-the-art and, as a result, to establish a reliable assessment methodology for photocatalytically active surfaces. This represents a major advance for industry and consumers alike.”
The publication of ISO 10678 marks an important milestone. The next scheduled review of the standard will take place in 2029. In the meantime, the Fraunhofer IST offers testing in accordance with DIN 52980 and ISO 10678 in order to enable manufacturers to reliably evaluate their products.
https://www.ist.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/2025/fraunhofer-ist-successfully-co...
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