Antimicrobial copper-alloy touch surfaces follows: The following claims are now legally permitted when marketing EPA-registered antimicrobial copper alloys in the U.S.: The registrations state that “antimicrobial copper alloys may be used in hospitals, other healthcare facilities, and various public, commercial and residential buildings.” The EPA copper alloy registrations were granted “with public health claims,” meaning that they permit manufacturers of copper-based products sold in the U.S. to claim on their labels the ability of copper, brass, and bronze to kill harmful, potentially deadly bacteria. As a condition of registration established by EPA, the Copper Development Association (CDA) in the U.S. is responsible for the
Shape-memory alloy Shape-memory alloy A shape-memory alloy (SMA, smart metal, memory metal, memory alloy, muscle wire, smart alloy) is an alloy that "remembers" its original shape and that when deformed returns to its pre-deformed shape when heated. This material is a lightweight, solid-state alternative to conventional actuators such as hydraulic, pneumatic, and motor-based systems. Shape-memory alloys have applications in robotics and automotive, aerospace and biomedical industries. The two most prevalent shape-memory alloys are copper-aluminium-nickel, and nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys but SMAs can also be created by alloying zinc, copper, gold and iron. Although iron-based and copper-based SMAs, such as Fe-Mn-Si, Cu-Zn-Al and Cu-Al-Ni,