UV Reflective Media

UV Air Disinfection

Highly Reflective Media Designed for UVC Air Disinfection Products

Ensure properly disinfected air with Porex Virtek reflective media lining your UV air disinfection products

With the recent heightened awareness around clean indoor air, it has become clear that utilizing a UVC system within an air handling unit has become a common and effective solution. UVC energy is proven to deactivate most pathogens; however, to be effective, the UV energy must be uniformly dispersed within the reaction chamber. This is where Porex Virtek PTFE reflective media excels.

Porex Virtek offers:

Reflectivity rates of up to 97%
Almost 100% Lambertian (diffuse) reflectivity to ensure extremely uniform UVC energy distribution within the reaction chamber
Minimized hot and cold spots within the reaction chamber
Up to 4x higher flux in a closed system versus aluminum
Increased effective pathogen deactivation rates, by up to 4X versus other reflective media
High reflectivity and durability down to 200 nm UVC wavelength

Optimize efficiency and ensure maximum pathogen disinfection within your UV air disinfection system

UV disinfection chambers lined with Porex Virtek PTFE high-reflectivity media feature the Intensified with Porex Virtek logo, highlighting the efficacy of high reflectivity. Review our technical specifications and supporting technical information to understand how Porex Virtek intensifies air disinfection.

Flow Reactor Irradiance Comparison

Traditional Aluminum lining

Reactor Chamber with Aluminum lining

Typical Reflectivity around 70%
Specular reflection means hot and cold spots and uneven disinfection
The orientation and quantity of UV source becomes much more important
Energy needed for 3 log reduction increases
Average irradiance (E) = (Edirect) + (Ereflected) :If Reflectivity = 70%
At a source irradiance (E) of 1: Average irradiance = 1 + (1 / (1-0.7))= 4.3

Optimal PTFE lining

Reactor Chamber with PTFE lining

Reflectivity of up to 97%
Reflects diffuses in all directions uniformly (minimal hot/cold spots)
UV orientation less critical
Energy consumption is lower
Average irradiance (E) = (Edirect) + (Ereflected) :If Reflectivity = 97%
At a source irradiance (E) of 1: Average irradiance = 1 + (1 / (1-0.97))= 34.3
8 times the average irradiance versus 70% aluminum!

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Using Highly Reflective PTFE to Improve Efficacy of UV Air Disinfection Systems

How It works

Technical Specifications

OREX Virtek PTFE Highly Reflective Media is available in a variety of formats and thicknesses to meet your custom requirements. Formats available include:

Rollstock
Slit rolls
Die-cut shapes
Discs
Thermoformed shapes
Rolled tubes
Adhesive backed

POREX Virtek® PTFE Highly Reflective Materials

Product Number	Thickness (mm)	Max Operating Temp °C	UL-94 Certification	UL-746C Certification	NSF 61 & NSF 372	Average Reflectivity^* (250-400nm)	Average Reflectivity^* (400-800nm)
PMR05	0.5	260	5VB-V-0	f1	Pass	93%	90%
PMR10	0.75	260	5VA, V-0	f1	Pass	96%	94%
PMR11	1	260	5VA, V-0	f1	Pass	96%	94%
PMR15	1.5	260	5VA, V-0	f1	Pass	98%	98%
PMR20	2	260	5VA, V-0	f1	Pass	98%	98%

^*Results for clean, unsupported material; backings, surface contaminants and other format options can change results
Properties are typical and not meant for specifications. Selected options and adhesives may affect properties
Thinner versions (0.19mm; 0.25mm) available on request
RoHS, WEEE, REACH Compliant (PFOA Free)

% Reflectivity versus wavelength of common materials

While the reflective performance of many materials decreases in the important UVC germicidal range, Porex Virtek PTFE has consistently excellent results versus competitive technologies, such as stainless steel and aluminum.

Typical Reflectivity of Porex Virtek PTFE Sheet vs. Aluminum and Stainless Steel

Number of reflections and estimated remaining energy for various levels of reflectivity

This chart illustrates how rapidly energy decays in a closed reaction chamber when reflectivity drops below 80%. The X-axis shows how many reflections you can expect until the initial energy drops to 40% (over 45 reflections for 98% reflectivity versus less than 3 for 70%).

# Reflections vs. % Energy Remaining

Total average irradiance in an ideal closed reflective lined chamber

This chart illustrates Sumpner’s Principle of Irradiance in a closed system. This principle estimates total irradiance that comes from the source plus irradiance that is reflected to get to an average steady state irradiance. The equation shows the exponential improvement that occurs when reflectivity is over 90%, which can result in an average irradiance improvement of 10 times (as reflectivity increases from 70% to 97%)!

Total Irradiance in a Closed System
E_Total = E_D + E_R

Data above based on Sumpner’s principle of irradiance in a closed system, E_Total = E_D + E_R, where E_D is the source irradiance and E_R is the reflective irradiance. E_R is highly dependent on the reflectivity of the chamber and is calculated by E_R = E_D x (R/(1-R)) where R is the percent reflectivity as a fraction (ie. 50% = 0.5).

Applications

HVAC Air Handling Systems:

Optimize efficiency and ensure maximum pathogen disinfection within your HVAC air handling system

Highly diffuse reflectivity ensures extremely uniform UVC energy distribution
Minimize hot and cold spots within the reaction chamber
Increase effective pathogen deactivation rates by up to 4X versus other reflective media
Highly reflective and durable down to 200 nm UVC wavelength

Self-Contained Air Purifiers:

Optimize efficiency and ensure maximum pathogen disinfection within your self-contained air purification system

Highly diffuse reflectivity ensures extremely uniform UVC energy distribution
Minimize hot and cold spots within the reaction chamber
Increase effective pathogen deactivation rates by up to 4X versus other reflective media
Highly reflective and durable down to 200 nm UVC wavelength

Personal Air Purifiers

Optimize efficiency and ensure maximum pathogen disinfection of personal UV air sterilization units

Highly diffuse reflectivity ensures extremely uniform UVC energy distribution
Minimize hot and cold spots within the reaction chamber
Increase effective pathogen deactivation rates by up to 4X versus other reflective media
Can be thermoformed into complex shapes or made into tubes to fit into tight areas

Related Resources

Porex Virtek® PTFE Highly Reflective UV Materials Brochure

Discover the benefits of Porex Virtek® PTFE UV reflective materials that enhance the efficiency of your UV disinfection system.

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UVC Air Disinfection Chamber Demonstration – Porex® Virtek PTFE vs Aluminum & Plastic

A demonstration video that compares the effectiveness of Porex® Virtek PTFE to aluminum and plastic in UVC Air Disinfection Chambers.

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UVC Disinfection Chamber Demonstration – Porex Virtek Lined Box vs Aluminum

Watch this demonstration video to witness how Porex Virtek PTFE demonstrates reflectivity readings that are 10 times higher compared to straight aluminum.

Learn More