SBIR Phase II: Latent-Reactive Surface Modification Reagents for Biofilm Control

该小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目继续开发新的热活化试剂，用于将杀菌聚合物粘合到各种不透明管材的内表面，该项目在第一阶段的先进材料和制造（AM）主题，表面工程子主题（F）下启动。已经开发出具有运输水性混合物所需的整体物理性质的材料;然而，在湿表面上生物膜的发展是牙科、制药、食品加工和海洋运输行业中持续存在的严重问题。水管线的表面改性可以减少生物膜的形成，同时保持所需的管的整体性能。光化学已被证明在商业上成功地提高了医疗器械的表面性能，通过RF等离子体或紫外光引发的基于自由基的表面改性。然而，这些能量源对于改变不透明管的内表面是无效的，所述不透明管例如是与牙科单元一起使用的水管和制药厂中的管道。该项目的目的是开发潜在的反应性自由基发生器可激活的热能，穿透这些不透明的设备。这种预定活化自由基发生器的创新方法将提供一种方法来改性不能用外部光或等离子体源活化的惰性表面。 微生物定殖和生物膜形成仍然是牙科和制药工业、卫生保健和公共住宿以及海洋船舶利用的人类健康和产品质量的主要成本和威胁。用于水性液体可摄入产品的不透明运输和储存容器的腔表面的杀微生物和抗菌涂层技术的成功开发构成了数千万美元的增量市场规模，不受当前商业涂层技术的限制。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project continues the development of new thermally activable reagents for bonding microbicidal polymers to inner surfaces of a variety of opaque tubing materials, initiated in Phase I under the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (AM) topic, Surface Engineering subtopic (F). Materials have been developed with bulk physical properties needed for transport of aqueous mixtures; however, the development of biofilm on the wet surfaces is a continuing serious problem in the dental, pharmaceutical, food processing, and marine transport industries. Surface modification of waterlines could decrease the formation of biofilm while retaining the desired bulk properties of the tubing. Photochemistry has been proven commercially successful in enhancing the surface properties of medical devices with radical-based surface modification initiated by RF plasma or ultraviolet light. However, these energy sources are not effective for modifying the inner surfaces of opaque tubes such as waterlines used with dental units and plumbing in pharmaceutical plants. This project is designed to develop latent-reactive radical generators activatible with thermal energy which penetrates these opaque devices. This innovative approach to scheduled activation of radical generators will provide a method to modify inert surfaces which cannot be activated with external light or plasma sources. Microbial colonization and biofilm formation remain a major cost and threat to human health and product quality for dental and pharmaceutical industries, health care and public lodging, and marine vessel utilization. Successful development of microbicidal and antifouling coating technology for the luminal surface of opaque transport and storage vessels for aqueous liquid ingestible products, constitute an incremental market size of tens of millions of dollars, not subject to current commercial coating technology.