AIR Option 1: Technology Translation - High-Throughput Roll-to-Roll Atmospheric Pressure Atomic Layer Deposition for Functional Nanocoatings on Porous and Flexible Materials

这个PFI: AIR技术翻译项目的重点是将原子层沉积技术（ALD）转化为在多孔基板上创建防紫外线薄膜，包括非织造纤维垫和纺织品。用于室外防护结构、建筑或装饰元素和施工的材料在阳光或其他恶劣的暴露下会受到降解的限制。ALD技术是一种独特的方法，可以在具有复杂几何形状的聚合物纤维上创建超薄和超适形涂层。这些涂层具有保护底层聚合物免受太阳或其他光源紫外线照射的能力。这种涂料可以与目前主导户外纺织品市场的相对昂贵的溶液染色丙烯酸材料竞争。该涂层可以与目前使用的材料基材以外的一系列材料基材一起工作。技术实施需要新的工艺规模和反应器设计挑战的知识。该项目通过探索一种独特的“流动式”反应堆设计原型来实现这一目标，从而产生一种示范车辆来评估材料和工艺吞吐量能力，以满足市场需求。该项目与VaporPulse Technologies合作，在纤维涂层领域提供指导，并在项目商业化和营销方面提供专业知识，因为它们涉及将科学/技术转化为可能导致竞争性商业现实的潜力。这项技术的商业影响远远超出了紫外线防护。其他受益于改进涂层的纤维系统包括过滤和分离介质，个人防护设备，电子和医疗纺织品，或军事人员的工程纤维或织物。从长远来看，社会将受益于在恶劣多变的室外条件下以更低的成本提供更长时间安全可靠运行的材料和产品。这项工作还将通过扩展对薄膜反应科学和工程的基础理解而产生长期影响，并对许多其他未来领域产生影响。该项目还将帮助培养化学工程专业的博士生，让他们了解从实验室到小企业的技术转化所面临的挑战，从而使这些技能在未来得到扩展和传承。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating atomic layer deposition technology (ALD) to create UV protective thin films onto porous substrates, including nonwoven fiber mats and textiles. Materials used in outdoor protective structures, architectural or decorative elements, and construction are limited by degradation in sunlight or other harsh exposure. The ALD technology is a unique approach to create ultra-thin and ultra-conformal coating layers onto polymer fibers with complex geometries. These coatings have the capacity to protect the underlying polymer from damaging ultraviolet exposure from the sun or other light sources. The coatings can compete with relatively expensive solution-dyed acrylic materials that now dominate the outdoor textile market. The coating can work with a range of material substrates beyond those currently used. Technology implementation requires new knowledge of process scaling and reactor design challenges. The project accomplishes this goal by exploring a unique "flow-through" reactor design prototype resulting in a demonstration vehicle to evaluate materials and process throughput capabilities to meet market demands. The project engages VaporPulse Technologies to provide guidance in the field of coatings on fibers as well as expertise in project commercialization and marketing as they pertain to the potential to translate the science/technology along a path that may result in a competitive commercial reality. The technology could have commercial impact well beyond UV protection. Other fiber systems that can benefit from improved coatings include filtration and separations media, personal protective equipment, electronic and medical textiles, or engineered fibers or fabrics for military personnel. In the long term, society will benefit by having materials and products that provide safe and reliable operation under harsh and variable outdoor conditions for longer times at lower cost. The work will also have long-term impact by expanding foundational understanding of thin film reaction science and engineering with impact in many other future fields. This project will also help educate a PhD student in Chemical Engineering to learn the challenges of technology translation from a lab to a small business, allowing those skills to be expanded and passed on in the future.