STTR Phase I: Surgical Glove with Shear Thickening Fluid Textile Composites for Protection Against Needlestick Injuries

这个小企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目将证明防穿刺外科手套的技术和商业可行性，该手套具有由柔性、防针纳米复合材料增强的区域，该材料由插入剪切增稠流体（STF）的针织纺织品制成。 STF处理的纺织品是一类智能材料，根据施加的应力做出不同的反应，并已在防刺软防弹衣中得到证实。 STTR第一阶段的研究将促进对用于防针防护设备的柔性复合材料的认识和理解。目前的抗穿刺材料由硬陶瓷或硬的编织织物制成。该研究的新奇在于使用针织基底，其赋予重要的柔性，如在医疗专业人员和需要显著灵巧性和触觉的其他人的手套中使用所需的。 拟议的研究将进一步阐明导致基于剪切增稠流体的纳米复合材料的独特材料特性的机制。STF纺织防穿刺手套材料和手套设计的优化将产生一个具有成本效益的手套，提供对意外针刺伤害的保护，以及医疗专业人员所要求的贴合性，手感和舒适性。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是填补了数十亿美元的外科手套市场对针刺防护手套的重大需求。 目前，外科医生和护士没有PPE选项可用于防止针刺伤害。每年有100-200名医务人员死于针头刺伤引起的感染。本提案中设想的设备将直接减轻美国医疗专业人员每年遭受的350，000次针刺伤害中的一些伤害。预防这些伤害对医疗专业人员有重大益处，并可能为我们的医疗保健系统节省成本。此外，通过防止外科医生和手术室护士因针刺伤害而发生的意外患者感染，患者可获得实质性益处，并节省相关成本。本研究开发的柔性耐穿刺复合材料也将作为先进个人防护设备的一种使能技术，具有更广泛的适用性。重量轻、灵活且具有成本效益的防穿刺手套在执法、废物处理、生物研究、建筑和工业工作等市场中具有极大的兴趣。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of a puncture resistant surgical glove having areas reinforced by flexible, needle resistant nanocomposite materials made from knit textiles intercalated with shear thickening fluids (STF). STF treated textiles are a class of smart material that respond differently based on the applied stress and have proven applications in stab-resistant soft body-armor. This STTR Phase I research will advance the knowledge and understanding of flexible composite materials for needle-resistant protective equipment. Current puncture resistant materials are made from hard ceramics or stiff, woven fabrics. The novelty of this research is the use of knit substrates, which impart important flexibility as would be required for use in glove for medical professionals and others requiring significant dexterity and tactile sensation. The proposed research will further elucidate the mechanisms that lead to the unique material characteristics of nanocomposites based on shear thickening fluids. The optimization of the STF textile puncture resistant glove materials and glove design in this project will yield a cost-effective glove that offers protection against accidental needlestick injury together with the fit, feel and comfort demanded by medical professionals.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to fill a significant, unmet need for needlestick protective gloves in the billion dollar surgical glove market. There is no PPE option currently available to surgeons and nurses that protects against needlestick injury. Annually, 100-200 of these medical professionals die from infections resulting from needlestick injury. The device envisioned in this proposal will directly mitigate some of the 350,000 needlestick injuries sustained by medical professionals each year in the U.S. Prevention of these injuries has significant benefit for medical professionals as well as potential cost savings to our health care system. In addition, there are substantial benefits to patients with associated cost savings, by preventing incidental patient infection through needlestick injuries to surgeons and operating room nurses. The flexible, puncture resistant composites developed by this research will also serve as an enabling technology for advanced personal protective equipment with much broader applicability. Puncture-resistant gloves that are lightweight, flexible, and cost-effective are of great interest in markets such as law enforcement, waste handling, bioresearch, construction and industrial work.