I-Corps: High performance sustainable solution to plastic-based materials

I-Corps：塑料基材料的高性能可持续解决方案

• 批准号: 2019104
• 负责人: Noureddine Abidi
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Texas Tech University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-01 至 2021-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2019104&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; performance; sustainable; solution; plastic

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to investigate translation of new bioplastic materials as an alternative solution to petroleum-based materials. The growing environmental concerns regarding the accumulation of microplastics inspires a need for new alternative materials. Petroleum-based products (plastics, fibers such as polyester, nylon, etc.) are notorious for their persistence in the environment because they are not biodegradable when disposed in landfills. From an environmental perspective, it is crucial to develop materials based on cellulose. In addition, cotton is one of the most important cash crops in the United States and most produced cotton fibers go to the textile industry. However, low micronaire (low quality in terms of textile spinning) is a recurring problem and can potentially be applied to other niche markets. This I-Corps project is to explore applications of biodegradable materials from cellulose biopolymer derived from low quality cotton fibers. Although considered as waste or discounted for textile applications, these fibers are a premium source of highly crystalline and high-molecular weight cellulose. The technology converts cellulose to a solution and subsequently to commodity products currently produced from petroleum-derived polymers. Proof-of-concept has been demonstrated through producing 3D printed materials, bioplastic films (flexible and stiff), and porous materials. The ability of this technology to dissolve high molecular weight cellulose (derived from cotton fibers) and its conversion to bioproducts allows preparation of superior performance and versatile cellulose-based bioproducts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是研究新生物塑料材料的翻译，作为石油基材料的替代解决方案。 关于微塑料积累的日益增长的环境问题激发了对新替代材料的需求。石油产品（塑料、聚酯、尼龙等纤维）众所周知，它们在环境中的持久性，因为它们在垃圾填埋场处理时不能生物降解。从环境的角度来看，开发基于纤维素的材料至关重要。此外，棉花是美国最重要的经济作物之一，大部分棉花纤维都用于纺织工业。然而，低马克隆值（纺织品纺纱质量低）是一个反复出现的问题，可能适用于其他利基市场。这个I-Corps项目是探索从低质量棉纤维中提取的纤维素生物聚合物的生物降解材料的应用。尽管这些纤维被认为是废物或不适合纺织应用，但它们是高度结晶和高分子量纤维素的优质来源。该技术将纤维素转化为溶液，随后转化为目前由石油衍生聚合物生产的商品。概念验证已经通过生产3D打印材料，生物塑料薄膜（柔性和刚性）和多孔材料得到了证明。 该技术能够溶解高分子量纤维素（来自棉纤维）并将其转化为生物产品，从而能够制备性能上级、用途广泛的纤维素生物产品。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。