STTR Phase I: Low Cost, Large Scale Production of Biocidal Micropowder by a Reversed Arc, Plasma-Fluidized Bed Reactor

STTR 第一阶段：通过反弧等离子体流化床反应器低成本、大规模生产杀菌微粉

• 批准号: 2136674
• 负责人: Vladimir Gorokhovsky
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: NANO-PRODUCT ENGINEERING, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-15 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2136674&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Low; Cost; Large

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is based on the improvement of respiratory equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE). Commercially available face masks, gowns, filter media and other PPE are contaminated through environmental exposure, posing a threat to healthcare personnel. The proposed solution is a high-surface-area antiviral/antimicrobial micropowder which can be applied to PPE surfaces. Improved protection from infections and reduced cross-contamination may result in fewer deaths, decreased healthcare costs, and increased economic productivity. The addressable global PPE market was $23 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow through 2028, while the global disposable face mask market was valued at $792 million in 2019, and the inclusion of other types of PPE increases this estimate further. The COVID-19 pandemic is driving the demand for these products, though the applicability of the proposed technology is not limited to COVID-19. The proposed product will be material that can modify the surfaces of fabrics with active antiviral properties, leading to improvements in health and safety. The customer base is expected to be healthcare personnel, pharmaceutical and food manufacturing facilities, the public, and manufacturers of PPE, medical devices, textiles, and filters.This STTR Phase I project proposes to improve the antiviral/antimicrobial properties of respiratory equipment and PPE, which is typically only passively protective, is difficult to decontaminate and re-use, and can lead to worker exposure during changing and handling. The proposed solution is a high-surface-area micropowder, coated with an antiviral/antimicrobial coating, which can be applied to PPE surfaces. Unlike current technologies, the particle size, morphology, surface area, and topography can all be tailored for specific biocidal activity. Additionally, powder shape and surface quality can be customized to enhance adhesion. The proposed project is to develop a prototype powder product formulation that allows easy application of antiviral (copper alloy) coated particles to fabrics and other materials. This technology is based on a fluidized-bed, plasma-enhanced deposition process for synthesizing unique core-shell micropowders of metal, ceramic, or highly-shaped nanoforms of carbon, including proven biocidal materials. The synthesized microparticles will have high surface-to-weight ratios making them better suited for capturing micro-organisms while also having improved bonding to surfaces of filter media and PPE materials.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.

这一小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是基于呼吸设备和个人防护设备（PPE）的改进。市售口罩、罩衣、过滤介质和其他个人防护设备因环境暴露而受到污染，对医护人员构成威胁。 所提出的解决方案是一种高表面积的抗病毒/抗微生物微粉，可应用于PPE表面。改善对感染的保护和减少交叉污染可能会减少死亡，降低医疗成本，提高经济生产力。2020年，全球PPE市场规模为230亿美元，预计将增长到2028年，而2019年全球一次性口罩市场价值为7.92亿美元，其他类型的PPE进一步增加了这一估计。COVID-19大流行正在推动对这些产品的需求，尽管拟议技术的适用性不仅限于COVID-19。拟议的产品将是一种材料，可以修改具有活性抗病毒特性的织物表面，从而改善健康和安全。预计客户群将是医疗保健人员、制药和食品生产设施、公众以及PPE、医疗器械、纺织品和过滤器的制造商。该STTR第一阶段项目旨在提高呼吸设备和PPE的抗病毒/抗微生物性能，这些设备和PPE通常仅具有被动保护作用，难以净化和重复使用，并且在更换和处理过程中可能导致工人暴露。提出的解决方案是一种高表面积的微粉，涂有抗病毒/抗微生物涂层，可应用于PPE表面。与目前的技术不同，颗粒尺寸、形态、表面积和形貌都可以针对特定的杀生物活性进行定制。此外，还可以定制粉末形状和表面质量，以增强附着力。拟议的项目是开发一种原型粉末产品配方，使抗病毒（铜合金）涂层颗粒易于应用于织物和其他材料。该技术基于流化床等离子体增强沉积工艺，用于合成独特的金属、陶瓷或高度成形的碳纳米粉末，包括经验证的生物杀灭材料。合成的微粒将具有高的表面积与重量比，使它们更适合捕捉微生物，同时还具有改善的粘结过滤介质和PPE材料的表面。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。