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

这一小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力基于呼吸设备和个人防护设备(PPE)的改进。市面上出售的口罩、长袍、过滤介质和其他个人防护用品因暴露在环境中而受到污染，对医护人员构成威胁。所提出的解决方案是一种高比表面积的抗病毒/抗菌微粉，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导致更少的死亡，降低医疗成本，并提高经济生产率。2020年，全球可寻址的PPE市场为230亿美元，预计到2028年将增长，而2019年全球一次性口罩市场的价值为7.92亿美元，纳入其他类型的PPE进一步增加了这一估计。新冠肺炎疫情正在推动对这些产品的需求，尽管拟议技术的适用性并不局限于新冠肺炎。拟议的产品将是一种材料，可以改变织物的表面，使其具有活性的抗病毒性能，从而改善健康和安全。客户群预计将是医疗保健人员、制药和食品制造设施、公众以及个人防护设备、医疗器械、纺织品和过滤器的制造商。这个STTR第一阶段项目旨在改善呼吸设备和个人防护设备的抗病毒/抗菌性能，这些设备通常只具有被动保护作用，难以净化和重复使用，并可能导致工人在更换和处理过程中暴露在空气中。建议的解决方案是一种高比表面积的微粉，包覆一层抗病毒/抗菌涂层，可应用于PPE表面。与目前的技术不同，这种颗粒的大小、形态、表面积和形貌都可以根据特定的生物杀灭活性进行定制。此外，还可以定制粉末形状和表面质量，以增强粘附性。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)涂层颗粒能够轻松地应用到织物和其他材料上。这项技术基于流态化等离子体增强沉积工艺，用于合成独特的金属、陶瓷或高度形状的碳纳米形式的核壳微粉，包括经过验证的杀生材料。合成的微粒将具有高表面重量比，使其更适合捕捉微生物，同时还改善了与过滤介质和PPE材料表面的粘附性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.