SBIR Phase II: Rapid disinfection using compact plasma reactors

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力解决了社会对一种非热、经济、高效的解决方案的需求，用于消毒医疗设施和日常生活空间中常见的致命病原体。商业机会在于开发一种非热的、便携式的、安全的、经济的灭菌设备，用于被病毒、细菌和真菌污染的材料。拟议的技术将用于目前最先进的灭菌技术缺乏的领域。它在低温下工作，这是温度敏感设备所必需的，是环保的，具有高吞吐量，几乎不需要维护，并且包括一个用于复杂表面几何形状灭菌的内置混合系统。应用包括消毒个人防护装备（PPE），手术工具，医疗器械，食品，饮料等有害病原体。目标市场包括医疗保健设施、医疗设备公司以及食品和饮料公司。受影响最大的将是需要对物品进行快速消毒的拥挤设施和社区环境。此外，该技术还可以与制冷装置等现有系统集成。这项技术有望通过预防医院获得性感染、COVID-19的进一步传播以及未来可能爆发的疫情来挽救生命。该SBIR二期项目提出了一种低温、复杂几何形状、低能耗、低成本的灭菌装置。这些领域目前还没有一个单一的，最先进的灭菌技术。该解决方案基于有源等离子体模块（APM）。此前，研究确定了APM对金属、塑料和织物上SARS - CoV-2及其替代品的有效性，以及实现灭菌所需的操作条件（暴露时间、臭氧要求和功率）。该项目的目标包括原型开发(i)针对生物安全等级(BSL)-2和-3病原体的功效测试，（ii）循环时间、臭氧要求和功率需求，（iii）满足安全限制的实用臭氧去除系统，（iv）材料兼容性数据，以及(v)用户友好的控制界面。团队还将检查APM的质量控制、满足所需产品规格的能力，以及对逆向工程威胁的管理。第二阶段的成功完成将产生具有针对各种病原体的灭菌数据和客户采用所需的产品规格的市场就绪原型。该项目将推进节能臭氧灭菌的研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the societal need for a non-thermal, economical, and efficient solution for sterilizing deadly pathogens that are common in medical facilities and everyday living spaces. The commercial opportunity lies in developing a non-thermal, portable, safe, and economical sterilization device for materials contaminated with virus, bacteria, and fungi. The proposed technology will be used in areas that are lacking in current state-of-the-art sterilization technologies. It operates at low temperature, necessary for temperature-sensitive equipment, is ecofriendly, has high throughput, requires little maintenance, and includes an inbuilt mixing system for the sterilization of complex surface geometries. Applications include sterilizing personal protective equipment (PPE), surgical tools, medical devices, food, beverages, etc. from harmful pathogens. The addressable market consists of healthcare facilities, medical device companies, and food and beverage companies. The major impact will be in crowded facilities and community settings where rapid disinfection of objects is required. Additionally, the technology can be integrated with existing systems like refrigeration units. The technology is expected to save lives by preventing hospital-acquired infections, the further spread of COVID-19, and possible future outbreaks.This SBIR Phase II project proposes a sterilization device that operate at low temperatures, works with complex geometries, and is low energy and low cost. These areas are not currently addressed by one single, state-of-the-art sterilization technology. The solution is based on an active plasma module (APM). Previously, research established APM efficacy against SARS CoV-2 and its surrogate on metal, plastic, and fabric, and the required operating conditions (exposure times, ozone requirements, and power) to achieve sterilization. The objectives in this project include prototype development with (i) efficacy tests against BioSafety Level (BSL)-2 and -3 pathogens, (ii) cycle times, ozone requirements, and power demands, (iii) a practical ozone removal system to meet safety limits, (iv) material compatibility data, and (v) a user-friendly control interface. The team will also examine APM quality control, the ability to meet required product specifications, and management of the reverse-engineering threat. Successful Phase II completion will result in a market-ready prototype with sterilization data against various pathogens and product specifications required for customer adoption. The project will advance research on power efficient ozone sterilization.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.