I-Corps: Hemp-derived advanced manufacturing of fabrics

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of electrified fabric and protective clothing. The possible applications may include uniforms for workers at hospitals, nursing homes, schools, hotels, public transportation, and crowded public areas to reduce the potential transmission of pathogens. For example, hemp incorporated nanofibrous polyurethane membrane, prepared by electrospinning, could be employed as wound dressings. The potential antibacterial properties of hemp, its porous physical structure, air permeability, and absorbency capabilities may add advantageous features to wound dressing. The cellulose fiber from hemp is used to make many products, including jeans, shirts, dresses, hats, bags, ropes and canvas, skincare products, building materials, and paper. This I-Corps project is based on the potential development of an anti-microbial fabric that can be woven into day-to-day wearable clothing, personal protective equipment, or wound care dressings. The proposed technology may contain a current-carrying mesh coated with tetrafluoroethylene and further coated with active photocatalytic material to create hydroxyl radicals from ambient air. Microorganisms, smoke particles, industrial pollutants, odor molecules, and allergens could be structurally dissociated into protein fragments and natural molecules after exposure to the electric field. The decontamination may be amplified by either a negative or positive electrostatic charge to the suspended particles as they encounter the technology, which may assist in migrating the particles to the activated, dismantling mesh containing an internal, oppositely charged attraction screen.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.