PFI-RP: Mass-Manufacturing of Low-Cost, Lower Environmental Impact Microfluidics

PFI-RP：大规模制造低成本、低环境影响的微流体

• 批准号: 2234150
• 负责人: Caitlin Howell
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: University of Maine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2026-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2234150&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; RP; Mass; Manufacturing; Low

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) project is to develop new ways of leveraging existing US-based legacy, mass-manufacturing infrastructure and knowledge to provide new materials that can be used in biotechnology applications ranging from diagnostics to water disinfection. Although this project will not seek to directly create diagnostic or disinfection devices, it will provide new materials to manufacturers of such devices and serve to address the critical gap of affordability and availability of the necessary materials. The knowledge generated as part of this work will enable the rapid development and testing of new technologies that leverage the power of microfluidics to improve lives and generate actionable information. The proposed approach will directly leverage the technological capabilities and facilities of Maine-based paper manufacturers, positioning Maine and traditional paper mill workers to participate in the biotechnology revolution. Finally, this project will train students in the types of skills sets needed to not only develop technology that can make lives better, but also to bridge the gap from the lab to the market, sparking interest in and comfort with working at the industry-academia interface.This project will result in the building and de-risking of functional microfluidic prototypes using industrial-scale, US-manufactured roll-to-roll cast microfluidic channel systems. To maximize the potential of the research, three proof-of-concept applications at different length scales will be targeted: microdroplet generation, cell sorting, and water disinfection. The prototypes will be used to facilitate integration with the worldwide microfluidic industry. Through the development process, the team will elucidate mechanistic design rules that enable the fabrication of prototype microfluidic devices, making it simpler for industry leaders interested in developing new products to quickly test designs compatible with industrial-scale roll-to-roll processes. The set of tools created for the commercial microfluidics industry will bridge the historically wide gap between academic benchtop microfluidic designs and platforms which can be transferred to mass-manufacturing. In addition to creating a pathway for cost-effective scale-up of microfluidic technology, the ability to quickly test prototypes of scalable microfluidic devices in roll-to-roll compatible prototyping processes has great potential to inform the design of new advanced materials for a broad range of applications beyond the traditional diagnostic test and/or small-scale liquid treatment markets, including new and fast-growing markets such as wearable technology and low-cost sensor systems.This project is jointly funded by Partnerships for Innovation program (PFI) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

这个创新伙伴关系-研究伙伴关系（PFI-RP）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发利用现有美国遗产、大规模制造基础设施和知识的新方法，以提供可用于从诊断到水消毒等生物技术应用的新材料。虽然该项目不寻求直接制造诊断或消毒设备，但它将为这些设备的制造商提供新材料，并有助于解决必要材料的可负担性和可获得性方面的严重差距。作为这项工作的一部分，所产生的知识将使利用微流体的力量改善生活和产生可操作信息的新技术的快速开发和测试成为可能。拟议的方法将直接利用缅因州造纸制造商的技术能力和设施，使缅因州和传统造纸厂的工人参与到生物技术革命中来。最后，该项目将培养学生所需的各种技能，这些技能不仅可以开发使生活更美好的技术，还可以弥合从实验室到市场的差距，激发学生对在产学研领域工作的兴趣和舒适感。该项目将使用工业规模的、美国制造的卷对卷铸造微流控通道系统，建立和降低功能性微流控原型的风险。为了最大限度地发挥研究潜力，将针对三个不同长度尺度的概念验证应用：微滴生成、细胞分选和水消毒。这些原型将用于促进与全球微流体工业的整合。通过开发过程，该团队将阐明机械设计规则，使原型微流体装置的制造成为可能，使对开发新产品感兴趣的行业领导者更容易快速测试与工业规模卷对卷工艺兼容的设计。为商业微流控行业创建的一套工具将弥合学术台式微流控设计与可转移到大规模生产的平台之间的历史鸿沟。除了为微流控技术的成本效益扩大创造途径之外，在卷对卷兼容原型工艺中快速测试可扩展微流控设备原型的能力具有很大的潜力，可以为传统诊断测试和/或小规模液体处理市场之外的广泛应用提供新型先进材料的设计，包括新的和快速增长的市场，如可穿戴技术和低成本传感器系统。该项目由创新伙伴关系计划（PFI）和促进竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。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。