A novel coating technology based upon polyatomic ions from plasma

等离子体聚合广泛应用于制造业，我们希望扩大等离子体涂层产品的范围。我们专注于涂料在医疗保健应用和化学传感。我们都有可能受益于开发有效、安全和低成本的技术，以解决抗菌素耐药性上升的问题；对抗生素产生耐药性的微生物。正如吉姆·奥尼尔勋爵在其开创性报告《2016年全球应对耐药感染》中指出的那样，抗生素耐药性可能是对人类健康最大的长期威胁：据估计，到2050年，每年将有多达1000万人死于抗生素耐药性，如果没有重大的新干预措施。我们选择的传感应用是放射性废物，增强的传感提高了安全性，保护了环境和公众。为了实现快速影响，我们将积极加快等离子技术的利用和转化，在主项目的同时开展3个示范项目。这些项目旨在完成TRL 4之前的技术开发，并将该技术介绍给核安全行业和医疗保健部门的潜在最终用户。与Kratos Analytical的合作将为该技术提供一个更广泛的广告平台。我们将进行一个概念验证示范项目，将血浆胺（TREN）涂层应用于石英晶体微天平表面，以检测高锝酸盐阴离子（235U的裂变产物）。钻孔中强大可靠的传感以及在线过程监测将增强核工业证明遵守法定要求的能力，并提供潜在泄漏检测的早期预警。我们预计，基于尼克·埃文斯博士合成的新型单体，我们可以制造出比目前使用的方法更具特异性和灵敏度的在线传感器。等离子体涂层还可以应用于磁珠，为废水中高技术酸盐的修复提供了一种新的方法。进一步的衍生产品包括在医学传感中的应用，其中胺表面用于将分子固定在表面上。在另外两个示范项目中，我们将测试新型血浆抗菌表面，以对抗最常与医疗设备和伤口定植相关的病原体。该博士生将与Achyat Guleri博士（Blackpool教学医院的微生物学家顾问和临床主任）一起探索一种特别有趣的语音假体应用，其中硅胶很容易被假丝酵母定植。我们看到这些表面（用作敷料）在伤口治疗中的市场。例如，烧伤伤口特别容易被细菌定植。（含银敷料已经使用了大约二十年，但最近出现了关于银对哺乳动物细胞毒性和使用银的总体效益的问题。）在这种情况下，一氧化氮（NO）释放表面可以提供一种毒性较小但同样有效的方法。糖尿病伤口（英国约200-300,000 pa）提供了另一个目标，其中感染是伤口无法愈合的常见原因。另一个目标是医院获得性感染，NHS每年花费约10亿英镑，其中约24%发生在手术部位。

Plasma polymerisation is widely used in manufacturing and we would hope to extend the range of products that are plasma coated. We have focused on coatings in healthcare applications and in chemical sensing. We are all likely to be beneficiaries from the development of effective, safe and low-cost technologies that address the rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR); microbes that develop resistance to antibiotics. As identified by Lord Jim O'Neil in his seminal report TACKLING DRUG-RESISTANT INFECTIONS GLOBALLY, 2016, AMR presents perhaps the greatest long-term threat to human health: it is estimated that up to 10 million people per year will die from AMR by 2050, without significant new interventions. The sensing application we have chosen is radioactive waste, where enhanced sensing increases safety and protects the environment and the public.To achieve rapid impact, we will actively accelerate utilisation and translation of this plasma technology, by conducting in parallel to the main project, 3 demonstrator projects. These are designed to complete technology development up to TRL 4 and to introduce the technology to potential end users in the nuclear safety industry and the healthcare sector. The collaboration with Kratos Analytical will provide a platform for a much broader advertisement of the technology.We will conduct a proof-of-concept demonstrator project, applying plasma amine (TREN) coatings to the surface of a quartz crystal microbalance in order to detect the pertechnetate anion (a fission product of 235U). Robust and reliable sensing in bore holes as well as in-line process monitoring will enhance the nuclear industry's ability to demonstrate compliance with statutory requirements and provide early warning of potential leak detection. We anticipate that based upon the novel monomers synthesised by Dr Nick Evans we can fabricate on-line sensors with greater specificity and sensitivity to currently employed methods. The plasma coatings could also be applied to magnetic beads which would offer a novel method for pertechnetate remediation from waste streams. Further spin-offs include applications in medical sensing, where amine surfaces are used to immobilise molecules on to surfaces.In two further demonstrator projects, we will test novel plasma anti-microbial surfaces against pathogens that are most frequently associated with medical devices and wound colonisation. The PhD student will explore with Dr Achyat Guleri (a Consultant Microbiologist and Clinical Director at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals) a particularly interesting application in voice prosthesis, where the silicone is very readily colonised by Candida. We see a market for these surfaces (applied as dressings) in the treatment of wounds. Burn wounds, for example, are particularly prone to bacterial colonisation. (Dressings containing Ag have been used for about two decades, but recently questions about Ag toxicity to mammalian cells and overall benefit from the use of Ag have arisen.) In this context, nitric-oxide (NO) release surfaces could provide a less toxic and yet equally effective approach. Diabetic wounds (ca. 200-300,000 pa in the UK) provide an alternative target, where infection is a common reason for wounds failing to heal. A further target is hospital acquired infections which cost the NHS ca. £1Bn pa and approximately 24% of these are at the surgical site.