Manufacturing the future: Manufacture of Shaped MOF-Polymer Products for Healthcare Applications

制造未来：制造用于医疗保健应用的成型 MOF 聚合物产品

• 批准号: EP/V008498/1
• 负责人: Russell Morris
• 金额: $ 123.22万
• 依托单位: University of St Andrews
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FV008498%2F1
• 关键词: Manufacturing; future; Manufacture; Shaped; MOF

This project will investigate and develop routes to the manufacture and post-processing of extruded polymer-based articles containing porous materials called metal organic frameworks (MOFs). The project will have widespread applicability to the development of many high value and transformative products. Focus will be placed on the manufacture of components for multifunctional medical devices (particularly catheters) that will enable enhanced well-being. The project seeks to establish the pertinent fundamental contributing factors and how these can be controlled, arriving at a set of guidelines for effective manufacture. It will also develop, design and build a prototype process that achieves, for the first time, necessary post-manufacture processing at scale. These dual components will permit the remarkable properties of MOFs to be harnessed to alleviate some of the most pressing challenges of modern society - healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and heart disease. As such, this project fits within the 21st Century Products Research Vision category. MOFs are one of the most significant classes of materials to be developed in recent times. They are nanoporous solids formed by connecting metal ions or clusters with organic linking molecules to form extended networks. Their huge porosity and accessible surface area (up to 5-6,000m2g-1) makes them absolutely ideal for storage and delivery uses. As a result, there is significant academic activity developing and studying these materials for a diverse range of applications such as gas handling (including carbon capture, hydrogen and methane storage, gas separation, toxic gas capture), environmental remediation and pollution prevention, catalysis, energy applications and drug delivery.To realise the full innovative potential of applying MOFs to polymer-based products, suitable methods for their incorporation and processing must be developed. Many polymer-based articles, including catheter tubing, are manufactured by extrusion. To date, however, there is a lack of studies reported in the literature regarding MOF processing into shaped polymer-based product components using this technique. In addition, there are no studies into the large scale post-processing of such extruded articles to enable MOF activation and subsequent gas loading, which are essential steps for any application requiring gas adsorption/release. This project will address this lack of information on the manufacturing of MOF-based polymer articles and will develop the utilisation of MOFs as delivery agents for the medically useful gas nitric oxide (NO) as a model application.NO is a biological signalling molecule that has antimicrobial, vasodilatory, antithrombotic and wound healing properties. Exogenous delivery of NO has the potential to offer advanced therapies that mimic natural processes and address pressing societal challenges. Currently, only systemic NO delivery is possible using pro-drugs (e.g. glyceryl trinitrate) or, direct inhalation of the gas. However, these approaches can lead to unwanted side-effects. Localised and controlled delivery of NO (e.g. from implantable devices) has long been sought by clinicians but is yet to be realised. NO-releasing MOFs (developed by the applicants) have the potential to achieve this goal if they can be processed successfully into the appropriate devices. Successful incorporation into, for example, urinary, cardiovascular and haemodialysis catheters will reduce healthcare associated infections, alleviate procedural complication during the treatment of heart disease, and reduce the risk of thrombosis during haemodialysis. As is currently the case in many areas of MOF application research, realisation of the potential benefits offered by MOFs is reliant on the successful development and understanding of their processing into end-product form.

该项目将研究和开发以聚合物为基础的挤出制品的制造和后处理路线，这些制品含有称为金属有机骨架(MOF)的多孔材料。该项目将对许多高价值和变革性产品的开发具有广泛的适用性。重点将放在多功能医疗设备(特别是导管)部件的制造上，以提高人们的福祉。该项目寻求确定相关的基本因素以及如何控制这些因素，从而得出一套有效制造的指导方针。它还将开发、设计和建立一个原型流程，首次实现必要的大规模制造后处理。这些双重成分将使MOF的非凡特性得以利用，以缓解现代社会的一些最紧迫的挑战--医疗保健相关感染、抗菌素耐药性和心脏病。因此，该项目符合21世纪产品研究愿景的范畴。MOF是近年来开发的最重要的材料类别之一。它们是通过将金属离子或团簇与有机连接分子连接起来形成延伸网络而形成的纳米多孔固体。其巨大的孔隙率和可接近的表面积(高达5-6,000 m2g-1)使其成为储存和运输用途的绝对理想之选。因此，有大量的学术活动在开发和研究这些材料，用于各种不同的应用，如气体处理(包括碳捕获、氢气和甲烷储存、气体分离、有毒气体捕获)、环境修复和污染预防、催化、能源应用和药物输送。要实现将MOF应用于聚合物产品的全部创新潜力，必须开发合适的方法来结合和加工它们。许多聚合物制品，包括导尿管，都是通过挤出制造的。然而，到目前为止，文献中缺乏关于使用这种技术将MOF加工成基于聚合物的成型产品组分的研究报告。此外，还没有关于这种挤压制品的大规模后处理以实现MOF活化和随后的气体加载的研究，这些步骤对于任何需要气体吸附/释放的应用都是必不可少的步骤。这个项目将解决基于MOF的聚合物制品制造方面的信息缺乏的问题，并将开发MOF作为医用气体一氧化氮(NO)的递送剂的应用作为一个模型应用。NO是一种具有抗菌、血管扩张、抗血栓和伤口愈合特性的生物信号分子。外源性传递NO有可能提供模拟自然过程的先进疗法，并应对紧迫的社会挑战。目前，只有使用前体药物(如硝酸甘油)或直接吸入气体才有可能全身释放NO。然而，这些方法可能会导致不想要的副作用。临床医生长期以来一直在寻求局部和受控的NO输送(例如从植入性设备)，但尚未实现。如果能够成功地将NO释放的MOF加工成适当的装置，它们(由申请者开发)就有可能实现这一目标。例如，成功地融入尿液、心血管和血液透析导管将减少与医疗保健相关的感染，减少心脏病治疗过程中的程序并发症，并降低血液透析过程中的血栓风险。正如目前在MOF应用研究的许多领域中的情况一样，MOF提供的潜在好处的实现取决于成功地开发和了解其加工成最终产品的形式。