SBIR Phase I: Desktop Plug-and-Play Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Sterilizers for Personal Protective Equipment (COVID-19)

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是实现个人防护设备（PPE）的消毒。 全球应对COVID-19疫情的措施凸显了N95口罩和个人防护装备的严重短缺，这可以通过对设备进行消毒来缓解。这已经在大型拖车和房间大小的设施中得到了有效的证明，但是这些大型单元每个成本超过100万美元，需要大量的设施改造，并且具有严格的操作要求。另一种方法是提供类似于医院和临床环境中通常使用的普遍存在的蒸汽灭菌器的台式灭菌器。 本项目将开发一种台式即插即用的汽化过氧化氢消毒器，以低成本在30分钟内对个人防护设备进行消毒。 这些可以部署在整个医疗设施中，而不需要实质性的房间改造或限制访问的房间。该SBIR第一阶段项目建议开发和演示台式即插即用汽化过氧化氢灭菌器。汽化过氧化氢（VHP）是一种经过验证的灭菌剂，对病毒、细菌、酵母菌和细菌孢子具有广谱有效性。传统的VHP灭菌器是使用浓缩H2 O2筒来产生所需的750 ppm VHP浓度的大型装置。由于这些装置使用浓缩H2 O2罐，因此所产生的系统具有重要的过程控制和操作以保持安全操作，设计结果使得难以将该技术扩展到更小的经济台式装置。为了生产更安全的桌面消毒装置，该计划将开发一种新的化学反应器，可以直接在蒸气状态下生产过氧化氢，而不使用危险化合物或危险的反应条件。将对催化剂、反应区域和操作条件进行优化，以产生浓度高于750 ppm的汽化过氧化氢。将开发其他组件以安全操作灭菌器，包括H2 O2浓度和相对湿度传感器，以及催化H2 O2分解反应器，以将残留H2 O2分解为水和氧气。 这些组件将与新的安全操作控制算法一起沿着集成到台式灭菌器单元中。该奖项反映了NSF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) project is to enable sterilization of personal protective equipment (PPE). Global response measures to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted severe shortages of N95 masks and PPE, which could be alleviated by sterilizing the equipment. This has been demonstrated effectively in large trailers and room-size facilities, but these large units are cost more than $1 M each, require substantive facility modifications, and have strict operational requirements. An alternative approach is to provide desktop sterilizers resembling the ubiquitous steam sterilizers typically used in hospitals and clinical settings. This project will develop a desktop plug-and-play vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilizer unit to decontaminate PPE within 30 minutes at low cost. These could be deployed throughout a medical facility without requiring substantive room remodeling or restricted access rooms. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop and demonstrate a desktop plug-and-play vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilizer. Vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) is a proven sterilant that exhibits broad-spectrum efficacy against viruses, bacteria, yeasts and bacterial spores. Conventional VHP sterilizers are large units that use concentrated H2O2 cartridges to produce the requisite 750 ppm VHP concentration. Because these units use concentrated H2O2 canisters, the resulting systems have significant process controls and operations to maintain safe operation, design consequences that make it difficult to scale the technology to smaller economical desktop units. Toward producing safer desktop sterilization units, a new chemical reactor will be developed in this program that can produce hydrogen peroxide directly in the vapor state without using hazardous compounds or dangerous reaction conditions. Optimization of the catalysts, reaction area, and operating conditions will be conducted to produce vaporized hydrogen peroxide at concentrations upwards of 750 ppm. Additional components will be developed to safely operate the sterilizer including H2O2 concentration and relative humidity sensors, and a catalytic H2O2 decomposition reactor to breakdown residual H2O2 to water and oxygen. These components will be integrated into a desktop sterilizer unit, along with new control algorithms for safe operation.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.