PFI-TT: Exploring Nanocellulose Based Foams for Low-Cost, Single-Use, Biodegradable Medical Patient Support and Positioning Applications

创新伙伴关系-技术转化（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力包括帮助医疗保健行业实现感染控制和减少浪费的目标，并从长期来看，帮助控制成本和改善医疗保健结果。拟议的项目将开发具有成本效益、一次性使用和完全可堆肥的医疗级材料，能够取代每年焚烧或填埋的石油基聚氨酯泡沫。该项目对缅因州有特殊的好处，该州在两年的时间里关闭了六家纸浆和造纸厂，对当地社区的经济健康造成了灾难性的影响。该团队建议使用由木材生物质（木质纤维素/木渣/纳米纤维素）制成的泡沫作为该州的重要支点，在该州的大多数农村地区创造就业机会。该项目是扩大利用国家丰富的生物质资源，同时最大限度地提高经济、社会和环境效益的一个例子。建议的创业领导力培训活动将直接使学生参与者受益，他们未来的活动将对这些社区产生可衡量的影响。拟议的项目将解决医疗保健行业对具有成本效益的一次性和完全可堆肥的医疗级材料的主要需求，这些材料能够取代每年焚烧或填埋的数千万吨石油基聚氨酯泡沫。木质纤维素泡沫塑料是一种碳正、绿色的聚氨酯替代品，在某些定位应用中可以取代现有的材料，前提是达到一定的柔软/弹性目标，并且可以充分证明大规模生产。该项目的研究目标是：1)探索使用“绿色”氢键破坏增塑剂和润湿剂，在保持堆肥性的同时改善机械性能；2)评估微波脱水的可行性并优化处理条件，使其成为一种更有效、更经济可行的方法，以生产具有工业意义的物理尺寸的生物质材料。这种配方方法可以生成200种材料变体以及相应的力学评估数据。将确定形成和脱水这些材料所需的微波处理参数，以及样品体积上潜在的热量和材料传递限制。总之，这些数据将告知将这种材料系统转化为实践的可行性。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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project includes the ability to help the healthcare industry meet infection control and waste mitigation goals and, over the long-term, to help control costs and improve healthcare outcomes. The proposed project will develop cost-effective, single-use and fully compostable, medical grade materials capable of replacing petroleum-based polyurethane foams that are either incinerated or landfilled annually. The project has benefits specific to the state of Maine, where the closure of six pulp and paper mills in a two-year period has been disastrous for the economic health of local communities. The team proposes the use of foams for patient positioning made from wood biomass (lignocellulose/wood residue/nanocellulose) as an important pivot for the state, creating jobs in the most rural parts of the state. This project is one example of expanding the use of the nation’s abundant biomass resources while maximizing economic, social and environmental outcomes. The proposed entrepreneurial leadership training activities will directly benefit the student participants, whose future activities will have measurable impact in these communities.The proposed project will address a major demand in the healthcare industry for cost-effective single-use and fully compostable, medical grade materials capable of replacing tens of millions of tons of petroleum-based polyurethane foams that are either incinerated or landfilled annually. Lignocellulosic based foams are carbon positive, green alternatives to polyurethane that could replace existing materials in some positioning applications provided that certain softness/elasticity targets are achieved and that production at bulk scale can be sufficiently demonstrated. The research objectives of this project are: 1) to explore the use of “green” hydrogen-bond disrupting plasticizers and wetting agents, to achieve improved mechanical properties while maintaining compostability, and 2) to assess the feasibility of and optimize the processing conditions for the use of microwave dewatering as a more efficient and economically viable approach to produce biomass materials at an industrially meaningful physical size. This approach to formulation could generate 200 material variants as well as corresponding mechanical assessment data. The microwave processing parameters necessary to form and dewater these materials, as well as potential heat and material transfer limitations on sample volume, will be determined. Together these data will inform the feasibility of translating this material system into practice.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.