I-Corps: Hemp-derived advanced manufacturing of fabrics

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是电气化织物和防护服的潜在发展。可能的应用可能包括医院，疗养院，学校，酒店，公共交通和拥挤的公共场所的工作人员的制服，以减少病原体的潜在传播。例如，通过静电纺丝制备的大麻并入的纳米纤维聚氨酯膜可用作伤口敷料。 大麻的潜在抗菌特性、其多孔物理结构、透气性和吸收能力可为伤口敷料添加有利特征。大麻纤维素纤维可用于制造许多产品，包括牛仔裤、衬衫、连衣裙、帽子、袋子、绳索和帆布、护肤品、建筑材料和纸张。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种抗菌织物的潜在开发，这种织物可以编织成日常可穿戴服装，个人防护设备或伤口护理敷料。所提出的技术可以包含涂覆有氧化物并且进一步涂覆有活性光催化材料的载流网，以从环境空气中产生羟基自由基。微生物、烟雾颗粒、工业污染物、气味分子和过敏原在暴露于电场后可以在结构上解离成蛋白质片段和天然分子。当悬浮颗粒遇到该技术时，通过对悬浮颗粒施加负或正静电电荷，可以增强净化效果，这可能有助于将颗粒迁移到激活的、含有内部带相反电荷的吸引屏的拆除网。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 I-Corps project is the potential development of electrified fabric and protective clothing. The possible applications may include uniforms for workers at hospitals, nursing homes, schools, hotels, public transportation, and crowded public areas to reduce the potential transmission of pathogens. For example, hemp incorporated nanofibrous polyurethane membrane, prepared by electrospinning, could be employed as wound dressings. The potential antibacterial properties of hemp, its porous physical structure, air permeability, and absorbency capabilities may add advantageous features to wound dressing. The cellulose fiber from hemp is used to make many products, including jeans, shirts, dresses, hats, bags, ropes and canvas, skincare products, building materials, and paper. This I-Corps project is based on the potential development of an anti-microbial fabric that can be woven into day-to-day wearable clothing, personal protective equipment, or wound care dressings. The proposed technology may contain a current-carrying mesh coated with tetrafluoroethylene and further coated with active photocatalytic material to create hydroxyl radicals from ambient air. Microorganisms, smoke particles, industrial pollutants, odor molecules, and allergens could be structurally dissociated into protein fragments and natural molecules after exposure to the electric field. The decontamination may be amplified by either a negative or positive electrostatic charge to the suspended particles as they encounter the technology, which may assist in migrating the particles to the activated, dismantling mesh containing an internal, oppositely charged attraction screen.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.