SBIR Phase I: Fully Bio-Based High-Performance Biomimetic Material for Sustainable Fabric

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种可持续、可扩展和高性能的天然皮革面料替代品。皮革是世界上使用最广泛的织物材料之一，每年通过畜牧业生产超过20亿平方码。动物皮革的生产排放温室气体和用于加工、晒黑和染色动物皮革的有毒化学物质造成的污染。目前的合成替代品是由不可再生的聚合物如聚氨酯和聚氯乙烯制成的，这导致了石化消费和塑料污染。该项目旨在开发一种100%基于生物和环境友好的替代皮革材料，并满足行业对机械、物理和美学性能的要求。通过制造具有卓越性能和质量的复合材料，这项技术有可能减少时尚服装、鞋类、家具和汽车等皮革利用行业对环境的影响。这个SBIR第一阶段项目建议使用仿生方法来开发高性能材料，复制天然皮革的胶原蛋白微结构和特性。目前的合成替代品含有石油衍生的粘结剂或涂层剂。该项目旨在实现以下目标：1)开发新的成分和加工方法，以生产100%的生物基交联材料；2)系统地表征机械、物理和表面属性以评估性能特征；3)展示重复性和可调性，以与行业标准保持一致。这项拟议的技术利用化学交联方面的创新，为下一代可持续织物生产高强度、超耐用、触感柔软的材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 develop a sustainable, scalable, and high-performance alternative to natural leather fabric. Leather is one of the most widely used fabric materials in the world, with over two billion square yards produced through animal agriculture every year. The production of animal-derived leather emits greenhouse gases and pollution from the toxic chemicals used to process, tan, and dye animal hides. Current synthetic alternatives are made of non-renewable polymers such as polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride, contributing to petrochemical consumption and plastic pollution. This project aims to develop an alternative leather material that is 100% bio-based and environmentally friendly, and that meets industry requirements for mechanical, physical, and aesthetic properties. By engineering composite materials with superior performance and quality, this technology has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of leather-utilizing industries such as fashion apparel, footwear, furniture, and automotives. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to use a biomimetic approach to developing high-performance materials that replicate the collagen microstructure and properties of natural leather. Current synthetic alternatives contain petroleum-derived binding or coating agents. This project aims to meet objectives to 1) develop novel compositional and processing methods to produce 100% bio-based crosslinked materials, 2) systematically characterize the mechanical, physical, and surface properties to evaluate performance features, and 3) demonstrate reproducibility and tunability in alignment with industry metrics. The proposed technology leverages innovation in chemical crosslinking to produce high-strength, ultra-durable, soft-to-the-touch materials for the next generation of sustainable fabrics.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.