I-Corps: Portable/hand-held fine fiber making device

The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg TX

Investigators

Abstract

Researchers have developed a hand-held device that produces non-woven nanofiber (NF) mats in the absence of electrical forces. This device can do melt and solution spinning and since it does not require electric fields, it broadens the variety of materials that can be spun into NFs. The technology was recently introduced as a method that through centrifugal forces drives the material through a set of designed orifices within a spinneret. It may provide an opportunity to produce bioactive NF mats from different biomaterial solutions for wound dressings and hemorrhage control. The device has the ability to produce NFs from organic and inorganic solutions and melt for applications such as filtration, textiles, aerospace and aeronautics industries and additional applications as well. This project will look into further establishing a proof of concept for the technology. The development of a portable device which can produce a high yield in seconds and does not need dielectric solutions or any applied electrostatic field in situations where soldier/civilian safety is crucial and has the potential to open new doors for hemostatic materials and systems. Materials produced by this device can be used for the healing of wounds and for the treatment of active deep wounds as well as active large surface and shallow wounds provides potential benefits to soldier and civilian trauma/surgery procedures.