Low-Cost, Flexible, Paper-Based Plasma Sanitizer
Invention Summary:
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major challenge facing disease control organizations and healthcare providers worldwide. In 2011, there were 721,800 cases of HAIs reported in the US, with 75,000 patients ultimately dying from the infections. Because a leading cause of HAIs is improper sterilization and disinfection of medical tools and facilities, improved sterilization protocols could drastically reduce the number of HAIs. In order to address this need for improved medical sterilization in hospitals and point-of-care facilities, Rutgers inventors have developed an effective, simple, and inexpensive paper-based plasma sterilizer.
The described sterilizer utilizes the principal of dielectric barrier discharge to allow for atmospheric air plasma sterilization at room temperature. The thin, flexible structure of the device (which is composed of several thin layers of functional materials) makes it adaptable to many different applications, including use as the lining of a sterilization chamber, as paper-based sterilization bags, and even as flexible bandages to facilitate wound healing. Additionally, these plasma sterilizers can be used to quickly sterilize medical equipment and other materials that cannot be chemically disinfected.
Market Applications:
- Medical sterilization
- Food safety and food packaging
- Wound-healing and bandages
- Public-health products
- Laboratory sanitization
Advantages:
- Low-cost, environmentally friendly, disposable & flexible
- Customizable, safe, non-corrosive & fast
- Scalable fabrication
Intellectual Property & Development Status:
US Issued patent 10,646,604 B2. Available for licensing and/or search collaboration. For any business development and other collaborative partnerships contact marketingbd@research.rutgers.edu
Publication:
Paper-based plasma sanitizers. Xie JJ, Chen Q, Suresh P, Roy S, White JF and Mazzeo AD (2017) PNAS, 114:5119.