New Flexible & Strong Hydrogel to Replace Conventional Knee Implants

Duke University researchers have created an experimental gel that is the first to match the strength and durability of the thin, slippery layer of cartilage naturally present between the bones in the knee.

The material is incredibly strong and is made up of 60% water, but a single quarter-sized disc of this material can bear the weight of a 100-pound kettlebell without tearing or losing its shape.

New Material to Withstand Heavy Loads

Its developers say it’s the first hydrogel -- materials made of water-absorbing polymers -- capable of withstanding tugging and heavy loads as well as human cartilage, without wearing out over time.

Led by Duke chemistry and materials scientists Ben Wiley and Ken Gall, the research could one day offer people with knee troubles a replacement for damaged cartilage, and an alternative to the 600,000 knee replacement surgeries performed in the U.S. each year.

Flexible, Strong and Stiff Material

The new hydrogel consists of two intertwined polymer networks: one made of stretchy spaghetti-like strands and the other more rigid and basketlike, with negative charges along their length. These are reinforced with a third ingredient, a meshwork of cellulose fibers.

When the gel is stretched, the cellulose fibers resist pulling and help hold the material together. And when it is squeezed, the negative charges along the rigid polymer chains repel each other and stick to water, helping it spring back to its original shape.



“Only this combination of all three components is both flexible and stiff and therefore strong,” said co-author Feichen Yang, who earned a chemistry PhD in Wiley’s lab.
When the researchers compared the resulting material to other hydrogels, theirs was the only one that was as strong as cartilage under both squishing and stretching.

In one experiment, the team subjected it to 100,000 cycles of repeat pulling, and the material held up just as well as porous titanium used for bone implants, “which exceeded our initial expectations,” said co-author William Koshut, a PhD student in the Gall lab.

They also rubbed the new material against natural cartilage a million times. They found that its smooth, slippery self-lubricating surface is as wear-resistant as the real thing and four times more wear-resistant than synthetic cartilage implants currently FDA-approved for use in the big toe.

Moving the material from the lab to the clinic would take another three years at least. Initial safety tests suggest the material is nontoxic to lab-grown cells. The next step is to design an implant that they can test in sheep.

The research could offer new options for people with knee pain and get them back to doing the things they love without the long recovery times and limited lifetime associated with cartilage repair or knee replacement surgery.

Source: Duke University

Ascend Submits Polymer-based Antimicrobial Technology for FDA Approval

Ascend Performance Materials announces the submission of its first FDA 510 (k) for clearance to market its patent-pending ActeevTM technology in the United States in a medical device, a surgical mask under a new brand called Acteev Biodefend™. Independent laboratory testing has found Acteev materials to achieve greater than 99% efficacy at deactivating bacteria, fungi and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.

Acteev Biodefend Technology to Deactivate SARS-CoV-2

Acteev Biodefend technology has been shown in laboratory tests to deactivate SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and other pathogens including H1N1, coronavirus 229E and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as staphylococcus and E. coli, Dr. Gopal said. The testing was conducted following the protocols of ISO, ASTM or other international standards organizations.

“We’ve partnered with independent labs for comprehensive testing and have reallocated resources to ready ourselves for world-scale production upon receiving regulatory clearance,” said Vikram Gopal, Ph.D., Ascend’s chief technology officer.

Active Zinc Ions Embedded in Polymer Matrix

Acteev technology, covered by more than 15 patent families, embeds active zinc ions into the matrix of a specialty polymer.

“What is unique about Acteev is the marriage between the antimicrobial ingredient like zinc and the specialty polymer that keeps the zinc ions active and bound at all times,” Dr. Gopal said. “Because it isn’t a simple topical finish or coating, the antimicrobial protection can last much longer – it will not flake off or be worn away. And, unlike some other antimicrobials, zinc is environmentally friendly.”

Acteev technology has been tested in multiple end forms, including knit and woven fabrics; engineered plastics; and nanofiber, meltblown and spunbond nonwoven materials.

Acteev Biodefend could provide an answer to the calls to identify an immediate, positive solution to restart the economy and reopen our schools and universities safely.

“The current global scarcity of pathogen-resistant materials is not going to end unless scientists and engineers look for novel ways to face the challenge, and we are proud to submit Acteev Biodefend as a potential solution,” Dr. Gopal said.

Source: Ascend Performance Materials

CompPair Launches Pre-impregnated Textiles to Extend Composite Lifetime

CompPair announces the launch of its semi-autonomous repair solution. It is the result of more than 12 years of thorough research in the Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites (LPAC) at EPFL. The new solution was designed to extend the lifetime of composite structures in industries such as marine, sports, windmill, aerospace and automotive.

New Product to Overcome Repair Time and Costs

The first CompPair product family is a series of pre-impregnated textiles made of glass and carbon fibers, integrating their novel chemistry. When manufacturers build an entire composite structure with CompPair products, using conventional processing techniques, manufacturers can overcome recurring problems such as maintenance repair time and costs.

During their lifetime and the healing phase, composites made with CompPair products, keep structural and lightweight properties, all that with a cost-effective and conventional manufacturing process. CompPair solution allows manufacturers to repair in only a few minutes without adding new components. Composite structures made with CompPair products are healable and durable, bringing additional value for end-users and achieving SDG’s 12 and 13.

CompPair Technologies Ltd. formed a highly complementary team and benefits from the support of innovation grants. They are now fundraising to secure their market entry into the sports and marine industries. CompPair roadmap is to extend its product portfolio to propose their innovative technology globally into the composites industry.

Support and interest were already expressed by various composite segments, and developments are being settled. “We have a scaled-up product; the purpose is now to build marine and sports pilots to secure first sales. Our target is to extend the portfolio up to 7 product families in 2023”, Amaël Cohades, CEO and co-founder of CompPair.

Source: CompPair

Nice-Pak Donates Antibacterial Wipes to Key Workers

Nice-Pak has developed an antibacterial wipe product which it is donating to  hospices, NHS bodies and care homes in the U.K. to help them in the fight against COVID-19. The contribution comes after an increase in demand for hygiene products due to the coronavirus, in particular antibacterial wipes used both in and out of the home.
 Donations have been made to care homes including Rhiwlas Care Home, Bod Hyfryd Care Home (both Flint), Llys Medig Care Home (Denbigh), Hafod y Green (Trefnant)  Fern Lodge (Chester) and Dean Wood Manor (Wigan).

Nice-Pak employees also delivered packs to Flintshire housing, Hope House Hospice, Nightingale House Hospice, Wigan and Leigh Hospice, Halton House Hospice,  Wrightington, Wrexham NHS Command Centre, 11 North West Ambulance Service NHS, Flintshire health and social care workers and residents at Flint tower blocks.
 The company's efforts have  been praised by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham for PPE donations to a local NHS trust.

Deborah Thatcher, HR director at Nice-Pak, says: “We received numerous requests from colleagues and external healthcare organisations for donations to the community. As a result, our teams worked incredibly hard to produce a new antibacterial wipe in just two weeks and donated thousands of packs around the region. Developing and manufacturing a new product can take months, so to complete it in 14 days is a record for the business and reflects the passion of our people to help our communities. We are really pleased to be able to offer our help during this crisis and hope they play a role in keeping people safe.”
 

Tracy Livingstone, director of nursing and patient services at Nightingale House in Wrexham, said: “In these unprecedented times it is humbling for the team at the hospice to have this fantastic support of our work. Knowing that the team at Nice-Pak are helping us in looking after the patients and families in our care as well as our staff members means a great deal to us.”

Rebekah Ashley, IPU manager at Wigan and Leigh Hospice,  says: “The wipes are absolutely crucial to prevent the spread of infection and are being used throughout the hospice building.”

Liz Darley, registered manager at Dean Wood Manor care home, says: “The staff team have found them very helpful to keep infection control standards at the highest standard possible.”

Susie Lunt, senior manager of integrated services, lead adults at Flintshire County Council, says: “Nice-Pak’s kind donation of PPE is being allocated in a co-ordinated approach to health and social care workers across Flintshire who continue to support our older and vulnerable residents.”

Speaking about a coordinated approach to tackling PPE shortages, Mayr Burnham says: “I’m proud of how our partners across Greater Manchester have come together to work in a co-ordinated way to make sure our frontline services have the vital PPE they need to do their jobs and I thank them for their Herculean efforts.”

 Source:Non-wovens Industry

Antibacterial wall cladding plastic sheet for various applications

We are offering the following Medical PPE products for the industries. MEDICAL STANDARD PPE PRODUCTS: 1)FACE SHIELD Material : Poly Propylene, Micron : 175,PET transparent part and Elastic Slotted elastic 2) N95 MASK from Indian manufacturer and also from 3M and others (CE, SITRA, ISO Certified) 3) HAND SANITIZER (We offer 70% Ethanol Hand Sanitizer in 100 ml,200 ml,500 ml,2 litre,5 litre 4) 3 ply mask 5)Glove (Nitrile, Latex) 6)European Antibacterial Plastic Wall Cladding sheet for eliminating CPE, LEGIONELLA, MRSA,E-COLI, SALMONELLA, LISTERIA, etc in your office and residence.

Interested buyers/companies do contact me on here.

MEDICAL STANDARD PPE PRODUCTS FOR INDUSTRIES

We are offering the following Medical PPE products for the industries.

MEDICAL STANDARD PPE PRODUCTS: 1)FACE SHIELD Material : Poly Propylene, Micron : 175,PET transparent part and Elastic Slotted elastic

2) N95 MASK from Indian manufacturer and also from 3M and others (CE, SITRA, ISO Certified)

3) HAND SANITIZER (We offer 70% Ethanol Hand Sanitizer in 100 ml,200 ml,500 ml,2 litre,5 litre

4) 3 ply mask

5)Glove (Nitrile, Latex)

6)European Antibacterial Plastic Wall Cladding sheet for eliminating CPE, LEGIONELLA, MRSA,E-COLI, SALMONELLA, LISTERIA, etc in your office and residence. Interested buyers/companies do contact me on my email rosaram211@gmail.com to have our quote soon..

Study Unveils New Technology to Turn Waste PET into Battery Components

Purdue University researchers have created a technique to turn waste polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most recyclable polymers, into components of batteries.

Ultrafast Microwave Irradiation Process

The researchers use an ultrafast microwave irradiation process to turn PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, flakes into disodium terephthalate, and use that as battery anode material. Researchers are helping to address the growth in the proliferation of renewable energy conversion and storage, which stems from the societal attention and increasing awareness of climate change and energy resource limitation.

The Purdue team tried the approach with both lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells. The lithium-ion technology is currently dominating both the portable electronics and electric vehicles market, sodium-ion battery research also has gained significant attention due to its low cost and appealing electrochemical performance in grid applications.

“The applicability of the microwave technique on organic reactions has gained attention in recent times due to its advantage of the rapid reaction process,” Vilas Pol, a Purdue associate professor said. “We have accomplished the complete conversion of PET to disodium terephthalate within 120 seconds, in a typical household microwave setup.”

Pol said the materials used in the Purdue technology are low-cost, sustainable and recyclable.

Source: Purdue University