Auburn University

Engineer Entrepreneur

I-Corp Proposal

Thin Film Nanocomposites of Carbon Nanotubes & Biomaterials

Author:

Melissa Peacock

Supervisor:

Dr. Paul Swamidass

April 28, 2014

Contents

1 Introduction 2

2 Invention Description & Merits 2

3 Commercial Products 3

4 Market 3

5 Business Potential 4

6 Need Addressed 4

7 The Customer 5

8 Current Solutions 5

9 Cost 6

10 Conclusion 7

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1 Introduction

The Innovation Corps Program is part of the National Science Foundation

that offers both mentoring and funding assistance for qualified projects. Grants

of up to $50,000 are awarded for 6-month periods to facilitate research efforts.

Qualified projects should involve scientific or technological innovations from which

society may profit in areas such as Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sci-

ences, Geosciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Biolog-

ical Sciences, Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Education and Human

Resources, and Office of Cyberinfrastructure. Accredited academic institutions in

the United States, Federal Agencies, and Federally Funded Research and Devel-

opment Centers (FFRDCs) are eligible to submit proposals [13].

Auburn University is seeking to commercialize a nanocomposite film inven-

tion developed in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department

of Materials Engineering by professors Dr. Virginia Davis and Dr. Aleksandr L.

Simonian as well as postdoctoral fellow Dr. Dhriti Nepal and Shankar Balasubra-

manian, a graduate student [6].

2 Invention Description & Merits

The nanocomposite films, consisting of carbon nanotubes and biomolecules,

possess strong mechanical properties as well as antimicrobial properties or en-

zymatic activity. Carbon nanotubes, which are known to be stronger than steel,

contribute to the film strength and durability, while the biological element provides

other desired properties, depending on the particular biomaterial included. One

coating that Auburn University constructed included single-walled carbon nan-

otubes (SWNTs) and lysozyme (LSZ), an anti-bacterial polypeptide. Lab studies

showed that surfaces made with these coatings were strong as well as efficient at

exterminating Staphylococcus aureus on contact. Thin films can be fabricated

through various methods, creating more application possibilities and production

cost flexibility [6].

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Figure 1: Carbon Nanotube & Lysozyme Thin Film

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image of carbon nanotube/lysozyme thin

film [6]

3 Commercial Products

Potential commercial products for CNT/biomaterial thin films are antibac-

terial surface coatings that can be used for multiple applications. These coat-

ings would create surfaces that offer sturdy, long-lasting defense against infection-

spreading germs. Possible applications include hospital beds, gym equipment,

computer keyboards, and public transportation [5, 6].

In particular, antibacterial coatings would be ideal for handrails and grab

bars found in public transportation vehicles, especially with the high volume of

people who use public transportation. Americans took approximately 10.5 billion

trips using public transportation in the year 2012, and public transportation has

increased by about 35% in the last 17 years [8].

4 Market

The vast market for this product includes, but is not limited to, hospitals, fit-

ness centers, public transportation businesses, and public schools. As reported by

the American Hospital Association, there are approximately 5,723 U.S. registered

hospitals that contain about 920,829 staffed beds. The hospital market is even

larger if community hospitals, federal government hospitals, psychiatric hospitals,

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and long term care hospitals are considered [10]. Fitness centers, which include

gyms, YMCAs, and community centers are another probable market. The In-

ternational Health, Raquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) estimated there

to be about 30,500 U.S. health clubs in 2012. For the same year, they recorded

approximately 50.2 million U.S. health club memberships. The number of health

clubs and health club members appear to be growing yearly [1]. Other poten-

tial markets may include over 7,300 public transportation organizations as well as

around 99,000 public schools in the United States [7, 8, 9].

5 Business Potential

Due to a variety of applications, there is a large market for this product.

Consequently, there exists a sufficient demand. The total number of registered

hospitals, health clubs, public transportation businesses, and public schools in

the United States sums up to be around 142,523. Taking about 2% of this sum

gives a total of 2850 potential customers. While this is a rather small number,

the customers of this product will have to order large quantities to coat chosen

surfaces. Also, the market is not limited to these types of businesses [6, 11].

The competition for this type of product is very small. Some others are explor-

ing the technology, but it is not commercially available. This type of technology

can only be created by those with specialized expertise related to this field. A

significant risk of this product is the demand not being high enough to outweigh

the cost the of the product. To maintain demand for this product, it will be impor-

tant for the company to hire a research and development team to make continuous

improvements to the surface coating technology [5].

6 Need Addressed

Thin film nanocomposites that consist of CNTs and antibacterial biomaterials

address the need to prevent the spread of infection. This invention would create

more sanitary surfaces in a variety of public places. Hospitals probably possess the

highest need for advanced infection prevention due to several reasons. One reason

is the high number of infectious people in hospitals. Less obvious reasons include

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the high percentage of hospital visitors that become infected by contaminated

surfaces and the development of superbugs such as methicillin-resistant Staphy-

lococcus aureus (MRSA). Infections that are contracted by visiting a healthcare

facility are called healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Approximately 31,000

people die from HAIs every year [7, 12, 15].

7 The Customer

The customer of this invention would likely be a large business or organization

that serves an extensive amount of people. The type of business or organization

would involve people coming in close physical contact with each other or with

shared surfaces. The organization or business must be large-scale in order for the

benefit of incorporating antimicrobial surfaces to outweigh the material costs.

8 Current Solutions

To control the spread of germs in hospitals, hospital workers use clean hand

practices. They wash their hands with soap, alcohol gels, or alcohol foams be-

fore and after coming in contact with a patient. When necessary, they will wear

sterile gloves when caring for a patient. Another way hospitals deal with germs

is by cleaning contact surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant sprays that were

developed to kill harmful bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas

aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica, which are commonly found on hospital sur-

faces [4, 15, 18].

Similarly, fitness centers provide customers with sprays or wipes to clean

equipment after use. Some gyms offer antibacterial sprays to kill germs, while

others offer sprays designed only to eliminate oil and sweat. Because many gyms

leave it up to the customers to clean equipment after themselves, clean surfaces are

definitely not guaranteed. Some customers may not wipe off equipment effectively,

and others may not clean equipment at all [2].

As for public transportation, riders must assume personal sanitary practices

to avoid contact with germs.

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9 Cost

As an estimate, thin films would contain approximately 70% lysozyme and

30% SWNTs. The thickness of the film would range between 5 and 200 nm [5].

Cheap Tubes Incorporated sells 90 wt% single-walled carbon nanotubes at a price

of $8000 per 100 g, which is equivalent to 8 cents per mg. Sigma-Aldrich sells a

ready-to-use lysozyme solution for $83.90 per 10 mg, which is equal to $8.39 per 1

mg. An approximent density of the SWNTs/lysozyme mixture can be taken to be

1.67 gcm3

, the average density of the LSZ solution (LSZ and sodium acetate) and

the SWNTs [3, 14, 16, 17].

The cost of 1 squared meter of film was calculated using a film thickness (H)

of 5 nm (5 107 cm) was calculated.

V olume = LW H (1)where,

L=1 m=100 cm and W=1 m=100 cm

V olume = 100 cm 100 cm (5 107 cm) (2)

V olume = 0.005 cm3 (3)

V olume = 0.005 cm3 =Mass

Density(4)

Mass = V olumeDensity (5)

Mass = 0.005 cm3 1.67 gcm3

(6)

Mass = 0.00835 g = 8.35 mg (7)

70% of 8.35 mg = 5.845 mg LSZ (8)

30% of 8.35 mg = 2.505 SWNTs (9)

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At $8.39 per mg, 5.845 mg of LSZ would cost $49.04. At 8 cents per mg, 2.505

mg SWNTs would cost about 20 cents. Therefore, it would cost about $49.24 for

8.35 mg of the SWNT/LSZ mixture to cover 1 m 1 m of surface area.While it would cost around $50 per square meter of film as far as material

costs, additional costs would exist to fabricate the film. The selling price would

probably be at least $100-$200, depending on the fabrication process. Customers

would likely need to purchase large quantities of the film to cover desired surfaces.

The price of the product would decrease if the materials were purchased in larger

quantities.

10 Conclusion

Carbon nanotube thin films made with biomaterials combines the strength

of single-walled carbon nanotubes and the antibacterial properties of certain en-

zymes. Because of increasing bacterial resistances, there is a need for more sanitary

surfaces. These thin films could be used to coat surfaces found in hospitals, fitness

centers, and schools, as well as many other surfaces, to keep them free of harmful

germs. A large market exists for this type of product since there are numerous

public buildings and public transporation vehicles that would benefit from antimi-

crobial surface coatings. A possible risk in commercializing this product involves

the relatively high cost necessary to produce the film. However, the primary cus-

tomers of this product will likely be large businesses or organizations that can

afford the product and will greatly benefit from such a product.

References

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http://www.ihrsa.org/about-the-industry/

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