College of Engineering Blog

Day: June 10, 2024

Multidisciplinary Team Publishes on Self-Disinfecting Coating

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ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces cover.

Professors Bruce Lee (BioMed) and Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) are co-authors of a new paper published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The paper is titled “Utilizing Rapid Hydrogen Peroxide Generation from 6-Hydroxycatechol to Design Moisture-Activated, Self-Disinfecting Coating.”

The paper describes the use of a novel biomimetic coating that could be activated to generate disinfectant when wetted, such as by moisture found in respiratory droplets. This moisture-activated coating was demonstrated to disinfect various strains of bacteria and viruses and can potentially be used as a self-disinfecting coating to limit the spread of various types of infections.

Ph.D. student Fatemeh Razaviamri (biomedical engineering) is the lead author of this paper. Additional co-authors are Sneha Singh ’23 (M.S. Chemical Engineering), postdoctoral researcher James Manuel (BioMed), Ph.D. student Zhongtian Zhang (biomedical engineering) and laboratory technician Lynn M. Manchester (ChE).

Fatemeh Razaviamri, Sneha Singh, James Manuel, Zhongtian Zhang, Lynn M. Manchester, Caryn L. Heldt, and Bruce P. Lee
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16, 21, 26998–27010
Publication Date: May 15, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c00213

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MTU Team Competes in NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge

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Earlier this month a team of students from Michigan Technological University won the Judge’s Choice for Design in the 2024 National Fluid Power Association Fluid Vehicle Challenge, a national competition.

Competing with 21 other universities from all over the country, the Michigan Tech team set out to design, build, and test a bicycle powered by pneumatics. This requires an in depth understanding of fluid power, pneumatic fittings, and electronic control systems.

The contest, dubbed “Hydraulics, Meets the Bicycle,” combines human-powered vehicles along with fluid power and consists of three races—sprint, endurance, and efficiency.

Despite not winning any races, this year the MTU team was a design champion for the competition.

Lukas Hensely, Cheyenne Goff, Collin Little, Tate Newlin, and Isaac Steers made up the winning team. All are students in Michigan Tech’s Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology. The fluid-powered bike project also served as their senior design project, required for graduation.

MMET Senior Lecturer David Wanless advised the team. Joe Jackan, Jarp Industries, served as the team mentor. Sponsors this year in addition to NFPA, were Iowa Fluid Power and Jarp Industries.

The competition includes race results, two design reviews, conference participation and a final presentation.

Be sure to check out the team’s NFPA presentation video.

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