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The EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) is an institutional award granted to the University to support knowledge exchange and impact from EPSRC-themed research. The IAA supports 3 types of projects:
1. Collaborative projects
2. Secondments
3. Commercialisation projects
The ECFP team have been awarded a collaborative project with Aqualution and a commercialisation project to develop a University-owned technology called DAINTech.
The collaborative project with Aqualution will be led by Professor David Moore, Chair of Formulation Science. David will work with Aqualution and ECFP researchers to investigate the effect of hypochlorous acid on skin health. The current market is dominated by surfactant or alcoholic hand sanitisers, however anecdotal evidence as well as published studies have shown that these products can cause skin conditions such as dermatitis for some people / patients / consumers. Hypochlorus acid is an alternative, effective active ingredient for hand sanitation and disinfection, and through this project the team will assess whether it has the added benefit of being milder to the skin.
DAINTech is a patented technology developed by Dr Tiffany Wood, Senior Knowledge Transfer Fellow. It is a novel gel system made of a composite nematic liquid crystalline phase with suspended particles or droplets and has demonstrated desirable rheological properties for formulators along with exceptional stability. The formulation can be constructed of solely sustainable raw materials from abundant sources (such as cellulose) and delivers the same offerings to formulators as polymer stabilisers or thickeners. ECFP have secured an IAA commercialisation project to develop DAINTech by gathering further market research and to facilitate easy adoption of the technology in industry.
ECFP is committed to responsible research and innovation, and the successful delivery of both projects will contribute positively to society and the planet. The collaborative research project with Aqualution will enable the general public, industry and clinical practitioners to be better informed regarding the effects of hand sanitisers and disinfectants on skin health. This will give industry the confidence on which active ingredient to focus on to deliver skin-friendly products to market and will empower the public to make more informed choices when selecting which product to go for. The DAINTech commercialisation project will enable industry to consider alternative solutions and move away from fossil fuel-based polymers for stabilising and thickening formulations. This is a multi-sector issue, as highlighted by the Royal Society of Chemistry’s recent roadmap to sustainable polymers in liquid formulations, and DAINTech provides an exciting alternative to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and lessen our contribution of microplastics into the environment.
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Please get in contact with us to find out more about ECFP and whether we can help you.
ECFP delivers fundamental product insight enabling improved formulation and processing for a more sustainable future.