Cognitronic Lab-on-a-chip research group

The importance of antimicrobial membranes has significantly grown during the recent COVID pandemic era. Nanofibrous antimicrobial membranes have seen novel applications in biomedicine, such as face masks against viral threats or wound dressings used in chronic patient care. Composite electrospun nanofiber meshes are convenient to use as antimicrobial membranes. At present, the lack of automated, inline quality control limits both the pilot and large scale production of multi-material multilayer composite membranes. The alternative, manual re-calibration greatly limits production throughput and thus commercial viability. The goal of this R&D activity is to create technology for scalable inline quality control of electrospun nanofiber meshes. Using cognitive electronics, the system will be capable of continuous multiparameter monitoring and electrospinning process control to maintain optimal product quality and distribution.