KR102326923B1 - Sterilizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus, and more particularly, to a thermoelectric element capable of generating an output voltage of 100 mV or more by heat; a biological heat source capable of supplying heat to the thermoelectric element in contact with one surface of the thermoelectric element; and a sterilization device in which a sterilization active layer in which a sterilization function is activated by an electric current generated from the thermoelectric element is formed on the other side of the thermoelectric element, using a low content of silver nanoparticles by a thermoelectric element using a biological heat source such as animal skin It relates to a sterilizing device capable of exhibiting excellent antibacterial and sterilizing power.

Description

Sterilizing apparatus

The present invention relates to a sterilizing device, and more particularly, to a sterilizing device in which sterilization activity is increased by a thermoelectric element using a biological heat source such as animal skin.

Silver has been known to have an antibacterial effect since ancient times, and in particular, silver colloid refers to a substance in a state of being dispersed in a cluster state (size of 10 nm to 150 nm) in an aqueous solution.

It has been found that these colloidal silver nanoparticles have strong antibacterial activity against about 650 kinds of harmful bacteria and fungi. Silver colloidal particles are easy to penetrate into cells of bacteria and viruses to stop the enzyme action, destroy cell walls, and inhibit the metabolism of bacteria, thereby exhibiting a sterilizing action against various bacteria, viruses and allergic disease bacteria.

In addition, it has been observed that colloidal silver particles do not kill most beneficial bacteria when applied to the human body.

In the United States, colloidal silver solution is recognized as a natural substance that is harmless to the human body registered in the FDA pharmaceutical range, and recently, it is known as a substance that is harmless to the human body or living body enough to function as a food additive as a non-toxic preservative.

As described above, the colloidal silver solution has excellent antibacterial properties and has been proven to be non-toxic to the human body. Currently, in countries around the world, silver particles more effective for antibacterial and eradication of pathogenic bacteria and development of therapeutic agents using them, as well as cosmetics, textiles, wallpaper, and washing machines. Research on the use of silver in various products such as , clothing, etc. is in progress.

In this regard, US Patent Publication No. 2006-0020108 discloses a method for preparing a polyester master batch by mixing and polymerizing glycol containing a silver precursor with terephthalic acid. However, in the above patent, there is a problem in that only a portion of silver is reduced from the silver precursor, so that the antibacterial properties caused by the silver particles may be reduced.

In addition, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-0040949 discloses an antibacterial and deodorizing composition for a tent using a coating solution containing silver nano-sol containing silver particles at a concentration of 500 to 2000 ppm. Although the above document uses a high concentration of silver nanoparticles to maintain the expression and durability of antimicrobial properties, there is a problem that the silver nanoparticles may agglomerate and cause harm to the human body as shown in Non-Patent Document 1.

US Patent Publication No. 2006-0020108 Korea Patent Publication No. 2017-0040949

Sujin Kim and 15 others, research on the toxicity of manufactured silver nanomaterials, National Academy of Environmental Sciences, NIER No. 2010-49-1224

An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilizer capable of exhibiting excellent antibacterial activity by using silver nanoparticles with a low content so as to be harmless to the human body as a result of efforts to solve the above problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization device capable of removing fungi, bacteria or viruses by activating a sterilization function by a thermoelectric element using a biological heat source.

The present invention relates to a thermoelectric element capable of generating an output voltage of 100 mV or more by heat; a biological heat source capable of supplying heat to the thermoelectric element in contact with one surface of the thermoelectric element; and a sterilizing device in which a sterilization active layer in which a sterilization function is activated by a current generated from the thermoelectric element is formed on the other surface of the thermoelectric element.

A polymer cover layer may be additionally formed between the thermoelectric element and the sterilization active layer.

The polymer cover layer may be made of a conductive polymer.

The conductive polymer is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyimide (PI), polyethersulfone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR), polyether imide (PEI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyallylate, polycarbonate (PC), cyclo olefin polymer (COP), cyclo olefin copolymer (COC), cellulose triacetate (CTA), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), nobor It may be at least one selected from the group consisting of nene-based resins and combinations thereof.

The cyclo olefin polymer may be a heterocyclic compound.

The heterocyclic compound may be polypyrrole.

The thermoelectric element may generate an output voltage of 100 to 400 mV.

The thermoelectric element may be made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of SiGe, PbTe, carbon nanotubes, polyaniline (PANI), and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). .

The biological heat source may be the skin of an animal selected from the group consisting of humans, dogs, cats and birds.

The sterilizing active layer may contain 0.01 to 0.1% of nanoparticles of silver (Ag), copper, or a mixed metal thereof.

The bactericidal active layer may be a coating layer or a film layer.

The sterilizer may be to remove 79 to 98% of bacteria.

In addition, the present invention, using the sterilizer, generating an output voltage of 100 mV or more by heat; discharging a sterilizing material from the sterilizing active layer by the generated current; And it provides a sterilization method comprising the step of sterilizing 79 to 98% of the bacteria by the released sterilizing material.

After the generated current passes through the polymer cover layer, the method may further include sterilizing 79 to 98% of bacteria by the sterilizing material released from the sterilizing active layer.

The polymer cover layer may be made of a conductive polymer.

The sterilization device according to the present invention has an advantage in that the sterilization layer including silver nanoparticles is activated by a thermoelectric element using a biological heat source such as animal skin, so that the removal efficiency of fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc. is excellent.

In addition, the sterilizer according to the present invention has the advantage of exhibiting excellent antibacterial activity by using a low content of silver nanoparticles.

In addition, the sterilizer according to the present invention has an advantage in that it is possible to minimize the harmfulness to the human body or animals by using a low content of silver nanoparticles.

Accordingly, the sterilization device according to the present invention is a cell phone case, bracelet, necklace, ring, and other accessories, underwear, bedding, hospital clothes, socks, baby products, etc. that can sense body temperature in direct contact with the skin of an animal. , In particular, it can be usefully used for patients with atopic dermatitis or atopic dermatitis who have dry skin and a risk of infection when exposed to microorganisms.

1 to 3 each show a sterilization apparatus according to an example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the appended drawings is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. The following detailed description includes specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will recognize that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

In some cases, well-known structures and devices may be omitted or shown in block diagram form focusing on core functions of each structure and device in order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present invention.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "comprising or including" a certain element, it means that other elements may be further included, rather than excluding other elements, unless otherwise stated. do. In addition, the term “…unit” described in the specification means a unit that processes at least one function or operation.

Also, "a or an", "one", "the" and like related terms are used differently herein in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the claims that follow). Unless indicated or clearly contradicted by context, it may be used in a sense including both the singular and the plural.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a well-known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in an embodiment of the present invention, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with respect to a sterilization device with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3 each show a sterilization apparatus according to an example of the present invention.

1 is a sterilization device having a structure in which a thermoelectric element 100, a biological heat source 200 on one surface of the thermoelectric element 100, and a sterilization active layer 300 on the other surface of the thermoelectric element 100 are formed.

In general, the thermoelectric element 100 is a device for harvesting energy using a temperature difference, and the thermoelectric element 100 includes a high temperature portion having a relatively high temperature and a low temperature portion having a relatively low temperature. N-type and P-type semiconductor materials are arranged between the high-temperature part and the low-temperature part of the thermoelectric element 100 so that electrons are moved in the N-type material and holes are moved in the P-type material due to the temperature difference between the high-temperature part and the low-temperature part. Energy can be produced according to the Seebeck effect.

In the present invention, the thermoelectric element 100 receives heat from the biological heat source 200 formed on one surface using the Seebeck effect to generate an output voltage of 100 mV or more, preferably an output voltage of 100 to 400 mV. It is good to generate

When the piezoelectric element 100 generates an output voltage of less than 100 mV, the sterilization effect may be reduced due to the low voltage, and if it exceeds 400 mV, the voltage may increase and adversely affect the human body.

The thermoelectric element 100 is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used in the art, but Bi ₂ Te ₃ , SiGe, PbTe, carbon nanotube, polyaniline (PANI), and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) One or more materials selected from the group consisting of polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) may be used. In addition, when the thermoelectric element 100 is made of SiGe or PbTe, the thermoelectric element 100 may be manufactured in a form in which a flexible support is inserted.

In addition, when the thermoelectric element 100 is made of carbon nanotube, polyaniline (PANI) or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) having light weight and excellent mechanical properties, a support having flexibility The thermoelectric element 100 may be inserted or formed in a stacked form on a support.

The support is preferably a material that allows the thermoelectric element 100 to maintain flexible characteristics and has excellent thermal conductivity. For example, silicon (k=150W/mK) may be used.

In addition, the electrode provided in the thermoelectric element 100 may be formed of a metal material through which electricity can flow, for example, it may be formed of a metal thin plate. As a result, the electrode also has the property of being flexibly bent, so that it can be attached very easily to complex shapes such as curved surfaces.

A biological heat source 200 is formed on one surface of the thermoelectric element 100 to supply heat to the thermoelectric element 100 . In this case, the biological heat source 200 may be the skin of an animal body selected from the group consisting of humans, dogs, cats, and birds.

In general, the human body temperature is 36.5 to 37.2 ℃, the dog's body temperature is about 37.9 to 39.9 ℃, the cat's body temperature is about 38 to 39 ℃, the body temperature of the bird is about 40 ℃, the biological heat source 200 is 36 to 40 It is preferable that it is °C. As such, the high temperature part (not shown) of the thermoelectric element 100 absorbs the heat generated from the skin of a person, dog, cat, or bird, and the low temperature part (not shown) generates heat, so that even a small temperature difference of about 20 ° C. can cause

On the other surface of the thermoelectric element 100 , a sterilization active layer 300 in which a sterilization function is activated by electric energy generated from the thermoelectric element 100 is formed.

The sterilization active layer 300 may be formed of a coating layer or a film layer, and may include nanoparticles of silver, copper, or a mixed metal thereof.

In this case, the sterilizing active layer 300 may contain 0.01 to 0.1% of silver (Ag), copper, or mixed metal nanoparticles thereof.

When the metal nanoparticles are included in less than 0.01%, the sterilization power may be reduced, and when the metal nanoparticles are included in an amount exceeding 0.1%, the particles agglomerate and the thickness may be non-uniform and workability may be reduced, which is inefficient in economic terms.

As such, when the sterilization active layer 300 is formed on the other side of the thermoelectric element 100, silver or copper nanoparticles are activated by electrical energy generated from the thermoelectric element and are released as silver or copper ions, and fungi and viruses around the animal body. Alternatively, bacteria can be eliminated.

The sterilization active layer 300 is a thermoelectric element using a coating solution containing silver or copper nanoparticles and a solvent, reverse coating, gravure coating, spin coating, screen coating, fountain coating, dipping, bar coating, and spraying. It can be prepared by applying on (100) and then drying.

In addition, the sterilization active layer 300 is antibacterial, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, etc., in order to maintain thin and even coating properties, iron oxide (Fe ₂ O ₃ , Fe ₃ O ₄ ), manganese dioxide (MnO ₂ ) , permanganate, copper oxide (CuO), copper nitrate (Cu(NO ₃ ) ₂ ·3H ₂ O), sodium borate decahydrate (Na ₂ B ₄ O ₇ ·10H ₂ O), and one selected from the group consisting of ceramics The above particles may be further contained.

When the sterilization active layer 300 is formed as a film layer, a polymer film can be manufactured through a method generally used in the art, and silver or copper nanoparticles having a uniform particle size by minimizing aggregation between silver or copper nanoparticles during film manufacturing A dispersant may be used to form nanoparticles.

In this case, the polymer film may be manufactured by bonding to the thermoelectric element, and in this case, the bonding method may use a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition including a pressure-sensitive adhesive resin generally used in the art. The pressure-sensitive adhesive resin is, for example, an acrylic copolymer, natural rubber, styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) block copolymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer, styrene-ethylenebutylene-styrene (SEBS) block copolymer Common polymers such as coal, styrene-butadiene rubber, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, polyisobutyne, butyl rubber, chloroprene rubber and silicone rubber can be used, and it is preferable to use an acrylic copolymer with easy adhesive strength control. do.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 2 , a polymer cover layer 400 is additionally formed between the thermoelectric element 100 and the sterilization active layer 300 .

Specifically, the sterilization apparatus of FIG. 2 is a case in which the polymer cover layer 400 is formed on the other surface of the thermoelectric element 100, and in the same manner as described in FIG. 1, by the electric energy generated from the thermoelectric element 100. The sterilizing active layer 300 is activated and silver or copper ions are released to have sterilizing power.

In the sterilization apparatus of FIG. 1 according to the present invention, when the sterilization active layer 300 is formed on the other surface of the thermoelectric element 100, thermal conductivity is generated together, and the power generation efficiency may be somewhat reduced. Accordingly, as in the sterilization apparatus of FIG. 2 , by additionally including a polymer cover layer 400 on the other surface of the thermoelectric element 100, the thermal conductivity generated in the thermoelectric element 100 is lowered and the electrical conductivity is increased, thereby increasing the power generation efficiency. deterioration can be prevented.

The polymer cover layer 400 may be made of a conductive polymer, and the material of the conductive polymer is not particularly limited as long as it does not inhibit the antibacterial, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties of the activated metal nanoparticles. Specifically, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyimide (PI), polyether sulfone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR), polyether imide (PEI), polyphenylene sulfide ( PPS), polyallylate, polycarbonate (PC), cycloolefin polymer (COP), cycloolefin copolymer (COC), cellulose triacetate (CTA), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), norbornene At least one selected from the group consisting of resins and combinations thereof may be used.

The conductive polymer is preferably a cycloolefin polymer in consideration of conductivity, price competitiveness, ease of handling, etc., the cycloolefin polymer is more preferably a heterocyclic compound, and the heterocyclic compound is more preferably polypyrrole.

3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, as a polymer cover layer 400 between the thermoelectric element 100 and the sterilization active layer 300, made of polypyrrole, a heterocyclic compound. It has a structure in which the polypyrrole layer 500 is formed.

The polymer cover layer 400 of FIG. 2 or the polypyrrole layer 500 of FIG. 3 may be formed into a film through a method generally used in the art and bonded to the thermoelectric element 100, and the bonding method is As described in FIG. 1 .

The sterilizing active layer 300 is formed on the other surface of the polymer cover layer 400 of FIG. 2 or the polypyrrole layer 500 of FIG. 3 bonded to one surface of the thermoelectric element 100 in this way. By the polymer cover layer 400 of FIG. 2 or the polypyrrole layer 500 of FIG. 3 , thermal conductivity is lowered and electrical conductivity is increased, so that the sterilization power of the sterilization active layer 300 is improved. In addition, by minimizing the content of silver nanoparticles, it is harmless to the human body and has excellent antibacterial activity.

In addition, the thermoelectric element 100 of FIG. 3 and the polypyrrole layer 500 bonded to one surface thereof may have sterilizing activity like the sterilizing device shown in FIG. 1 .

As described above, in the sterilization device according to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the present invention, the sterilization layer is activated by a biological heat source such as an animal skin and a thermoelectric element that generates an electric current from the heat source, so that the removal efficiency of fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc. is excellent. do. Specifically, the sterilizer of the present invention can remove 79 to 98% of bacteria.

On the other hand, the present invention has another technical configuration feature in the sterilization method having the following steps using the sterilization device.

The sterilization method according to the present invention specifically comprises the steps of generating an output voltage of 100 mV or more by heat; discharging a sterilizing material from the sterilizing active layer by the generated current; and sterilizing 79 to 98% of bacteria or viruses by the released sterilizing material.

At this time, the sterilizing material is composed of silver ions or copper ions, which are activated by an electric current and released from the sterilizing active layer.

In addition, the generated current may further include the step of sterilizing 79 to 98% of the bacteria by the sterilizing material released from the sterilizing active layer after passing through the polymer cover layer. The polymer cover layer is preferably made of a conductive polymer. In particular, when the conductive polymer is polypyrrole, it has a positive charge, so it has excellent adhesion to bacteria and can sterilize bacteria present in the vicinity.

Hereinafter, preferred examples are presented to aid the understanding of the present invention, but the following examples are merely illustrative of the present invention, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications are possible within the scope and spirit of the present invention. , it is natural that such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Sterilization active layer containing silver (Ag)

<Preparation Example 1. Preparation of coating solution>

5 g of pure silver (Ag) having a silver content of 99.9% purity or more is pulverized to a nano size (5 to 10 nm) to form fine particles, and the prepared silver fine particles are melted in 1 L of aqueous ammonia and then acid treated to dissolve A silver colloidal solution was prepared. At this time, the silver colloidal solution was prepared to contain 0.05% of silver nanoparticles.

<Preparation Example 2. Film Preparation>

In order to prepare a film containing silver nanoparticles, the coating solution of Preparation Example 1 was coated on an acrylic resin (Aekyung Chemical Co., Ltd., PO-500) to a thickness of 300 Å through a dip coating method to prepare a film.

Sterilization active layer containing copper

<Preparation Example 3. Preparation of coating solution>

Weigh 38.01 g of copper nitrate (Cu(NO ₃ ) ₂ ·H ₂ O (Dongyang Steel Chemical Co.) and transfer it to a 1L beaker, add distilled water and slowly stir to completely dissolve copper nitrate. In another container, 1 mole or more of hydrazine hydrate (N ₂ H ₂ H ₂ O) as a reducing agent is measured to 1 mole of copper nitrate in another container, and a reducing agent is added dropwise while stirring the solution in which copper nitrate is dissolved at a speed of 1,000 rpm to obtain copper powder. An aqueous solution containing 50 ml of distilled water was supplied, 0.5 g of polyvinyl alcohol was added, and then dissolved to prepare a solution containing copper.

At this time, the copper nano solution was prepared to contain 0.05% of copper nanoparticles.

<Preparation Example 4. Film Preparation>

A film containing copper nanoparticles was prepared in the same manner as in Preparation Example 2, except that the coating solution of Preparation Example 3 was used.

Manufacture of sterilizer

<Example 1>

The coating solution containing 0.05% of the silver (Ag) nanoparticles prepared in Preparation Example 1 was _{applied to one side of the Bi 2} Te ₃ thermoelectric module (Huimao; TEC1-012707T125) with Mayer bar No. 20 was uniformly coated to form a bactericidal active layer. The thermoelectric element with the sterilizing active layer was dried at 100° C. for 10 minutes, and the other side of the thermoelectric element was attached to the dog’s back (39° C.). The output voltage and antibacterial activity were measured using the prepared sterilizer.

<Example 2>

A sterilization device was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a polymer cover layer made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer was additionally formed between the thermoelectric element and the sterilization active layer. At this time, the polymer cover layer was applied to a thickness of 10 μm on one surface of the thermoelectric element, and then put into a drying furnace at 80° C. to prepare a sterilizer.

<Example 3>

A sterilization device was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a polymer cover layer made of polypyrrole was additionally formed between the thermoelectric element and the sterilization active layer. At this time, the polypyrrole layer was applied to a thickness of 10 μm on one surface of the thermoelectric element, and then put into a drying furnace at 80° C. to prepare a sterilizer.

<Example 4>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a solution containing 0.05% of the copper nanoparticles prepared in Preparation Example 3 was used.

<Example 5>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2, except that a solution containing 0.05% of the copper nanoparticles prepared in Preparation Example 3 was used.

<Example 6>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 3, except that a solution containing 0.05% of the copper nanoparticles prepared in Preparation Example 3 was used.

<Example 7>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that Preparation Example 2 (a film containing 0.05% silver nanoparticles) was used instead of Preparation Example 1. The film prepared in Preparation Example 2 was bonded to the thermoelectric element using an adhesive made of an acrylic copolymer (AKITACK product, AK Chemtech Co., Ltd.).

<Example 8>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, but using Preparation Example 4 (a film containing 0.05% copper nanoparticles) instead of Preparation Example 3. The film prepared in Preparation Example 4 was bonded to a thermoelectric element using an adhesive made of an acrylic copolymer (AKITACK product, AK Chemtech Co., Ltd.).

<Example 9>

A sterilization device was manufactured by attaching a heat source at 28° C. to the other side of the thermoelectric element, except that it was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1.

<Comparative Example 1>

A sterilizer was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a thermoelectric element was not provided and Preparation Example 2 (a film containing 0.05% silver nanoparticles) was used.

<Comparative Example 2>

A sterilization device was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2, except that a thermoelectric element was not provided.

<Comparative Example 3>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a coating solution containing 0.008% silver (Ag) nanoparticles was used.

<Comparative Example 4>

A sterilizer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a coating solution containing 1% of silver (Ag) nanoparticles was used.

<Experimental example>

The output voltage and antibacterial performance were evaluated using the sterilizer according to the above Examples and Comparative Examples.

1. Output voltage measurement

A film heater (5A/40W) having a size of 40 mm × 40 mm was installed in the high temperature part of the thermoelectric element, and the temperature of the high temperature part was adjusted to 37°C. In addition, an electric load (KIKUSUI PLZ334W) was used to measure the thermoelectric power generation performance of the thermoelectric element, and the generation current was sequentially increased and the generation voltage in the steady state was recorded using a data collection device (Yokogawa DA100).

In addition, a groove was machined in an aluminum block (heat spreader) installed adjacent to both ends of the thermoelectric module and a thermocouple (T-type) was inserted to measure the temperature of the high temperature and low temperature parts of the thermoelectric module. The output voltage was measured while controlling the temperature change of the high temperature part and the low temperature part of the thermoelectric module to ±0.1°C as the generation current was increased, and it is shown in Table 1 below.

division Output voltage (mV) Example 1 195 Example 2 268 Example 3 365 Example 4 179 Example 5 248 Example 6 350 Example 7 269 Example 8 252 Example 9 25 Comparative Example 1 0.15 Comparative Example 2 0.2 Comparative Example 3 185 Comparative Example 4 190

2. Antibacterial performance evaluation

For the microbial experiment for antimicrobial evaluation, an appropriate medium was prepared and only microorganisms suitable for the purpose of the experiment were purely cultured. In addition, reagents, glassware, etc. were all autoclaved at 121° C. for 15 minutes, or filtered and sterilized using a filter (pore size 0.2 to 0.45 μm).

As an indicator microorganism for antimicrobial evaluation, antibacterial properties were tested against Escherichia Coli (ATCC 15597). The strain is cultured in an incubator at a speed of 150 to 200 rpm at 37 ° C., and then 0.3 ml of a solid medium (trypticase soy agar, 29 ml) is plated on a Petri dish (petri dish, 150 mm), Incubated at 37° C. for 12 to 18 hours (overnight).

Put a specimen having a size of 10 × 10 × 1 mm, which is a filter according to the present invention, in a Petri dish inoculated with the strain, and after culturing at 25° C. for 50 minutes, counting colonies according to the following Equation 1, Equation 1 According to 2, the antimicrobial properties (%) were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

[Equation 1]

N: Colony forming unit per milliliter (CFU/ml)

CFU: Total number of colonies in Petri dish

α: Bacterial injection amount (ml)

d _i : dilution factor

[Equation 2]

(%)IE: Deactivation efficiency

N _treated : colony forming units per milliliter of sample with thermoelectric element

N _control : control (sample without thermoelectric element)

division Bacteria count after 50 minutes
(CFU/ml) control compared to control
Bacteria reduction rate (%) Example 1 2.52 Comparative Example 1 79 Example 2 1.80 Comparative Example 1 85 Example 3 0.24 Comparative Example 1 98 Example 4 4.51 Comparative Example 2 78 Example 5 2.87 Comparative Example 2 86 Example 6 1.23 Comparative Example 2 94 Example 7 2.16 Comparative Example 1 82 Example 8 4.1 Comparative Example 2 80 Example 9 10.21 Comparative Example 1 15 Comparative Example 1 12.01 Comparative Example 1 0 Comparative Example 2 20.5 Comparative Example 2 0 Comparative Example 3 9.0 Comparative Example 1 25 Comparative Example 4 3.0 Comparative Example 1 75

As shown in Table 1, in Examples 1 and 2, compared with Comparative Examples 1 and 2, it can be seen that the bacterial removal rate by the thermoelectric element using a heat source similar to the body temperature of humans and animals was 79% and 85%, respectively. In particular, it can be seen that in the sterilization apparatus including the polymer cover layer made of polypyrrole of Example 3, the content of silver nanoparticles removed at least 98% of bacteria.

On the other hand, as in Comparative Example 3, even when a sterilizer equipped with a thermoelectric element using a heat source similar to the body temperature of a human or an animal was used, the antibacterial activity was hardly measured in the sterilizer with a low silver content.

In addition, in Comparative Example 4, the content of silver nanoparticles was increased, but the antibacterial activity was lower than in Example 4, indicating that the antibacterial activity was lowered due to aggregation between particles.

In addition, it can be seen that through Examples 4 to 6, even when the sterilizing active layer containing copper nanoparticles was used, antibacterial activity similar to that using silver nanoparticles was exhibited.

In addition, through Examples 7 and 8, it can be seen that the sterilization device formed by bonding the sterilization active layer to the thermoelectric element in the form of a film also has antibacterial activity.

In Example 9, the antibacterial activity was evaluated when the thermoelectric element was attached to a heat source similar to room temperature, but the output voltage was low due to a small temperature difference, and thus the antibacterial activity was low.

Accordingly, the sterilization device according to the present invention is a cell phone case, bracelet, necklace, ring, and other accessories, underwear, bedding, hospital clothes, socks, baby products, etc. that can sense body temperature in direct contact with the skin of an animal. , In particular, it can be usefully used for patients with atopic dermatitis or atopic dermatitis who have dry skin and a risk of infection when exposed to microorganisms.

The description of the present invention described above is for illustration, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a dispersed form, and likewise components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

100: thermoelectric element
200: biological heat source
300: sterilization active layer
400: polymer cover layer
500: polypyrrole layer

Claims (15)

a thermoelectric element capable of generating an output voltage of 100 mV or more by heat;
a biological heat source capable of supplying heat to the thermoelectric element in contact with one surface of the thermoelectric element; and
and a sterilization active layer formed on the other side of the thermoelectric element, the sterilizing function being activated by the current generated from the thermoelectric element.
The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a polymer cover layer is additionally formed between the thermoelectric element and the sterilization active layer.
The sterilization device according to claim 2, wherein the polymer cover layer is made of a conductive polymer.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the conductive polymer is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyimide (PI), polyethersulfone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR), polyether imide (PEI) , polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyarylate (polyallylate), polycarbonate (PC), cyclo olefin polymer (COP), cyclo olefin copolymer (COC), cellulose triacetate (CTA), cellulose acetate propionate ( CAP), a sterilizer, characterized in that at least one selected from the group consisting of norbornene-based resins and combinations thereof.
The sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein the cyclo olefin polymer is a heterocyclic compound.
The sterilizer according to claim 5, wherein the heterocyclic compound is polypyrrole.
The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element generates an output voltage of 100 to 400 mV.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element is at least one selected from the group consisting of SiGe, PbTe, carbon nanotubes, polyaniline (PANI) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). Sterilization device, characterized in that made of material.
The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological heat source is the skin of an animal selected from the group consisting of humans, dogs, cats and birds.
The sterilization device according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization active layer contains 0.01 to 0.1% of nanoparticles of silver (Ag), copper, or a mixed metal thereof.
The sterilization device according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization active layer is a coating layer or a film layer.
The sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the sterilizer removes 79 to 98% of bacteria.
Using any one of the sterilizers selected from 1 to 12,
generating an output voltage of 100 mV or more by heat;
discharging a sterilizing material from the sterilizing active layer by the generated current; and
Sterilization method comprising the step of sterilizing 79 to 98% of bacteria by the released sterilizing material.
The sterilization method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of sterilizing bacteria by 79 to 98% by the sterilizing material released from the sterilizing active layer after the generated current passes through the polymer cover layer.
The sterilization method according to claim 14, wherein the polymer cover layer is made of a conductive polymer.

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