University of Cincinnati's Physical Sciences Technologies Available for Licensing

106035 - Novel Mercury (and other metal) Vapor Sorbents

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Neville Pinto and his laboratory have developed a material to remove metal vapors from gas streams, particularly mercury.

Coal-fired power plants are the largest single man-made source of mercury pollution in the U.S. (approximately 48 tons of mercury annually, or about one-third of the total US anthropogenic mercury emissions). Mercury from coal-fired power plants is released into the air through the exhaust system when coal is burned. The primary exposure occurs when this mercury falls to the earth and runs into lakes, rivers, and streams and contaminates the fish, which subsequently contaminates humans when they eat these fish and shellfish. Coal-fired power plants also produce fly ash; the EPA has in recent decades required that fly ash be captured prior to release. This fly ash is also contaminated with mercury. Currently coal-fired power plants have taken to use activated carbon to trap mercury emissions. Activated carbon, often impregnated with iodine or sulfur, is widely used to trap mercury emissions from coal fired power stations, medical incinerators, and from natural gas at the wellhead.

UC has developed a sorbent that captures mercury for use in a coal-fired power plant. The UC sorbent can be produced from commercially available raw materials without the need for any exotic chemistry. This sorbent consists of a base of silica which has been functionalized and coated. The coating is a chemically active environment for reaction with mercury vapor. UC has observed Hg(II) capacity of up to 58 mg/g adsorbent at 160°C and thermal stability up to 200°C in lab testing (miligram quantities). UC is currently testing the sorbent (hundred gram quantities) in an EPA test facility in Research Park Triangle, NC. Based on UC's research the sorbent will cost less than activated charcoal (approximately 70-90% less). In addition the technology is greener because it minimizes secondary wastes and secondary emissions as well as reducing the amount of contamination in fly-ash. The sorbent also has the capability to be adapted to being used for other metal vapors, such as lead, zinc and cadmium.

In conclusion, UC investigators have developed a novel sorbent to remove mercury from flu gas which has high selectivity for mercury (both Hg(II) and Hg0), is capable of extended operation, minimizes secondary wastes and secondary emissions, costs less than $1000/lb Hg.

108095 - Optical Sensor For Water Contaminants

ellen.banks@uc.edu (Ellen Banks) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

An optical sensor for detecting anions in water has been developed at the University of Cincinnati and is available for licensing.

Critical attention will be paid to clean water technologies given water’s importance in everyday life. In 2007, Advanced Water Technologies, Inc., a company dedicated to coordinating efforts of companies within the water industry, predicted the total world water and processing market to be $400 billion with an expected growth to exceed $544 billion by 2015. Unfortunately, the water tests currently available to meet the growing need for contaminant detection are expensive and time-consuming because of the necessity for laboratory analysis.

Professor Connick and his students at the University of Cincinnati have created a solid state anion sensor which provides a colorimetric and luminescence response and/or undergoes fundamental changes in other physical properties upon exposure to specific anions. This technology is ideally suited for on-site, in-situ, real-time monitoring of anionic contaminants. One formulation of this innovative material possesses extraordinary chemical selectivity toward perchlorate, which is exceptionally difficult to detect. More specifically, the technology has been utilized to detect the presence of perchlorate within a wide range of solutions, including: river water, milk, and other aqueous solutions containing common interferents (e.g., phosphate, sulfate, nitrate, carbonate, chloride, bromide, iodide, and fluoride).

The proposed technology offers several benefits. The sensor material is inexpensive, and the technology provides rapid on-site detection without cumbersome electronics or additional lab analysis. Easily incorporated into existing sensor devices, the technology can be used to complement devices that make use of conventional analytical technologies, such as visible absorption and luminescence spectroscopy, photodiodes, light-emitting devices (LEDs), and/or quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) methods. Moreover, because the sensor provides a colormetric response, the technology could be utilized in a manner similar to pH paper test strips, which change color in response to varying levels of pH.

094035 - Item Number 246 - Forming Crystalline Silicone Carbide Semiconductors on a Semiconductor-On-Insulator Structure

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Cincinnati, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineeringhave developed an invention that allows for the cost-effective formation of large size, high quality silicon carbide semiconductor-on-insulator substrates. Silicon carbide (SiC) is useful for applications requiring high operating conditions of temperature, speed, power or radiation. For these purposes, SiC has several material properties superior to silicon including:

wider bandgap
higher breakdown electric filed
higher thermal conductivity

However, the cost of bulk SiC crystals is extremely high and thus the size of SiC wafers is still limited to approximately 25-50 nm diameter. This new technology can reduce the effective SiC material cost drastically and provide great flexibility for exploring the potential offered by SiC in many application areas, such as:

high frequency
radiation hard devices
visible optical waveguides
planar displays

We believe that this technology which provides an economical basis for the manufacture of large area SiC semiconductor-on-insulator wafers, will have outstanding commercial significance. We are seeking a company to commercialize this technology.

104022 - Liquid Core Capsules via Interfacial Free Radical Polymerization

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This method creates liquid core capsules using interfacial free radical polymerization.

109100 - Method of Detection of Heparin Adulteration

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Stalcup and her laboratory have developed a specific, rapid, and cost-effective assay of heparin based on the induction of a unique spectroscopic signal into a chemical probe.

Background:Recent episodes of heparin adulteration resulted in numerous reports of severe adverse reactions and more than 80 deaths. The molecular weight range of heparin and the natural variation in both degree and sites of sulfation make a specific assay by conventional means difficult, expensive, time-consuming, and not easily interpreted. Some markers of adulteration may be detected by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. Originally, the most definitive assay was clotting time. However, unscrupulous suppliers exploited the non-specific nature of clotting-based assays by adding semi-synthetic analogues with heparanoid activity. Indeed, the FDA recently identified oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) as a likely adulterant. The proposed work addresses the urgent need for improved technologies for rapid screening of heparin samples.

The UC discovery is that complexation between heparin and a judiciously selected probe analyte will perturb the spectroscopic signal of the probe, and that the extent of this perturbation is related to heparin concentration expressed as equivalent disaccharide. Unlike most polysaccharides, heparin is not only sulfated, but has a unique helical structure. We exploit this unique feature. Chondroitin sulfate and other sulfated polysaccharides do not respond to our chemistry and can’t be used to generate false positive heparin activity in our assay.

Advantages:
The advantages of our rapid assay is that it:

is robust
is inexpensive
is easy to use
can rapidly identifies likely compromised lots
can drastically reduce the number of samples requiring MS or NMR analysis.

107093 - Novel Molecules for Shiga Toxin Detection

Ellen.Monson@uc.edu (Ellen Monson) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, are emerging pathogens of major importance. E. coli O157:H7 alone causes an estimated 70,000 cases of disease per year in the United States. Disease caused by E. coli O157:H7 is characterized by diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and the potentially fatal complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Shiga toxin (Stx) is a major virulence factor of E. coli O157:H7 and has been included as a Select Agent of Biothreat agent list.

The pathogenic potential of an E. coli isolate is dependent on the type of Shiga toxin it produces. There is an urgent need for diagnostic agents that can discriminate between Stx1 and the deadlier form, Stx2, for effective intervention and the prevention of future outbreaks. Furthermore, closely related variants of Stx2 also differ in pathogenic potential. Commercially available diagnostic tests for Shiga toxin distinguish between Shiga toxin variants based on antigenic differences, not pathogenic potential. Thus, a test that distinguishes between Shiga toxin variants based on pathogenic potential represents significant advancement in diagnostic and therapeutic value for affected patients.

Invention

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have developed novel, glycoconjugate ligands which mimic the natural receptors and exhibit specific and differential binding toward Shiga toxin variants based on biological activity. These glycoconjugates can be used as robust, specific, high affinity ligands for the detection and possibly treatment of Shiga toxin mediated disease. Additionally, the methods used to make and screen these glycoconjugates represent a platform technology that can be applied to many other toxins, viruses and bacteria. A patent application has been filed that includes novel compositions, methods for making and methods for screening glycoconjugates.

Advantages

Glycoconjugates distinguish Shiga toxin variants based on biological activity, not antigenicity and unlike antibodies, glycoconjugates are insensitive to genetic drift.
Glycoconjugates can be used in several assay platforms including ELISA and sensor arrays.
Glycoconjugates have superior thermal and chemical stability compared to antibodies.
No cross reactivity or false positives are expected with this class of compounds.

103009 - Energy Aware Multi-path Routing for Uniform Power Consumption in Sensor networks

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In a sensor network where every node has a limited energy supply, one of the primary concerns is to maximize the network lifetime through energy-efficient routing. The method of the present invention includes a deterministic traffic scheduling algorithm that balances the load over multiple paths between source and destination, in proportion to their residual energy. This protocol focuses on uniformly utilizing the resources of the network, rather than on optimality of routes.
Most existing sensor network routing protocols optimize for single or shortest path routing. This accelerates the failure of nodes lying along the often used optimal paths, thus adversely affecting the connectivity and hence life of the network.

103007 - Compositions and Methods for Targeted Drug Delivery

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The present invention relates to synthetic host-rotaxanes, and in particular to novel synthetic host-rotaxanes that engage in molecular recognition events with a guest molecule to yield a host-guest complex. The present invention includes methods and compositions for transporting agents and macromolecues across biological membranes.
Although recent advances in drug delivery methods have produced active peptide and protein-based drugs, the technology suffers from a lack of suitable delivery systems. Among the problems of existing delivery systems is poor absorption of peptides through cellular membranes. The host-rotaxane of the present inventions shows almost DMSO-like ability to penetrate a cell membrane and deliver desired constituents to a cell.

102080 - The Magnetic Hip Joint For Reduction of Friction

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When pain due to severe osteoarthritis as well as conditions such as inflammatory arthropathies, post traumatic arthritis, vascular necrosis, and childhood diseases of the hip becomes intractable and, recalcitrant to conservative non-surgical management including medication and activity modifications, total hip replacement (THR) is an extremely effective option. It relieves debilitating pain and restores function to hips. Over 120,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the United States alone. .
However, the longevity of THR is limited by periprosthetic osteolysis. Periprosthetic osteolysis is defined as bone resorption about a prosthetic joint, which occurs as the biological response to particular wear debris from the prosthetic joint. It is the most common and most important long-term complication of THR. The failure of THR necessitates difficult revision THR.
We, at the University of Cincinnati, have developed the technology, which will make Periprosthetic osleolysis a thing of the past. The new approach developed here will prevent/reduce contact at the femoral head /acetabulum and thus significantly reduce generation of particular wear debris and its resultant periprosthetic osteolysis.

Advantages:
1. Commercialization of this technology offers great opportunity to address the needs of a vast population of patients suffering from various joint problems, which are beyond non surgical management; waiting for a solution like this one, which offers effective, long-term cure to the pain.
2. The use of magnetic levitation significantly decreases the generation of particular wear debris. Thus by elimination of particular wear debris from the femoral head/acetabulum in THR and the potential to significantly extend the clinical lifespan of THR.
3. Use of magnetic levitation eliminates/reduces the need for a revision THR. The revised THR is not just more complex, difficult and problematic than the primary THR due in great part to the loss of bone stock caused by osteolysis; its results are generally less satisfactory than primary THR.

102076 - Controlled Mixing and Penetration in a Swirling Jet Injector

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Swirl is used in combustion systems to enhance mixing and provide flame stabilization in both subsonic and supersonic flows. In high-speed flow, compressibility effects reduce amplification rates of the span wise vortices and increase 3 dimensional instabilities, thereby producing preferential stream wise vortices. These vortices are less effective in entraining ambient flow into the mixing layers; therefore energy extraction from the mean flow is reduced and less energy is being transferred to small-scale vortical structures through vortex stretching. As a result, the turbulent energy is reduced universally.
The technology developed at University of Cincinnati is a novel fuel ejection technique, which will increase the initial penetration of the swirling fuel jet and increase mixing.

Advantages

Efficient combustion and other mixing applications require a combination of high penetration that requires concentrated momentum and intense mixing that necessitates distributed momentum. These are contradictory requirements. The swirl-controlled jet enables this performance with high penetration and precisely controlled mixing.
It will result in increased efficiency of combustion system and other chemical reactions.
The actuator is simple, cost effective, and requires low power.
VBD is versatile and can be used for a variety of flow control applications.

102064 - Novel Adsorbents and Membranes for Separation and Purification of Proteins and Related Biomolecules

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mesoporous and macroporous molecular sieves are a class of chemicals which are used as adsorbents in chemical separations and purification operations involving a broad class of biologically important molecules, including but not limited to proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides, nucleic acids, enzymes and vitamins. Functionalized versions of these materials are particularly useful in carrying out separations of high efficiency and specificity.
Use of these molecular sieve materials in association with solid supports offers great promise for high-throughput industrial and commercial applications. Although several reports have demonstrated the feasibility of utilization of microporous molecular sieves (e.g., zeolite) in association with inorganic membranes, these zeolites materials are not useful for separations involving biomolecules beyond the size range of 10 Å. Previous research has not produced a method for simply and reliably producing such membranes in association with mesoporous and macroporous materials, owing to the need to assure correct orientation of the material?s pores with the underlying support.
We have developed a technique for the synthesis and characterization of novel, functionalized mesoporous and macroporous molecular sieves and their incorporation into membranes exhibiting preferential orientation of the pores with the substrate. These new materials can be functionalized in numerous ways to enhance selectivity.

Advantages

The technique permits the preparation of highly selective mesoporous and macroporous molecular sieves suitable for use in but not limited to either conventional chromatographic (e.g. column) applications or in association with inorganic membranes, with high mechanical durability, poison resistance, and hydrothermal stability. These systems can operate effectively in a wide range of processing conditions and demonstrate long lifetime and regenerability.
Materials produced by the proprietary technique display high capacity, high absorption rates and excellent regeneration characteristics.
The technique is applicable to a wide variety of porous materials covering a pore size range from 20 to 10,000 Å.

102035 - Novel MAC Layer Protocol for Space Division Multiple Accesss in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mobile wireless ad hoc networks (MANETs) offer communication capabilities across the nodes of the network without extensive construction of an underlying infrastructure. Networks of this type can be set up easily and offer the ability to transfer voice, data, and video messages without the constraints on mobility imposed by traditional networks dependent upon wired connections. Larger networks are multi-hop in nature since a message must be transmitted across several nodes in order to reach its final destination. Currently, these networks suffer from very low overall throughput due to transmission bottlenecks that occur when one central node receives multiple signals from outward lying nodes. Unable to process these multiple signals simultaneously, transmission rates become bogged down diminishing the network?s efficiency and utility.
Simultaneous transmission (or reception) by a node requires smart antennas equipped with spatial multiplexing and demultiplexing capability. Although the use of smart directional antennas in an ad hoc network would remedy the problem of low throughput, there is no existing method for integrating them into this type of network.
UC has invented a method that allows a large number of nodes that transmit asynchronously, to organize their receptions and transmissions, so that the overall network throughput increases. Using the medium access control (MAC) layer of the networking protocol stack, nodes of the ad-hoc network coordinate to harness the improved processing power of smart directional antennas. Thus, this approach takes a necessary step for smart-antenna technology to actually achieve improved results in a network of nodes.

Advantages

This invention serves the function of integrating smart directional antenna technology into an ad hoc network. In this manner, the potential of these hardware improvements can finally be realized.
Maximum data transfer is possible by carefully coordinating transmission of spatially separated messages. Therefore, the overall speed of applications using wireless LANs can be greatly enhanced.

102026 - Plasma Treatment of Carbon Nanotubes to Assist Solubilization and Dispersion

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Since their discovery, the potential of carbon nanotubes as reinforcing agents in composites has been widely recognized. Nanotubes possess exceptional mechanical properties along with interesting electrical properties. An additional benefit of nanotubes is that they can be processed by methods used for conventional polymers. When sufficiently dispersed, low volume fractions of nanotubes will “percolate” to produce conductive composites.
Currently, the potential advantages offered by carbon nanotubes have been unrealized. In order to utilize nanotubes successfully for reinforcement or addition of conductive ability to composites, the nanotubes need to be fully dispersed. However, a strong attractive interaction between nanotubes causes them to aggregate into ropes that are very difficult to disrupt. While in this bundled state, dispersion of the nanotubes into the matrix is difficult to accomplish. So far, no safe and quick technology exists to solubilize nanotubes for reinforcement of composites.
UC has invented a method that offers the ability to functionalize and solubilize nanotubes safely and effectively. The surface of the nanotubes is coated after brief plasma treatment such that their compatibility with solvents is dramatically improved. In this state, nanotubes can be individually dispersed to remain in suspension. Subsequently, the dispersed treated nanotubes can be incorporated into polymer matrices.
Advantages
This invention creates a quick and effective means to solubilize individual nanotubes into solvents. Thus, a major hindrance toward realizing the potential of nanotubes for reinforcement of composites is removed.
Plasma treatment of the nanotubes applies uniform coatings of monomers to their surface. The coatings promote a more effective method of dispersing single nanotubes uniformly within a composite material.
Plasma polymerization may assure low contact resistance to maintain conductivity. In this manner, the beneficial electrical properties of nanotubes will be passed on to the composites that incorporate them.

102010 - Novel Route to Manufacturing Filled Metals, Ceramics, or Polymers

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Manufacturing techniques for composite “filled” materials (metal, pure or alloy; ceramic or polymer, single or co-polymer, formulated or pure) are useful. Techniques have been sought by which these materials may be produced in such a fashion as to include significant volumes of two fine, uniformly dispersed phase in a composite material, as, for example, ceramics toughened (i.e. made less brittle) by the incorporation of carbon; metals strengthened by the incorporation of ceramic fillers; and polymers filled in situ with pigments.
We have discovered a technique for controlled synthesis of filled materials from nanoparticle starting materials with enormous versatility.
The new technique permits the manufacturing of filled materials based on a wide variety of combinations of ceramic (aluminum oxide, silica, zinc oxide, clay, magnesium oxide), metal (aluminum, steel, zinc, tin, nickel) or polymer (rubber, PMMA, polystyrene, or polyethylene) materials, utilizing nanoparticles as a starting material. The proprietary technique results in final composite materials with a wide variety of morphology and chemical and physical characteristics.
The new process is capable of producing a wide variety of filled composite materials which cannot be obtained (or cannot easily be obtained) by other known fabrication methods.
The manufacturing method is environmentally benign.
The process is flexible and allows for finely-detailed control over product size, elemental and chemical composition, and morphology.

101070 - Synthesis of Silica Nano and Microstructures Under Economical Conditions

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The synthesis and characterization of nanometer and micrometer-scale silicon structures is currently of great interest. Such materials have tremendous potential application in the fields of optroelectronics, nano-composites, ceramics, rubber technology, and biomedical materials, in addition to displaying great promise in applications involving catalysis and chemical separations.
Traditional techniques for the synthesis of these structures involve extremes of pH and high temperature, along with associated long preparation and reaction times, thereby rendering the process impracticable for continuous, versus batch, manufacturing.
We have discovered a technique for controlled synthesis of silicon nano and microstructures at neutral pH and ambient conditions.
The new technique promises significant cost savings in the industrial setting through the employment of process equipment at neutral pH and ambient temperature. The silica can be produced as discrete particles ranging from ~ 100 nm – 10 ìm with fair control over size.
The new process exhibits dramatic reduction in the time required for synthesis (5 to 20 minutes), thus promising additional economy in the large-scale preparation of these materials. This method also gives morphologies previously not reported for silica based materials.
Compared to conventional techniques, the manufacturing method is environmentally benign and qualifies as a “green technology.”
The process is flexible and allows for control over product size and morphology.

101068 - Integrated Compressor Motor, Fan-Motor, Propeller-Motor, Pump Motor and Turbine Generator

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The conventional arrangement in the case of a compressor or pump is to have a shaft connecting it to a motor. Steam and power turbines are generally connected to a generator via a shaft.
We have developed a new technology which allows the turbine and generator to be integrated; motors and fans integrated. This allows for smaller, more compact, and less expensive machines.
Without a shaft and motor, machines may be smaller and lighter, making hydroelectric projects more affordable and less intrusive on the environment. In the field of aircraft propulsion, this invention saves weight and airflow.
The need for a common shaft is eliminated: the dynamics of the long shaft can be eliminated and components no longer must be aligned with it, thus creating the possibility of true “multi-cycle” machines.

101052 - New Catalysts for the Selective Oxidation of Propane to Acrylic Acid

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One of the major objectives of the refining and petrochemical industry is the ability to upgrade cheaper raw materials from lower to higher molecular weight in order to produce highly desirable oxygenated compounds. Specialized multicomponent vanadium molybdate mixed oxide catalysts are commonly used for this purpose. Thus far, however, catalytic oxidation of propane using such materials has produced only acetic acid, acetaldehyde, and carbon oxides.
A new group of catalysts for the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid has been developed in our laboratories.
The new catalysts display high selectivity for the production of acrylic acid from propane in a single step and with high yield.
The catalysts can be prepared using conventional methods.

101046 - Method for obtaining an Organic-Solvent-Free Stable Silane Solution

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Organofunctional and non-organofunctional silanes have been demonstrated by UC researchers to be powerful agents to prevent corrosion of metals. Many different metals can be effectively protected against a range of different types of corrosion, such as stress corrosion cracking, pitting, corrosion fatigue cracking, uniform corrosion, etc.
Although silanes are easy to handle and apply, they often have the limitation that they come in the form of alkoxy esters which have to be hydrolyzed first before they can be applied to the metal. The ester is often insoluble in water so that a large amount of an organic solvent has to be added to solubilize them. Even after dilution of the hydrolyzed silane with water to the working strength, which can now often be done with water, the organic solvent content is still high, typically of the order of 50 vol.-%. Any application where large volumes of silane solutions are to be used, such as in coil coating operations, for instance, the alcohol-containing mixtures cannot be used for environmental and safety reasons. Another limitation of the silanes is that the hydrolysis process is rather slow. It may take many hours for hydrolysis to be complete.
All of these problems are solved if the silanes of interest in corrosion engineering are first converted to a different type of ester which hydrolyzes in pure water instantaneously. Such a process is the topic of this invention. It has been demonstrated to work and can be carried out on a large scale.
The silane is ready for use immediately, is 100% hydrolyzed and non-condensed, and the solution contains no alcohol. Special additives to the aqueous solution are used which increase the stability of the silane solution considerably. The converted silane is stable if it is kept in closed containers. Many silanes that are commercially available from vendors can be converted by the process.
It can be carried out on a continuous basis, so that it can be done in the background in a plant where the converted silane is used in a metal-finishing operation. The byproducts of the process are ethanol or methanol, which can be sold separately.
The availability of this process will increase the environmental compliance of silane treatments which will stimulate their acceptance in metal-finishing industries.

101044 - Pulsed Electrodeposition of Silane Films on Metals

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This process improves the quality of silane films deposited on metals for the purpose of providing corrosion protection and paint adhesion. Quality refers to uniformity, homogeneity and organization of the molecules.
In silane technology thus far practiced, a metal is dipped into, or sprayed with, a silane solution. The treated metal can be rinsed with water, or can be dried without rinsing. Alternatively, a silane film can be applied by wet rolling, wiping or brushing. Films formed in any of these procedures may be porous and there is not much control over the thickness and the orientation of the silane molecules. Also, the degree of metal cleaning is critical. Patches that are not perfectly clean may not be coated by the silane and thus the performance is degraded.
All of these potential problems can be overcome if the silane is applied by the process of electrodeposition, particularly if the electrodeposition is done in a pulsed mode. Electrodeposition takes place if the metal is positive, in view of the negative silanol groups in a silane solution. The positive pulse will also assist the cleaning process as the metal will dissolve anodically. A negative pulse will lead to a high pH at the surface and the silane will condense (crosslink). This process can be applied to any silane dissolved in water or water/alcohol mixtures.
The advantages of this process are: a more uniform film, the metal alkaline cleaning step becomes less critical and the silane becomes more highly crosslinked.

101036 - New Technique for Deposition of Textured YBCO Thin Films for Conductor Development

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To improve the transport properties of high-temperature superconductors, extensive experimental investigations have been carried out in developing highly-textured thin films on a variety of superconducting substrates. Yba2Cu3Ox (“YBCO”) films are useful in this context, and have been extensively studied in recent years. One promising technique for the fabrication of these materials for large-scale operations is the technique of epitaxial deposition on rolling assisted biaxially textured substrates (RABiTS). Recent work has reported techniques for deposition of these YBCO films via RABiTS using fluorine-based sol-gel synthesis; however, such techniques have the drawback of evolution of hydrofluoric acid (HF) during the fabrication process.
We have developed a new technique for the production of YBCO films by a sol-gel method which is fluorine-free.
The new technique produces films using RABiTS which are industrially scaleable and impart a high degree of grain texture without the evolution of HF. The technique has been successfully demonstrated on a variety of conductive substrates, including yttrium-stabilized zirconia, LaAlO3, and single-domain YBCO. In certain applications, production of YBCO films using the technique can result in elimination of as much as 90% of the volume of materials required, while realizing increased efficiency.

101026 - Nanoporous Vandium Phosphorus-Oxide Catalysts

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Vanadium-phosphorus oxide catalysts are useful in the selective oxidation of lower alkanes (C2-C5). However, conventional synthesis methods for mixed metal oxides such as vanadium-phosphorus oxides, both wet chemistry and solid-state, offer very limited control over desirable structural and compositional properties, such as the phase, bulk and surface compositions, preferential exposure of active and selective surface planes, surface areas and pore architecture, all of which affect the catalytic properties of these materials.
A new method of preparation of nanoporous vanadium phosphorous oxide catalysts has been developed which results in the production of nanoporous catalysts with desirable structural, morphological, and composition properties for lower alkane oxidation.
The method as used in our laboratories produces materials with unique and promising properties for the selective oxidation of lower alkanes, e.g.: ordered 3 – 30 nm ordered and tunable straight, one-dimensional cylindrical pores or three-dimensional pores of cubic symmetry; high surfaces areas (20 – 800 square meters per gram); and optimal surface composition for specific applications (e.g. P/V molar ration of 1.05 – 1.10 for n-butane oxidation to maleic anhydride and other oxidation and acid-base catalyzed reactions).
The catalysts have improved thermal stability compared to catalysts prepared according to conventional techniques.

101025 - Macroporous Vandium Phosphorus-Oxide Catalysts

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Vanadium-phosphorus oxide catalysts are useful in the selective oxidation of lower alkanes (C2-C5). However, conventional synthesis methods for mixed metal oxides such as vanadium-phosphorus oxides, both wet chemistry and solid-state, offered very limited control over desirable structural and compositional properties, such as the phase, bulk and surface compositions, preferential exposure of active and selective surface planes, surface areas and pore architecture, all of which affect the catalytic activity of these materials.
A new method of preparation of macroporous vanadium phosphorous oxide catalysts has been developed which results in the production of macroporous catalysts with desirable structural, morphological, and composition properties for lower alkane oxidation.
The method as used in our laboratories produces material with unique and promising properties for the selective oxidation of lower alkanes, e.g.: ordered .2 - .4 micrometer pore architectures; unprecedentedly high surfaces areas (44 – 75 square meters per gram); and optimal surface composition for specific applications (e.g. P/V molar ration of 1.05 – 1.10 for n-butane oxidation to maleic anhydride)
The method affords the possibility to control and fine-tune structural, compositional, and morphological properties of vanadium phosphorus oxide catalysts for a variety of applications.
Cost savings should arise from use of catalysts prepared by this method by two mechanisms; first, enhanced activity should result in lower reaction temperatures, and hence reduced utility costs. Secondly, lower temperatures are expected to benefit the selective alkane oxidation over its combustion, resulting in higher product recovery and lower cost over conventional techniques.
The synthesis procedure for the novel catalysts is compatible with current commercial preparation methods.

101008 - Novel MEMS Pressure Sensor Fabricated on an Optical Fiber

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

MEMS (microelectromechanical structures) technology involves micro-engineered components capable of carrying out a variety of functions previously limited to larger and more expensive components. This technology is now used for many purposes including a variety of physical, chemical, and biological measurements capable of being carried out with minimal space, energy, and production cost.
A new MEMS device has been developed which is capable of both the measurement of pressure and the transmission of such measurement via optical fiber. The device consists of a detector and optical fiber combined in such a way that the total device diameter is no larger than the optical fiber itself.
The novel MEMS technology may be inexpensively fabricated and used in harsh environments where electronic equivalents cannot operate (such as high temperature, vibration, dust, and electromagnetic interference).
The small and precise size of the sensing elements offers considerable flexibility in choosing pressure response ranges, bandwidth, and sensitivity.
Compared to prior MEMS pressure sensor application, the present invention eliminates the need for adhesives in device packaging and allows the device to operate at approximately the same temperature as the optical fiber.
Due to the small terminal diameter, the device may be combined in arrays to provide pressure maps with high spatial resolution.

101004 - Bi-Directional Micro Ball Valves Using Polymeric Tubing

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The field of microelectromechanical structures (MEMS) involves the development of miniaturization technology to control processes at orders of magnitude smaller than what is currently available. An integral component of MEMS is microfluidics: technologies that control the flow of fluids (liquids and gases) on a microscale. With precise fluid flow regulation, processes such as drug delivery and implantable medical devices can execute functions on a platform the size of a semiconductor chip.
A new bi-directional, normally closed micro ball valve has been developed which permits the control of flow of fluids on a micro scale. This invention features innovative design features which represent improvements over conventional designs.
Advantages
The invention utilizes a unique valve design, which permits insertion of the device into microfluidics tubing as an in-line valve; the devices can be easily connected with two fluidic ports of typical fluidic systems.
The invention utilizes novel design and control features, which should reduce leakage relative to current designs.
The devices are easy to fabricate.

100057 - Water Decontamination through the use of Photocatalysts

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Peter Smirniotis and collaborators with his lab have a way to photocatalytically degrade organic compounds by zeolite and/or mesoporous material hosted photocatalysts, which is particularly useful in treating water contaminated with a number of organics.

Contaminated water is a growing problem in many areas of the world. Others have used ultraviolet light radiation to eliminate organic compounds in water, but none have been commercially viable. For high rates of reactions, a broad surface area is necessary, so slurries have been used, this method does not allow for the cost efficient recovery of the photocatalyst. To combat this problem other solutions have included immobilizing the photocatalyst on a support structure. This however has a number of problems, including not being efficient because of lack of uniformity. Finally with either of the current methods, the rate of chemical destruction is reduced because of mass transfer problems.

The UC research has lead to a process for the treatment of water by using a semiconductor photocatalyst and visible light, which overcomes these problems. The invention also has the following advantages:

It can be used for very broad spectrum of organic compounds (dozens of different families).
It can be applied for both aqueous and gaseous phases.
The photocatalysts work with the visible part of the spectrum so they can operate with solar radiation creating a high energy savings.
The photocatalysts are non-selective so they will completely mineralize the reactants to inocous products.

099047 - Item Number 281 - Detection of Nucleic Acid Target Sequences by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This invention is a method for detecting the presence or absence of a target DNA sequence, within an identified region of a selected DNA molecule. The invention uses certain aspects of the polymerase chain reaction ("PCR") and ligase chain reaction ("LCR") techniques for the detection of genetic mutations in genes, particularly point mutations. The PCR reaction is carried out in the presence of nitroxide-labeled oligomers that are degraded only if hybridized to a complementary target sequence. The degradation of the nitroxide-labeled oligomers into nitroxide-labeled cleavage products results in a characteristic increase of the h-/ho ratio of the EPR signal; in the absence of a complementary target sequence the EPR signal of nitroxide-labeled oligomer remains unchanged.

In contrast to approaches based on fluorescence spectroscopy developed by others the proposed magnetic resonance detection (EPR) with nitroxide labeled oligomers offers the advantage of no interference by turbidity of the solution, no interference by the hydrophobic properties of the fluorochromes, no tedious and expensive labeled oligomer synthesis, but most importantly, no interference by potential fluorescent background signals. While the fluorescent based technology relies on some complex mechanism responsible for the increase of fluorescence in the presence of two labels (one with fluorescent and one with quenching properties) in the PCR mixture, the nitroxide-labeled oligomer based assay relies on a theoretically more readily understood EPR lineshape change (h-/ho ratio change) due to one label only, namely the nitroxide label, whereas fluorescent based assays usually require two labels. Also the EPR probes have a longer shelf-life than probes designed for fluorescence spectroscopy.

The nitroxide label methods of the invention can be used in assays to detect specific genes, gene segments and other nucleic acids. These assays can have clinical potential in a wide variety of areas such as medicine, environmental studies, biological research etc.

098038 - Method and System for Local Refractive Index Measurement in Optical Materials

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the field of microscopy, there is a growing need for higher spatial resolution. In the past, spatial resolution in optical microscopy and spectroscopy has been limited by diffraction. This diffraction limit depends on the wavelength of light used. Conventional systems cannot measure a sample's local indices of refraction, and therefore fail to provide this important information.
Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), sometimes referred to as scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM) avoids the diffraction limit by operating in the near field (i.e. a range much less than the wavelength of the radiation source).
Using NSOM, University of Cincinnati researchers have achieved a novel, inexpensive method for measuring the local index of refraction in optical materials, along with an optical microscope which uses this groundbreaking technique.

Advantages

Researchers, quality assurance engineers, and others can now perform high-resolution optical microscopy while simultaneously gaining accurate refractive index information at the surface of optical materials.
The method is simple, and adaptable to existing technologies such as planar or channel-type optical waveguides and may be mounted on a silicon substrate.
The instrumentation is inexpensive, adding an estimated $1000 or less to the cost of a typical scanning instrument.

096044 - Item Number 244 - Modified Electrostatic Precipitator for Flue Gas

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Cincinnati Department of Chemical Engineering in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Engineering has developed a novel improvement for flue gas electrostatic precipitators. The resulting modification removes particulate material while recovering heat and maintaining conditions to prevent corrosion in the system. Up to 98% removal of acidic gas components is anticipated. The new technology offers the following advantages over existing flue gas cleaning systems:

low gas phase pressure drop

low liquid pumping cost

notable heat recovery

immense decrease in water usage
We believe that all of these unique improvements will greatly reduce operational costs while increasing removal efficiency of particulate matter and sulfur and nitric oxides. We have submitted a patent application and strongly believe this invention has significant commercial potential. We are seeking a company to help develop and commercialize this technology.

096020 - Item Number 227 - Capture of Toxic Metals in Combustions Systems

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Eleven metals and their species are being considered for regulation under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, arousing significant interest in metal capture technologies. We have developed a process that greatly reduces toxic metal emissions from combustors. Our process provides lower mass transfer resistance and better mixing than existing methods. It also allows a choice of kinetic conditions, making it possible to favor faster reactions. Our process converts toxic metals to benign materials and produces particles in a size distribution that allows them to be readily captured. This should result in cheaper and safer handling, and lower usage of sorbents. We have built and tested a prototype system, with temperatures and other conditions replicating those in typical waste incinerators and coal combustors. We observed better mixing and reaction than seen in standard systems, with very high capture efficiencies for the various toxic metals. We are interested in licensing this technology to a company for commercialization.

095021 - Heat-Exchanger/Wet-Film Electrostatic Precipitator for Flue Gas Cleaning

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This process involves two sections of electrostatic precipitator (ESP): the collection plates of the first section act as heat exchanger plates where simultaneous cooling and particle collection are taking place, and the collection plates of the second section are covered with wet film of water flowing downward where simultaneous condensation and collection of acid neutralization products are taking place.

The purpose of the first section is to simultaneously remove particles (mostly flyash) and recover heat, and yet to maintain a dry condition preventing corrosion in the system. The temperature of the first section is maintained at between 5 and 300F above saturation. To prevent collection of sulfur trioxide and other acidic compounds on the collection plate, a small amount of calcium hydroxide or equivalent caustic material(s) (e.g., ammonia gas) up to a 10% of acid molar amount is injected upstream of the first section. It is expected to achieve almost a complete removal of flyash and solid particles at this section.

An equimolar amount of gaseous ammonia and/or fine powders of other alkaline materials is injected between the first and second sections. The alkaline compounds quickly react with sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide and various forms of nitric oxides, and the reaction products in the form of fine particles are electrostatically charged by high voltage wires and effectively collected by the wet collection plates of the second section. The collected reaction products on the collection plates are carried down and dissolved by the water flowing down from the top of the plates. Up to a 98% removal of acidic gas components is expected. The bottom pool of product solution is pumped out for further treatment and water recycling. The advantages of this invention over the established art are as follows:

Low gas-phase pressure drop.
Low liquid pumping cost.
High removal efficiency of sulfur oxides and nitric oxides.
High removal efficiency of particles.
Heat recovery.
Water recovery from flue gas.

093038 - Microbial removal of lead from soil

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The presence of lead kills most bacteria making it impossible to bioremediate soil contaminated with lead. This bacterium is able t o survive and bioconcentrate lead on or in its membrane, which probably allows it to survive, as well as to remove lead from contaminated soils
The use of a bacteria for on-site remediation of soils by accessing the soil to a bioreactor with encapsulated bacterium that can be separated later to the soils, or using a membrane to immobilize the bacterium.
This is a soil organism which will survive in the soil at pHs of soils (around 4). It is also very motile, which will make it easier to come in contact with the lead in soils.

091045 - Item Number 277 - Superabsorbent Microporous Foams

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Microporous, open-celled foams may be used as filtration media, controlled release systems, artificial skin and blood vessels, medical implants, and packing for chromatography columns. They may also be employed in such consumer items as diapers, feminine napkins, tampons and other personal care products that benefit from high absorbency, rapid absorption, strength and resistance to pressure.
Our foams are made up of crosslinked polymers having interconnected fluid cells distributed throughout their mass. They can quickly absorb at least twice their dry weight, and they retain a significant amount of liquid even under pressure.
The porosity, pore size and other properties of our foams can be regulated by the choice of polymers, crosslinkers and synthesis conditions. A wide range of polymers and crosslinkers can be used, and it is possible to design foams that are highly biodegradable. Drying of the microporous materials to produce the desired foams may be accomplished by air-drying, freeze-drying or a solvent-exchange method using volatile solvents.
Conventional foams have generally been made from hydrophobic polymers, but our foams can be synthesized from a variety of hydrophilic polymers as well. The properties of our foams are superior, in part because they absorb and retain liquid not only by capillary action (as ordinary microporous foams do) but also by swelling of the pore walls. Our foams retain their superior structural properties even after air drying, under conditions that degrade conventional foams.
We are seeking a licensee to develop and commercialize our foams. We are willing to consider an exclusive licensing arrangement.

104014 - MDA: Novel MAC Protocol for Directional Antennas over Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new MAC protocol was developed for use with directional antennas in wireless ad hoc networks. This protocol improves network throughput, power consumption, end to end packet delay and special reuse.

102065 - Economical Process for the Preparation of Germania Crystals

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Germania crystals are useful adjuncts in a variety of industrial processes, including the strengthening of rubber, preparation of personal care products such as toothpastes, and opto-electronic applications such as the preparation of waveguides.

Traditional techniques for preparation of these materials has involved the employment of extremes of pH and various non-aqueous solvents, as well as careful alteration of process parameters such as pressure and temperature.

We have developed a technique for the synthesis of germania particles which employs modest process requirements of atmospheric pressure, avoidance of solvents other than water, and neutral pH. Our technologies key advantages are:

Advantages
The technique permits economical preparation of germania particles through easily accomplished process parameters of atmospheric pressure and neutral pH.
The technique is versatile and permits the synthesis of novel hybrids of germania with silica, titania, alumina, and zirconia.
The technique permits the preparation of spherical germania particles with a wide size range of 400 nm to 5 µm.

098026 - Visible light emitting device formed from wide band gap semiconductor doped with a rare earth element

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A visible light emitting device includes a wide band gap semiconductor layer doped with one or more elements which emit light at various wavelengths based upon atomic transitions. The semiconductor preferably is GaN, InN, AIN, BN or alloys thereof doped with a lanthanide element such as Er, Pr or Tm. The light emission can be enhanced by annealing the WBGS. Wide band gap semiconductors (WBGS) doped with light emitting elements such as rare earth elements (RE) and other elements with partially filled inner shells are particularly attractive for LEDs because the emission efficiency appears to increase with band gap value, thus allowing room temperature operation without the need to introduce impurities. The present invention is premised on the realization that wide band gap semiconductor substrates doped with elements with partially filled inner shells such as rare earth elements and transition metals can be formed and will emit in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum at a wide range of temperatures. The wide band gap semiconductor material are group III-V and IV materials including diamond, GaN, AIN, InN, BN and alloys thereof. These are doped with elements such as cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, turbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, or lutetium or other elements with partially filled inner shells. By proper formation of the wide band gap semiconductor material and proper introduction of the rare earth element, a light emitting diode can be formed which emits in the visible spectrum. By selection of the appropriate dopant material, one can select the appropriate color. For example, in GaN, erbium will produce green whereas thulium will produce blue and praseodymium will produce red.

092046 - Non-Ozone Depleting Vapocoolants

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This patented technology provides novel chemical compositions for use as topical anesthetics or skin refrigerants. These compositions do not cause the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. They are non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and less flammable than ethyl chloride. These chemical compositions match the skin temperature versus time profile needed in the management of myofascial pain syndromes, for effectively freezing skin prior to minor skin surgery and for effectively freezing skin prior to giving painless injections.

107044 - Long Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Cincinnati's NanoWorld grows the world’s longest array of aligned multiwall carbon-nanotubes. Using a novel catalyst and a novel but straightforward chemical vapor deposition (CVD ) process, these nanotubes have reached 1.8 cm in length.

The key advantages of this technology stem from its ability to grow nanotubes long AND uniform. The longer the nanotubes, the easier they are to manipulate into an appropriate application. Since this technology produces nanotubes in an array, millions of long nanotubes can be quickly harvested without any entanglement. While the investigators have been using Si/SiO2/Al2O3 as a base substrate, their ongoing research includes growth on other materials.

This technology is being investigated in a number of different applications including:

Sensors
Biological
Structural Monitoring
Actuators
Power Distribution
Heatsink/Heat disposition
Flat panel displays
Reinforcement of composite materials
Thread-like materials
Solar cells
Fuel cells
Hydrogen storage

106010 - Advanced Textiles and Smart Cleaning Devices

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Jason Heikenfeld and his Novel Devices Laboratory have created a new way of cleaning up your messes. UC has modified standard textiles and utilized them to create a new cleaning device. The textile takes advantage of a surface phenomenon commonly referred to as electrowetting. Electrowetting is the modification of the wetting properties of a hydrophobic surface with an applied electric field.

Current cleaning devices on the market (e.g., the P&G(r) Swiffer(r) WetJet(r) and the Clorox(r) ReadyMop(r)) use an absorbent material and a wicking material to remove liquid; with the wicking material drawing the liquid to be stored in the absorbent material. The wicking material is always capable of removing liquid and therefore is always wet to the touch. In addition the amount of liquid that the absorbent material is capable of holding is limited.

Our invention on the other hand is not wet to the touch and can have a large reservoir. Because the surface of the textile is hydrophobic in its inactive state, water is repelled from the surface. It’s only when an electric field is applied does the surface attract water (i.e. becomes hydrophilic). Provided there is no electric field being applied the surface will remain dry. And the applied electric field necessary can be supplied by a watch battery. Since our system is active and unlike the competing devices the only limitation to the amount of liquid removed is the reservoir where the liquid is stored. in theory we can pump approximately 10 liters of liquid from the power of a single AA battery.

Other possible implementations of this invention include being used as a liquid dispersal agent and for removing liquid from the skin. By using a series of reservoirs and electrowetting textiles coupled in parallel liquid can be sprayed utilizing our textiles. Since the textiles will draw liquid from any surface, this could easily include human skin.

106002 - Nitric Oxide Sensor

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A portable amperometric sensor is configured to sense concentrations of nitric oxide.

104016 - Electronics Based On Liquid Components (a/k/a “LiquiFET”)

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Current microfluidic devices are hampered by the relative crudeness of methods used to turn information conveyed by the movement of a fluid into an electronic signal so that it can be processed by a computer. Signals have traditionally been converted through optical sensing – using a video camera or by exciting fluorescent dyes already present in the fluid. These methods are often cumbersome, expensive and can only confer limited data.
The first ever liquid transistor has been created. The new device is very similar to an ordinary semiconductor FET (field-effect transistor), but operates completely in the liquid state (a “LiquiFET”). It can therefore directly convert charge-related information from the liquid state into conventional electronic signals. The LiquiFET transistors ‘have great potential for bioapplications – they can directly detect, manipulate and analyze liquids, and they can be immersed in liquids.

103034 - An Active Fiber Continuous Sensor

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The artificial neural system (ANS) uses a large array of continuous sensors with a minimum number of data acquisition channels. The artificial neural system detects the damage and locates it within the grid of the array. Each continuous sensor will form a neuron and the array will act as a biological neural system. The neurons will measure the dynamic strains and these signals will be interpreted to indicate if the structure is operating within the limits of its design specifications, and if there is any damage occurring to the structure.
Advantages
The Artificial Neural System (ANS) provides highly distributed sensing and massively parallel signal processing and significantly improves the sensing of acoustic waves or other anomalous events while tremendously simplifying the signal processing instrumentation as compared to conventional sensors. The primary use of the ANS is to detect and quantify cracks and damage in a structure. The ANS can detect the high frequency acoustic emissions and resulting waves associated with damage propagation. The major advantages are as follows: The sensitivity of acoustic emission sensing is improved The instrumentation required for acoustic emission sensing is simplified The ANS provides parallel monitoring and processing of signals from tens to hundreds of neurons The ANS provides highly distributed sensor coverage on a structure Individual continuous sensors can be formed into an artificial neural system of different configurations by using the continuous sensor approach

103027 - Efficient Network Intrusion Detection Scheme Using Dimensionality Reduction Technique for Wired and Wireless Systems

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Intrusion detection is an important aspect of network security. Many current detection systems have trouble providing real-time network intrusion detection, particularly where very high dimensional data is involved. The intrusion detection system of the present invention provides real-time network intrusion detection by projecting the high dimensional dataset to a lower dimensional space using the random projection technique, then performing intrusion detection in the lower dimensional space using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier.
Detecting intrusions in the projected lower dimension reduces the complexity of the underlying algorithms, which makes it more suitable for real time detection. Moreover, lower dimensional data can be stored and transmitted more efficiently than its higher dimensional data, thereby saving system resources.

101013 - Energy Efficient Routing Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Wireless Sensor Networks are a new class of Ad Hoc networks that will find increasing deployment in coming years, as they enable reliable monitoring and analysis of the unknown and untested environment. Ease of deployment, extended range, fault-tolerance and mobility are some of the advantages of using wireless sensor nodes. These wireless sensors are expected to be extremely small and battery operated. Protocols for these networks must be designed in such a way that the limited power in the sensor nodes is used in the most efficient manner. Currently available wired sensors are made large (and expensive) to cover as much area as possible. Each of these has a constant power supply and communicate their data to the end-user using a wired network. The organization of such a network has to be pre-planned to find strategic positions to place these nodes and then has to be installed appropriately. The failure of a single node might bring down the whole network or leave that region completely uncovered. Current invention proposes protocols to efficiently use the limited energy of sensors thus making it feasible to use wireless sensor nodes.
Advantages
These protocols offer versatility to the users while consuming sensor energy very efficiently in an application specific manner, thus increasing the life of the network by at least 3 times. Our information retrieval protocol is also shown to be quite generic as it allows users to request any type of information in the form of historical, one-time and persistent queries. The invention also provides the user with the flexibility to query any node in the sensor network directly.

100064 - Dielectric Thin-Film Color Optical Memory Device and Fabrication Process

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The next generation of optical memory technology will be required to provide significant advances in capacity, data density, and data security. Current technology such as multi-layer CD-ROM structures have disadvantages: due to the higher numerical aperture, smaller laser spot size, and associated smaller depth-of-focus, overall capacity is limited. Similarly, structures comprised of metal thin films are limited by the strong optically reflective characteristics of the films and the difficulty of controlling metal thin-film deposition. Devices using color as memory, while known in the art, are limited by aging of the memory colorant, by the small practical number of colorants usable, and by difficulties in fabrication.
We have developed a dielectric thin-film (DTF) color optical memory device that overcomes these limitations. The invention introduces a new structure for optical memory devices utilizing reflection of a broad-band light source from the DTF structure and a process for creating such structure.
We have invented a technique for ?writing? the data with great precision using micromachining of fine structures with a focused ion beam (FIB) technique. FIB micromachining for the fabrication of optical/photonic devices is an area of expertise at the UC Nanoelectronics Laboratory (NanoLab). For related technology see UC Item # 102-004 and the NanoLab

Advantages

The invention promises the creation of structures with a storage density in excess of 5 gigabytes per square inch, more than double the density of present digital versatile disc (DVD) devices. With the addition of near-field detection technology, the invention provides a potential data density of 5 terabytes per square inch.
The DTF optical memory devices of this invention are generally capable of operation in extreme environmental conditions, including temperatures as high as 1000 degrees C.
In combination with non-contact optical read techniques, the DTF memory ensures that the data can be preserved over an extremely long time ? perhaps up to centuries.
The FIB fabrication technique is simple and clean, without the problem of photoresist residues experienced in memory structures utilizing multiple metal film stacks fabricated using deposition and lift-off processes.

100060 - A Novel Authentication Scheme for Ad hoc and Sensor Wireless Networks

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

An ad hoc (or "spontaneous") network is a local area network that exists only for the duration of the communication. Such a wireless network is usually employed in an emergency situation or in an unknown territory so that efficient and quick monitoring ofa nearby environment can be provided. Wireless ad hoc networks transmit packets of information and forward them from one node to another in peer to peer mode, without a base station that normally coordinates activities of mobile hosts. This allows for unrestricted mobility while still operating within a network. The current technology, however, is limited. As wireless ad hoc and sensor networks are more susceptible to attacks, security is critical, requiring authentication and encryption of data. Unfortunately, traditional means of data protection cannot be effectively used due to the power and computational constraints of wireless ad hoc systems. The present invention describes a novel method and apparatus for providing authentication of digital communication in an ad hoc network, protecting transmitted information from eavesdropping, replay and spoofing. This method minimizes power and computational overhead, allowing practical use in wireless ad hoc networks. This invention can be incorporated into existing software and is compatible with all systems.

Advantages

Authentication scheme provides security not currently available in wireless ad hoc and sensor networks
Utilizes hierarchical architecture to reduce computational overhead and delays inherent in current methods ofauthentication
Minimizes power consumption, allowing for more practical use

097023 - Electromagnetically Driven Microvalve and Micropump on a Silicon/Glass Chip

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There has been a large demand for a micropump with a high flow rate and low driving voltage. Most micropumps which have been realized to date suffer from high driving voltages to attain high flow rates depending on their application targets. Specifically, if a micro-fluid regulation system is sharing a power supply other application which require less than 3-5 volts, low driving voltage of micropumps is critically essential in practical applications. Furthermore, micro fluid regulation systems for biomedical or biological applications such as portable or implantable drug delivery systems require low driving voltages, since electrical breakdown hazard from the high voltages is seriously concerned due to its safety issues.
A new electromagnetically driven microvalve and micropump on a silicon/glass wafer has been designed, fabricated, and tested. This microvalve and micropump are composed of two components: a semi-encapsulated planar inductor for electromagnets on a Pyrex glass wafer and an actuator for valves and pumps on a silicon wafer.
In this invention, a new proto-type magnetic microactuator has been proposed and realized using both bulk micromachining and wafer bonding techniques, where magnetic forces can be produced between the electromagnets and the permalloy films plated on the silicon diaphragm. When a voltage is applied to the inductor mounted on a glass wafer, the pmerally/silicon diaphragm is attracted to the upper electromagnet, lifting the valve bosses and thus opening the valve. A series of these activators can be used to provide peristaltic pumping action.

Advantages:

Low driving voltage can be used in applications for implantable drug delivery systems.
Flow directions can be changed by control of the exciting sequence of the valves and the pump chamber.
Stronger and ore precise sensory outputs for microactuated sensors and lower driving voltage make exceptional performance possible.
Unique fabrication technique allows flexibility in realizing various MEMS devices. Components may be separately fabricated using conventional technology.

096025 - Item Number 242 - Effective Pinning of 2D Vortices in High Temperature Superconductor by Needle - Like Nanophases

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

High Temperature superconductors have great potential for large-scale applications. The Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O compounds have been processed into long tapes and wires for construction of high field magnets and power transmission lines. However, the transport current carrying capabilities of these compounds are limited at liquid nitrogen temperature (77K) due to weak flux pinning.
The invention uses a textured needle-like nanophase in the matrix of the superconductors, which can cause an effective flux pinning. At high magnetic fields, the flux line will remain strongly pinned by these nanophases leading to a high critical current density which can satisfy the requirements of various large-scale applications.
This invention has the advantage of easily scale-up the for mass production. High critical current density will be achieved on short samples for demonstration of the invention.

095024 - High-Performance Biodegradable Films

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We have developed a process for transforming starch into biodegradable films. The starch is chemically modified and crosslinked. Under ordinary conditions, the resulting films would be weak and brittle. However, with further processing we have obtained tough films that are hydrophobic and resistant to breakdown during fabrication and normal use, yet susceptible to biodegradation after disposal. We have obtained films with tensile strengths of 15 - 47 MPa, tensile moduli from 320 - 670 MPa, and elongations at break from 5-120%, depending on processing conditions. These values fall within the ranges reported for polyethylene films.
Advantages
Current technology for plastic films involves materials produced from petroleum-based, non-biodegradable plastics. (Even the so-called biodegradable plastics presently on the market, which are mixtures of starch with conventional polymers, are only partially susceptible to microbial breakdown.) Our films, being fully biodegradable and entirely based on starch -- a plentiful, inexpensive and renewable resource -- offer significant environmental advantages over existing films at comparable cost.
Areas of Application
Possible uses for our films include disposable trash bags, food-service items, beverage cups, diaper backings, packaging films and agricultural mulches.

104015 - Threshold and Identity-based Distributed Key Management for Wireless MANETs

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As various applications of wireless ad hoc network have been proposed, security has become one of the big research challenges and is receiving increasing attention. We have developed a distributed key management and authentication approach by deploying the recently developed concepts of identity-based cryptography and threshold secret sharing. Without any assumption of pre-fixed trust relationship between nodes, the ad hoc network works in a self-organizing way to provide the key generation and key management service, which effectively solves the problem of single point of failure in the traditional public key infrastructure (PKI)-supported system. This approach is comprised of two components: distributed key generation and identity-based authentication. The key generation component provides the network master key pair and the public/private key pair to each node in a distribute way. The generated private keys are used for authentication. Identity-based authentication mechanism provides end-to-end authentication and confidentiality between the communication nodes. If the authentication process succeeds, the communication nodes exchange a session key, which can be used for future communication.

101002 - State Based Propositional Satisfiability Solver

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In many computer related fields, such as the design of Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits, computer programs are used to solve crucial problems such as determining whether a given circuit design meets precise specifications. Since the magnitude of such problems is increasing at an enormous rate, current software is rapidly becoming incapable of meeting industrial needs. More alarming, future software will be inadequate without breakthroughs in the design of algorithms for certain computationally intensive problems.
One of those problems, called CSP, is to determine whether some set of input values to a collection of Boolean functions will cause those functions to evaluate to a particular given set of output values. Current methods for solving such problems are either based on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) or search-based Solvers (SAT). Both methods have advantages and drawbacks. BDDs can be combined easily and eliminate duplicate and redundant substructures but must be completely constructed before results can be obtained and their ultimate size may be impractical to achieve. SAT search structures may be much smaller than BDD structures and only need to be partially built in many cases but the building process is much slower, typically, than for BDDs.
The subject matter of the proposed patent is a methodology for solving CSP problems using a combination of BDD and SAT techniques. The methodology constructs a state-based structure, obtained by considering every BDD for every Boolean function, assigns values to the states of the structure during an extensive precomputation phase, and uses this information to guide a SAT search.
The key benefit of the discovery is to retain the advantages of SAT search techniques but drastically speed up and make more effective the building process.
Advantages
1. Some problems, currently requiring days or weeks to solve using conventional methods, will be solved in a reasonable amount of time using the discovery. This will allow faster turn-around in the design and verification of integrated circuits. The result is a reduction in design costs.
2. An emerging class of problems which admits amortization of pre-processing costs over many runs with different input will be effectively solved by the new methodology.

089003 - Process for containment of hazardous wastes

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Cincinnati's Nuclear Engineering Program has developed a non-toxic, water based polymeric barrier system for use in the interim prevention of migration of hazardous and radioactive materials.
The polymeric barrier system is a non-toxic single component (non-catalyzed), which can be spray-applied in the field to form a strong impermeable barrier between waste materials and the external environment.
The feasibility of this technology was established during successful field testing, in which the system was used as a temporary cover for contaminated soil, fly ash and construction debris at a uranium processing facility. Other applications have also been tested successfully. Examples are as follows:

Renewability/repairability test of a demonstration site after one year of environmental exposure.
Containment of equipment contaminated on rusted, corroded, greased and "clean" substrates.
Particulate run-off control for soils (uranium and total solids).
Interim stability coating for burial trench walls.

Results of the field tests indicate that for many application, the polymeric barrier system is a better alternative than conventional treatments for contamination and erosion control. It is easy to apply, relatively inexpensive and avoids the generation of large amounts of additional waste.
This barrier system also has been laboratory tested for building D&D (specifically transit structures) to reduce airborne particulate emission, and as a stripable coating for non-porous substrates.
This technology has been available commercially, but we are now able to offer it for licensing on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis to a company or companies capable of aggressively marketing it.

098030 - Preparative Chiral Separations

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Separation of enantiomers is an important topic to the pharmaceutical industry. Many of the drugs and pharmaceuticals marketed in the US and overseas have at least one chiral center (e.g. ibuprofen and propanolol). In many cases, one enantiomer has the desired pharmacological activity whereas the other enantiomer may be responsible for unwanted side effects. Thus, the development of economical methods for preparative and semi-preparative scale chiral separation is highly desirable, particularly for an R&D setting, where only small amounts of material may be required to initiate screening prior to development of a potentially more costly, less efficient stereospecific synthetic strategy.
Chiral separations are commonly performed using chiral stationary phases by liquid chromatography ("HPLC"). However, there are several disadvantages to these techniques. A large number of chiral compounds are not resolvable using any of the existing chiral stationary phases. Chiral HPLC columns are more expensive and require more careful handling than conventional columns. Column deterioration is often observed, and lot-to-lot variability in HPLC media further hampers methods development.
We have developed preparative chiral separation methods based on continuous electrophoresis using a chiral additive in the buffer.
Advantages

The method is particularly useful for water-soluble (or organic-insoluble) species, which are particularly difficult to separate by traditional methods of chiral preparative chromatography.
The application of continuous free flow electrophoresis to bulk scale chiral separations is novel and has the potential for obtaining milligram- to gram-per-hour quantities of both pure enantiomers of chiral drugs in aqueous solutions, with wide applicability for a broad range of chiral drugs from many different categories, as well as chiral intermediaries or metabolites.
The method allows for the potential recovery and re-use of the chiral selector (typically expensive and/or rare).

108028 - Sulfur Tolerant High Durability CO2 Sorbents

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Smirniotis and his students at UC have designed and developed a novel CaO-based sorbents that have demonstrated the highest ever recorded CO₂ uptake capacity. In order to control the greenhouse effect the most viable solution is to find cost effective ways to capture and sequestrate CO₂ before it is released into the atmosphere. The most common commercial technology to capture CO₂ is an amine-based absorption process. This process is limited to small scale (10² ton/day) and low temperatures between 323 K and 413 K. Alternatively these drawbacks can be overcome by utilizing calcium oxide-based inorganic sorbents to capture CO₂ selectively from hot gas streams. These CaO-based sorbents have been shown to be promising candidates for CO₂ capture and cost effective. However, the conventional sorbents’ performance decays with each passing carbonation/decarbonation cycle. Currently, a significant amount of research is being carried out to improve the performance of CaO-based sorbents. The focus is on increasing its porosity and stability.

Fossil fuels inevitably contain sulfur (primarily in the form of SO₂ and SO₃ at much lower concentrations) and sulfation reactions can occur depending on the temperature. However, most studies have not considered the effect of SO₂ and other poisons found during the production of energy from fossil fuels.

Dr. Smirniotis and his students at UC have designed and developed a novel CaO-based sorbent. These sorbents retain their structural stability and durability over extended carbonation/decarbonation cycles in a very wide temperature window ranging from 373 to up to 1000 K. Moreover, these sorbents demonstrated excellent stability for operating under severe conditions and other environmental factors which normally reduce effectiveness. These characteristics are achieved through the functionalization of the sorbent’s surface which will repel SO₂ and other poisons. The sorbents have also demonstrated very good regenerability, they are inexpensive to make in large quantities, and the synthesis procedure is very reproducible. The CaO-based sorbents developed can be used both for post- and pre-combustion processes.

UC has developed an effective, economic and versatile industrial sorbent process to mitigate CO₂, which operates under some of the severest conditions, and has a longer lifetime than current sorbents.

104006 - Cross-Layer Directional Antenna MAC and Routing Protocols for Wireless Ad Hoc Network

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A new MAC and routing protocols were developed for use with cross-layer directional antennas. This technology drastically increases network throughput is and spatial reuse is considerably optimized

097007 - Item Number 247 - Low Temperature Oxygen for the Enhancement of Levitation Force

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

High temperature superconductors such as YBa₂Cu₃Ox have great potential in industrial applications including magnetic levitation, power transmission lines, efficient generators, and microwave components in telecommunications.
In general, the properties of YBa₂Cu₃Ox are enhanced if the materials are fully oxygenated (x~7). For instance, the transition temperature Tc will decrease sharply if x is reduced to 6.7.
The oxygenation content is temperature dependent and increases as temperature decreases. For example, in air, x~6.4 at 700°C and -6.95 at 200°C. However, the oxygenation process is often carried out in the range of 400 - 450°C, because it has been thought that lower temperatures do not produce adequate oxygen diffusion.
We have carried out oxygenation at temperatures much below the commonly used temperatures and found that the oxygenation is much more complete, and in turn the properties optimized.
As an example of the improved engineering properties of the more highly oxygenated materials produced by our process, levitation force in flywheel energy storage will be increased by a factor of three. The milestone will be the production of a levitator with a levitation force of 30 Newton.

104004 - Turbine Rotor Cooled by Upstream Oscillating Wake Generator

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A novel approach for cooling turbine rotor blades has been devised that utilizes an oscillating wake generator. This cooling approach allows for hotter turbine temperatures or higher speed with less stress on the turbine blades. A further advantage is lower engine part count and increased engine cycle efficiency.

103046 - Artificial Neural System

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This is an Active Fiber Continuous Sensor (AFCS) that has high sensitivity for measuring Acoustic Emissions (AE) and strains in structures. Previous designs use electrodes that are above the piezoceramic substrate and a strong electric field is needed to couple the charge on the fibers to the external wiring circuit. The AFCS design uses rectangular fibers cast in an epoxy matrix in a configuration in which the top and bottom surfaces of the fibers are directly in contact with conductive epoxy which also bonds directly to a structural substrate, or to a kapton covering if the sensor must be electrically insulated from the structure. The conductive epoxy performs two functions, bonding the sensor to the structure, and forming the electrode of the sensor. The full electrode coverage and transverse poling is the simplest method of fabrication and this sensor design has been tested and shown to be very sensitive for measuring AE in composite materials and aircraft structures.
This approach reduces stresses in the fibers due to nonuniformity in the electric field where it enters the fibers, and interdigitated electroding allows the higher axial poling coefficient to be used, but this design also reduces the electrical and mechanical coupling efficiencies. The efficiency is not critical for structural actuation and control applications because large power amplifiers are used to drive the AFC. However, for sensing of AE this reduces the sensitivity of the sensor. This approach increases strain transfer between the structure and the sensing fibers and improves the detection of faint acoustic emissions in structures.

104070 - Miniature Multisensor Catheter

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The novel design and miniature size of the catheter provide an adaptable platform that allows

the inclusion of other biosensors in the array, such as pH, osmolarity and temperature sensors,
use in adults and neonatal and pediatric patients,
monitoring of various regions of the body
use of a double lumen system that allows for using one catheter for sensing a physiologic parameter and the other for sampling fluids or delivering locally active drugs.

103038 - Spatial Reuse Enabling Power Control MAC Protocol for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As background, power control is a determinant technique for energy conservation and thus is of fundamental importance to wireless ad hoc stations which primarily rely on limited battery power. Besides energy savings, power control can also increase the capacity of the network by enhancing spatial reuse of the wireless channel. This is a novel Spatial Reuse MAC (SRM) protocol based on the IEEE standard 802.11. This protocol accomplishes spatial reuse without a separate control channel, by employing a combination of power control and a fully distributed scheme of transmission sneaking.
Other IEEE 802.11 based power control MAC protocols using omni-directional antennas concentrate their efforts in implementing efficient transmit power management schemes for the sake of energy efficiency. In general, this is achieved by selecting different power levels for the RTS-CTS and DATA-ACK exchange, where RTS-CTS are usually transmitted at the maximum possible power level whereas DATA-ACK are transmitted either at the minimum required power to reach the destination or at periodically changing power levels. However, these protocols do not include any spatial reuse mechanism to efficiently reuse the extra capacity resulting from the low power level employed by the DATA-ACK exchange.

102072 - Elongated Angle Nozzle For Oil Drilling

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The paramount objective of drilling is to reach the target safely in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible cost current nozzle designs suffer from inefficiency and rapid wear, resulting in increased cost of replacement and retrieval.
An improved, elongated and angled nozzle for oil drilling has been developed at the University of Cincinnati. This nozzle shifts the stagnation lines, which occur underneath the cones. It works all along the cone and sweeps the bottom more efficiently. This effect is achieved by creating a swirl in the annulus to reduce the unsteadiness. It also has better discharge coefficient because of the very smooth profile and improved slot shape.

Advantages

The new design reduces unsteadiness through a revolutionary style and improved shape producing an improved discharge coefficient.
Compared to conventional nozzle designs, this nozzle promises reduced drilling time, reduced wear and tear and improved overall economy.

103026 - Vapochromic Material for Sensing Volatile Organic Compounds

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One class of sensors relies on vapochromic materials that exhibit color change when exposed to the vapors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The present invention is a new vapochromic salt that includes a platinum complex. At room temperature the compound undergoes a color change from orange to red when exposed to vapors of methanol, ethanol, chloroform and acetonitrile.
While other vapochromic materials exist, the compound of the present invention has potentially greater sensitivity and lower cost.

104024 - Magnetic Alignment of Nano-Fibers in Polymer Composite

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

For fundamental study of novel engineering applications, carbon nano fibers and nano tubes need to be aligned along certain specified directions. For single wall carbon nanotube, due to small amount of catalyst elements (such as Ni and Co), they can be well aligned in a magnetic field. However, for carbon nano fibers, their extremely small magnetic susceptibility is not sufficient to be magnetically induced and aligned. The present invention coats a solution of Ni nd Co on the surface of the carbon nano fibers, allowing the fibers to be well aligned in a polymer composite.

104026 - Coating Nanoparticles using Plasma Polymerization for Medical Applications

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

For bio-probe applications, a bio-film has to be attached to the nanoparticle surfaces to react with the virus or DNA material. However, the surfaces of many nanoparticles are not ideal for these particular bio-films. To provide an adhesive interface between the bio-film and the nanoparticle substrate, an ultrathin polymer film, such as polystryrene and acrylic acid, is deposited on the nanoparticles or nanotubes using a plasma polymerization treatment.

107043 - Penetrating Microelectrode Sensor Array for In Situ Multi-analyte Measurements in Biological Applications

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A novel sensor contains an array of analyte-specific microelectrode sensors that can penetrate samples to simultaneously perform multiple measurements. The microelectrodes are robust, yet small enough to be fabricated in close proximity to signal processing ICs. A dissolved oxygen (DO) version of the sensor array has been shown to exhibit better linearity, sensitivity and response time than similarly sized DO sensors formed from pulled glass pipettes.

104013 - Micropatterning Two Different Cell types on Biomaterials

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This methodology allows direct patterning of two different cell types on biocompatible and biodegradable substrates, such as chitosan.
In this approach, an anionic cell-resistant polyelectrolyte, poly(methacry1ic acidco-oligoethyleneglycolmethacrylate) is microcontact printed as a series of 60 µm lines on a chitosan film. Monolayers of the first cell type (human vascular endothelial cells) naturally attach and proliferate only within the 20 µm lines of bare chitosan separating the 60 µm wide lines of cell resistant polyelectrolyte. The substrate is subsequently immersed into a solution of chitosan that electrostatically binds onto the 60 µm wide lines of cell-resistant polyelectrolyte, rendering these regions adhesive to a second type of cells (3T3 fibroblast cells). Optical phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy show that endothelial and fibroblast cells can be simultaneously patterned with micrometer accuracy. Cross-sectional imaging with a confocal microscope further reveals that the fibroblast cells are offset vertically by ~0.25 µm, which can be adjusted by varying the concentration of the polyelectrolyte.
This procedure is a significant advance from current micropatterning techniques that print cell-adhesive and cell-resistant patterns on non-biocompatible substrates. In comparison to other proven techniques for patterning two different cell types the polyelectrolyte assembly approach reported here is non-cytotoxic, straightforward, and allows arbitrary geometric patterns to be formed on biodegradable substrates without the need for electroactive substrates or external fields.
The organization of multiple cell types with sub-cellular resolution on biomaterials is an important first step towards the bottom-up assembly of cells to replicate tissue complexity and function that may not be possible using traditional co-culture technologies, wherein multiple cell types are randomly seeded amongst themselves. Broader and immediate applications of the approach presented here include the study of short-range surface receptor mediated heterotypic cell interactions, development of cell-based sensors, and high-throughput screening systems.

101020 - Novel Sorbents for Separation of CO2 at a Wide Temperature Range

pinskig@uc.edu (Geoffrey Pinski) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

1. Gases that occur in nature or that are produced in industrial processes often contain carbon dioxide (CO2). Because of process requirements, or because of the end result desired, it is sometimes desirable to remove carbon dioxide from a mixture of CO2 and other gases.
2. Traditional techniques for separation of CO2 in gas mixtures through absorption rely on high-aluminum zeolites, which have the disadvantage of significant mass transfer resistances, with consequent slower pressurization/depressurization steps; and competitive absorption of water and CO2, with corresponding reduced efficiency. More recent approaches involve the use of lithium salts and lithium-containing preparations which are unacceptable for use at high temperatures due to the sublimation of Lithium.
Advantages
1. This invention presents a new class of sorbent preparations for the absorption of CO2 in gaseous mixtures. The materials developed are able to remove CO2 from mixtures of gases which are both more polar and less polar than CO2 over a wide range of temperatures. The strength of the sorbent action of these materials may also be chemically adjusted, allowing a user a tailor-design a particular sorbent for a particular application.
2. The sorbent action of these materials is highly reproducible and the materials can be produced at a low cost. The new sorbents are poison-tolerant and mechanically strong. They have been tested and found to be effective in applications from 50 degrees to 650 degrees Celsius; and they have excellent reversibility.
3. These sorbents exhibit high selectivity/capability in rejecting water.
Areas of Application
The new materials may have application in many processes in which CO2 is to be removed from mixtures of other gases, such as coal combustion and gasification; removal of CO2 (and enrichment of hydrogen) in water gas shift reactions; and fuel-cell-related applications.

100055 - Item Number 289 - Process for Soil Remediation using Catalytic Carbon

geoffrey.pinski@uc.edu (Dan O’Neill) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Despite wide application of cement based solidification/stabilization (S/S) technology to inorganic wastes, including metallic wastes, its applicability to organic wastes has been controversial. One of the main concerns of treating organic wastes with currently available S/S technologies is that the organics may readily leach. Another concern is that organic contaminants may have interfering effects on setting and chemical stability of cement.
To improve the efficiency for immobilization of the organic wastes, selected-additives including have been evaluated for the immobilization of certain organics in S/S waste, sometimes the overall immobilization process itself may not be sufficient to meet requirements. The most desirable process, therefore, is to decompose the organic wastes to less hazardous hydrocarbons.
A novel destructive process using additives for soil remediation has been invented. It is believed that this is the first demonstration of a practical, destructive S/S remediation process for organic contaminants in soil.
Advantages

It is the first to demonstrate the capability for destructive adsorption of organic contaminants in soil, with the consequence of a significant reduction in the long-term leachability potential of these contaminants.
The process does not adversely affect the mechanical integrity of the S/S matrix.
Because the process is based on relatively cheap materials, it has the potential as a low-cost treatment process.
The adsorption and catalytic destruction steps are rapid and complete. Thus, the process, in its future versions, is amenable to the complete elimination of the S/S matrix, further lowering remediation costs.