SBIR Phase I: Feasibility of Dynamic Configurable Liquid Molding

SBIR一期项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是为生物科学应用创造一套新的工具。这项创新在台式测试中显示出了填补制造业能力差距的希望，该项目将在此基础上创造三维纳米级流体通道。第一个目标应用是广泛使用纳米大小的颗粒（30-150纳米）在全身携带细胞信号信息。设计用于发出特定细胞反应信号的粒子是药物治疗的主要组成部分，因为它们的大小允许它们进入身体其他不可能到达的部位，例如中风时的血脑屏障和癌症患者的肿瘤穿透。这些研究努力的问题是，由于尺寸相似（100-300纳米），将这些颗粒与其他颗粒区分开来。这项创新可以使这些纳米级的实体穿越纳米级的路径，从而产生基于尺寸和物理的与其他粒子的排斥。这个项目的成功有助于促进全球健康问题的检测和治疗的进步，增加社会的总体福利，并在美国生物经济中创造一个新的部门。第一阶段评估了一种潜在的颠覆性新制造工艺的可行性，以创建具有三维路径的固体形式结构，如螺旋和正弦波，圆形截面内部通道用于微/纳米流体产品。该创新技术利用流体流动的物理特性，根据智能流体动态塑造流体，在此过程中，可以通过实时调整过程变量来改变形成通道的直径。这项工作推进了与先进制造能力相关的知识，并使基于使用该方法制造的产品的各种领域成为可能。对于前者，该技术为快速创建纳米到微观结构的流体路径提供了新的途径，增强了对流体行为、聚合、智能流体应用的理解，并为流体/流体成型的动态行为开辟了一个新的研究领域。第一阶段工作的技术目标是结合流体建模和一系列实验测试的设置和执行，以演示50-500 nm通道直径的主动控制，具有可控直径通道的三维结构，以及合并和发散通道。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/ commercial potential of this SBIR Phase I project is the creation of a new set of tools for bioscience applications. The innovation has shown promise in benchtop tests to fill a capability gap in manufacturing, and the project will build upon this promise to create 3-dimensional nanoscale fluid pathways. The first target application is to enable widespread use of nanometer-sized particles (30-150 nm) to carry cell signaling information throughout the body. Particles designed to signal a particular cellular response are a major component of drug therapeutics as their size allows them to access parts of the body otherwise impossible to reach, such as the blood-brain barrier in the event of a stroke and tumor penetration for cancer patients. Problematic for these research endeavors is the differentiating these particles from others due to similarity in size (100-300 nm). The innovation could enable these nanoscale entities to traverse nanoscale pathways, resulting in size and physics-based exclusion from other particles. Success in this project aids in promoting the advancement of detection and treatment for global health issues, adding to the general welfare of society, as well as creating a new sector in U.S. bioeconomy.Phase I assesses the feasibility of a potentially disruptive new manufacturing process to create a solid form structure with 3-dimensional pathways, such as helices and sine waves, of circular cross section interior channels for use in micro/nano-fluidics products. The innovation uses the physics of fluid flow to dynamically mold a fluid against a smart fluid, during which process the diameter of the channel being formed can be changed by adjusting the process variables in real-time. The work progresses the knowledge associated with advancing manufacturing capabilities and enables a wide variety of fields based on the products made using the method. For the former, the technology provides a new way to rapidly create fluidic pathways for nano to micro structures, enhancing the understanding of fluidic behaviors, polymerization, smart fluid applications, and creates a new field of study for the dynamic behavior of fluid/fluid molding. The technical goals of the Phase I work use a combination of fluidic modeling and the set-up and execution of a series of experimental tests to demonstrate active control of the channel diameter for 50-500 nm, 3-dimensional structures with controlled diameter channels, and merging and diverging channels.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.