I-Corps: Commercialization of a Microscale Power Generator Driven by Bacterial Flagellar Motors

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在一种微型电源上，这种电源结合了环保材料来产生电流，为手机、笔记本电脑和移动充电器等便携式电子产品提供动力。利用美国国家科学基金会资助的将生物细胞与微芯片相结合的紧凑型微流控系统的研究，该项目将探索建立一个小企业企业的可行性，将拟议的电源作为商业产品进行制造和销售。目前，便携式电子产品中使用的大多数小型电源含有不环保的外来材料，如果处置不当，可能会构成公共健康风险。此外，其中一些材料经常供不应求，这可能会影响未来便携式电子产品的设计和制造。这个i-Corps项目是基于开发一种紧凑的系统，该系统由三个主要元素组成：单个生物细胞、小磁性颗粒和定制设计的微芯片。该系统的制造过程以独特的顺序和方式将这些元素组合在一起，从而产生了紧凑的发电机，该发电机将集成电池的旋转功率转换为微芯片中的电流。生物细胞与微芯片的高精度集成是非常具有挑战性的。虽然过去的工作表明成功地将生物材料固定在微芯片上，但所提议的电源的集成过程是独特的，因为集成后的集成电池必须连续旋转才能产生电流。此外，像所有生物材料一样，集成的细胞会在系统内老化，这可能会显著限制电源的保质期。该项目的一个关键重点是评估商业市场对拟议电源的潜在需求，同时在系统的成本和可制造性之间保持适当的平衡。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 I-Corps project is focused on a microscale power supply that combines environmentally friendly materials to generate electrical current to power portable electronics such as cell phones, laptops, and mobile chargers. Drawing upon NSF-funded research in compact microfluidic systems that integrate biological cells with microchips, this project will explore the feasibility of establishing a small business venture to manufacture and sell the proposed power supply as a commercial product. At present, most of the small power supplies used in portable electronics contain exotic materials that are not environmentally friendly and can pose a public health risk when disposed of incorrectly. In addition, some of these materials are often in short supply which can impact the future design and manufacturing of portable electronics. The raw materials of the proposed power supply are environmentally friendly and abundant in nature.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a compact system that consist of three major elements: a single biological cell, small magnetic particles, and a custom-designed microchip. The manufacturing process of the system combines these elements in a unique sequence and manner, resulting in a compact power generator that converts the rotational power of the integrated cell into an electrical current in the microchip. Integration of the biological cell and the microchip at high precision is very challenging. While past work has demonstrated successful immobilization of biological materials on microchips, the integration process of the proposed power supply is unique because the integrated cell must rotate continuously after integration in order to generate an electrical current. Further, like all biological materials, the integrated cell will age within the system, and this can significantly limit the shelf life of the power supply. A key focus of the project is to evaluate the potential need of the proposed power supply by the commercial market while maintaining a proper balance between the cost and manufacturability of the system.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.