The Penn State Research Foundation

Alan J Snyder

Mark Kester

James H Adair

William Benjamin White

Carlo Pantano

Christopher A Siedlecki

Erwin Vogler

Victor Ruiz-Velasco

Lawrence Sinoway

Sarah M Rouse

Jun Wang

The present invention provides a method for the synthesis of unagglomerated, highly dispersed, stable core/shell nanocomposite particles comprised of preparing a reverse micelle microemulsion that contains nanocomposite particles, treating the microemulsion with a silane coupling agent, breaking the microemulsion to form a suspension of the nanocomposite particles by adding an acid/alcohol solution to the microemulsion that maintains the suspension of nanocomposite particles at a pH of between about 6 and 7, and simultaneously washing and dispersing the suspension of nanocomposite particles, preferably with a size exclusion HPLC system modified to ensure unagglomeration of the nanocomposite particles. The primary particle size of the nanocomposite particles can range in diameter from between about 1 to 100 nm, preferably from between about 10 to 50 nm, more preferably about 10 to 20 nm, and most preferably about 20 nm.

Unagglomerated core/shell nanocomposite particles

An artificial heart assembly may be provided with a blood inlet conduit adapted to be implanted within a subject, a blood outlet conduit adapted to be implanted within the subject, a pumping mechanism implanted within the subject that pumps blood from the blood inlet conduit to the blood outlet conduit, and a motor coupled to drive the pumping mechanism. The artificial heart apparatus has a power source and a control circuit operatively coupled to cause the motor to drive the pumping mechanism in a regular mode when the power source has a relatively high charge level and in an irregular mode when the power source has a relatively low charge level so that the subject can feel when the pumping mechanism is being driven in the irregular mode and thus know that the power source has the relatively low charge level.

Artificial heart with arrhythmia signalling

An artificial heart assembly, designed for implantation into a subject, which may be a total artificial heart or a ventricular assist device. The heart assembly has a blood inlet conduit, a blood outlet conduit, a pumping mechanism for pumping blood from the blood inlet conduit to the blood outlet conduit, and means for reversibly driving the pumping mechanism in a opposite directions over a stroke having a length defined by a pair of endpoints. The driving means has a motor which is braked by a braking means which has means for determining the actual speed of the pumping mechanism, means for comparing the actual speed of the pumping mechanism with a braking speed, and means for selectively applying the brake to the motor based upon the relative magnitudes of the actual speed and the braking speed.

Artificial heart braking system

Growing community of inventors

Hummelstown, PA, United States of America

Alan J Snyder