The Penn State Research Foundation

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Other

Nanohorizons, Inc.

Daniel Hayes

Stephen J Fonash

Joseph D Cuiffi

Wook Jun Nam

Ali Kaan Kalkan

Sanghoon Bae

Dorin Boldor

Youngchul Lee

Mohammad Abu-Laban

Bilal M El-Zahab

Isiah Manuel Warner

Yinghui Shan

Edward A Chilcoat

A Kaan Kalkan

Handong Li

Kyuhwan Chang

Chih-Yi Peng

James L Delattre

Paul Butterfoss

Matthew Henry

James Kundrat

Bishnu P Regmi

Paul Carrigan

Kunvichet Lee

In one aspect, compositions are described herein. A composition described herein comprises a nanoparticle, a therapeutic species, and a linker joining the nanoparticle to the therapeutic species. The linker joining the nanoparticle to the therapeutic species comprises a Diels-Alder cyclo-addition reaction product. Additionally, in some embodiments, the nanoparticle is a magnetic nanoparticle.

Compositions and methods for targeted delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic species

Catalysts useful in transforming biomass to bio-oil are disclosed, as are methods for making such catalysts, and methods of transforming biomass to bio-oil. The catalysts are especially useful for, but are not limited to, microwave- and induction-heating based pyrolysis of biomass, solid waste, and other carbon containing materials into bio-oil. The catalysts can also be used for upgrading the bio-oil to enhance fuel quality.

Production of oil by pyrolysis of coal

Catalysts useful for biomass pyrolysis and bio-oil upgrading

Composite films comprising an organic salt (or GUMBOS) such as 1-n-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and a polymer such as cellulose acetate are prepared. These films are useful in detecting vapors of volatile organic compounds, and in determining their molecular weights. A quartz crystal microbalance-based sensor was designed by depositing a thin film of this composite material on the gold electrode surface of a quartz crystal resonator. The sensor exhibited rapid response toward a variety of volatile organic compounds, and complete regeneration, high sensitivity, low detection limits, and wide dynamic ranges. The ratio of the change in frequency to the change in motional resistance is a concentration-independent quantity that is proportional to the molecular weight of the absorbed chemical species. These properties facilitate the easy identification and molecular weight determination of a broad range of organic vapors.

Detection and molecular weight determination of organic vapors

Appliance pedestal that contains liquid leaks due to condensation, overflow, or system failure originating from the supported liquid filled or handling appliance, provides for multiple methods of discharge of collected liquids, and reduces installation and maintenance requirements and their associated hazards and provides an improved ergonomic operating position for the appliance operator.

Liquid leak control appliance pedestal

Substrates that exhibit antimicrobial and/or antifungal characteristics that persist through the useful life of the substrate, and more particularly textile substrates infused with or covalently bound to well-dispersed antimicrobial nanoparticles, such as silver and/or copper nanoparticles, which exhibit persistent and demonstrable bacteriocidal, bacteriostatic, fungicidal, fungistatic behavior through numerous wash cycles. Methods of manufacturing such substrates are also provided.

Wash-durable, antimicrobial and antifungal textile substrates

This invention uses large surface to volume ratio materials for separation, release layer, and sacrificial material applications. The invention outlines the material concept, application designs, and fabrication methodologies. The invention is demonstrated using deposited column/void network materials as examples of large surface to volume ratio materials. In a number of the specific applications discussed, it is shown that it is advantageous to create structures on a laminate on a mother substrate and then, using the separation layer material approach, to separate this laminate from the mother substrate using the present separation scheme. It is also shown that the present materials have excellent release layer utility. In a number of applications it is also shown how the approach can be used to uniquely form cavities, channels, air-gaps, and related structures in or on various substrates. Further, it is demonstrated that it also can be possible and advantageous to combine the schemes for cavity formation with the scheme for laminate separation.

Deposited thin films and their use in separation and sacrificial layer applications

The invention relates to methods for preparing a removable system on a mother substrate. The method deposits a high surface to volume sacrificial layer on a mother substrate and stabilizes the sacrificial layer by a) removing volatile chemical species in and on the sacrificial layer and/or b) modifying the surface of the layer. The method coats over the sacrificial layer with a capping medium. A system is the fabricated on the capping medium. The method provides through holes to access the sacrificial layer. The method may also apply a top layer onto the system to form a covered system. The invention also includes the step of removing the sacrificial layer to release the system from the mother substrate. Methods of the invention also include selectively removing a portion of the system and capping layers to form void regions defining an array of islands composed of device, structure, or system and capping layer regions, and optionally filling the island-defining void region with a sacrificial material. In such methods the sacrificial material and the high surface to volume sacrificial layer are removed to release the system from the mother substrate. Methods of the invention also include applying a layer to the capping material side of the released system to form a configuration wherein the system is substantially within a bending-stress reduced neutral plane. The systems fabricated according to the invention may be placed on a wide variety of suitable substrates, including flexible substrates.

Use of sacrificial layers in the manufacture of high performance systems on tailored substrates

This invention presents a novel method to form uniform or heterogeneous, straight or curved and size-controllable nanostructures including, for example, nanotubes, nanowires, nanoribbons, and nanotapes, including SiNW, using a nanochannel template. In the case of semiconductor nanowires, doping can be included during growth. Electrode contacts are present as needed and may be built in to the template structure. Thus completed devices such as diodes, transistors, solar cells, sensors, and transducers are fabricated, contacted, and arrayed as nanowire or nanotape fabrication is completed. Optionally, the template is not removed and may become part of the structure. Nanodevices such as nanotweezers, nanocantilevers, and nanobridges are formed utilizing the processes of the invention.

Controlled nanowire growth in permanent, integrated nano-templates and methods of fabricating sensor and transducer structures

There is disclosed an apparatus for providing an ionized analyte for mass analysis by photon desorption comprising at least one layer for contacting an analyte, and a substrate on which said layer is deposited. Upon irradiation of said apparatus, said analyte desorbs and ionizes for analysis by mass spectrometry. The layer or layers of said apparatus comprise a continuous film, a discontinuous film or any combinations thereof.

Matrix-free desorption ionization mass spectrometry using tailored morphology layer devices

There is disclosed a method providing micro-scale devices, nano-scale devices, or devices having both nano-scale and micro-scale features. The method of the invention comprises fluidic assembly and various novel devices produced thereby. A variety of nanofluidic and molecular electronic type devices and structures having applications such as filtering and genetic sequencing are provided by the invention.

Fabrication of molecular scale devices using fluidic assembly

The present invention is directed to the use of deposited thin films for chemical or biological analysis. The invention further relates to the use of these thin films in separation adherence and detection of chemical of biological samples. Applications of these thin films include desorption-ionization mass spectroscopy, electrical contacts for organic thin films and molecules, optical coupling of light energy for analysis, biological materials manipulation, chromatographic separation, head space adsorbance media, media for atomic molecular adsorbance or attachment, and substrates for cell attachment.

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State College, PA, United States of America

Daniel Hayes