US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Uab Research Foundation

Donald M Cropek

Robert Samuel Langer

Leon M Bellan

Martin A Page

Clint M Arnett

Eugenia P Kharlampieva

Imee Arcibal

Ashley N Boyd

Julian H Reed

Veronika Koziovskaya

Justin Lange

Yun Wang

In one embodiment, a hydrogel-enzyme construct for performing high temperature enzymatic reaction on paraoxon, and/or for performing enzymatic reaction on paraoxon following exposure to high temperature, includes a hydrogel having multiple layers of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and a plurality of dPTE2 enzyme molecules. Individual dPTE2 enzyme molecules are embedded between adjacent PMAA layers and are covalently bonded with respective individual PMAA layers. The hydrogel-enzyme construct is capable of performing enzymatic reaction on the paraoxon when the paraoxon is exposed to the hydrogel-enzyme construct under a temperature condition of up to above 99° C. and below 100° C. or when the paraoxon is exposed to the hydrogel-enzyme construct after the hydrogel-enzyme construct has been heated to a temperature condition of up to 550° C., where the enzymatic reaction on the paraoxon by individual dPTE2 molecules embedded within the hydrogel occurs at a residual activity of between 20% and 100%.

Hydrogel-enzyme systems and methods

A recombinantcoagulant protein (MO) produced and secreted byhas coagulation/flocculation activity. The MO protein and thehost cells expressing the MO protein can be used in compositions and methods for treating contaminated water, such as drinking water or waste water. The MO protein can coagulate or flocculate suspended solid impurities in the water, which can then be removed.

Compositions and methods for treating contaminated water

Methods for microfabricating composite materials and composite materials prepared there from are described herein. The sacrificial material can be etched or patterned to create a two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional sacrificial material structure. The resulting sacrificial material structure can be embedded in one or more embedding materials. The sacrificial material(s) are materials whose solubility can be altered by application of a stimulus typically pH, and/or temperature, light, pH, pressure, presence of absence of ions, and combinations thereof. The embedding materials can contain one or more additives that modify one or more properties of the embedding materials, such as degradation properties, porosity, mechanical properties, viscosity, conductive properties, and combinations thereof. The composite materials can be used in tissue engineering, drug screening, toxin detection, drug delivery, filtrations, bioseparations, and as microfluidic devices for fluid mixing and structural repair.

ph-sensitive sacrificial materials for the microfabrication of structures

A novel type of ultrathin cationic hydrogel coatings are provided that have high, quick and reversible swelling/shrinkage transitions and surface wettability in response to pH changes. The poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PVP) hydrogel films are produced by selective cross-linking of PVP copolymers in layer-by-layer (LbL) films assembled by spin-assisted method. These multilayer hydrogels exhibit drastic and reversible 10-fold swelling when the pH is changed from neutral to acidic. The swelling amplitude of these coatings is controlled by varying cross-link densities within the films. The pH-responsive hydrogels open new prospects for developing 'intelligent' materials with sharp stimuli-triggered responses for applications in sensing, transport regulation, and self-cleaning coatings.

Multilayer hydrogels with pH-responsive swelling and surface wettability

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Champaign, IL, United States of America

Donald M Cropek