University of Michigan

Kevin P Pipe

Gun-Ho Kim

Stephen Lee Smith

Cagri Giray Besirli

Max Shtein

James Geiger

Jinsang Kim

Albert J Shih

William W Roberts

Apoorv Shanker

Kwang Hyup An

Robert Dodde

Chen Li

Arnold Advincula

Gregor Seidman

Kevin Wiese

Joseph Hendrickson

Karin Ytterbo

Stephen Smith

A handheld cryoanesthesia or analgesia device for cooling a target area on cutaneous membranes, mucous membranes, and tissue of the mucocutaneous zone having an elongated body and a thermoelectric cooling system disposed within the elongated body. The thermoelectric cooling system is configured to physically contact and thermally couple the target area of the cutaneous membranes, mucous membranes, and tissue of the mucocutaneous zone to induce cryoanesthesia or analgesia. The thermoelectric cooling system includes a thermally-conductive cold tip, a thermally-conductive cooling power concentrator thermally coupled to the cold tip, at least one Peltier unit module thermally coupled to the cooling power concentrator, a heatsink thermally coupled to at least one Peltier unit module, a power source, at least one thermal sensor, and a controller operably outputting a control signal to the Peltier unit module to maintain a predetermined temperature.

Applicator for cryoanesthesia and analgesia

Methods of increasing thermal conductivity of a bulk polymer are provided. The methods include contacting a bulk polyelectrolyte polymer comprising an ionizable repeating pendant group with an aqueous liquid having a pH that ionizes the pendant group and isotropically extend the polyelectrolyte polymer to an extended non-globular chain conformation. The polyelectrolyte polymer so treated thus exhibits a thermal conductivity of greater than or equal to about 0.6 W/m&#xb7;K and optionally greater than or equal to about 1 W/m&#xb7;K. In other aspects, the present disclosure provides a high thermal conductivity material comprising a bulk polyelectrolyte polymer bearing a repeating charged group and having an extended non-globular chain conformation and that exhibits a thermal conductivity of greater than or equal to about 0.6 W/m&#xb7;K and optionally greater than or equal to about 1 W/m&#xb7;K. The high thermal conductivity material may be used in electronic devices, including as housings/encapsulation and thermal interfaces.

Molecularly engineered high thermal conductivity polymers and methods for making the same

An electrically pumped light emitting device emits a light when powered by a power source. The light emitting device includes a first electrode, a second electrode including an outer surface, and at least one active organic semiconductor disposed between the first and second electrodes. The device also includes a dye adjacent the outer surface of the second electrode such that the second electrode is disposed between the dye and the active organic semiconductor. A voltage applied by the power source across the first and second electrodes causes energy to couple from decaying dipoles into surface plasmon polariton modes, which then evanescently couple to the dye to cause the light to be emitted.

Surface plasmon-mediated energy transfer of electrically-pumped excitons

A method of manufacturing a fiber-based electric apparatus includes providing an elongate, flexible fiber core and layering an electric device on the fiber core.

Fiber-based electric device

A fiber-based electric apparatus includes an elongate, flexible fiber core. The apparatus also includes an electric device layered on the fiber core.

A surgical instrument for treating a tissue includes a handpiece and a tissue engaging portion arranged to be received by the handpiece. The tissue engaging portion includes first and second opposed jaw members having an open position and a closed position for engaging the tissue therebetween, where the first and second jaw members are arranged to receive surgical energy from a surgical generator. The tissue engaging portion further includes at least one cooling member spaced from at least one of the first and second jaw members, where the cooling member has an open position and a closed position for engaging the tissue. Positioning the jaw members in their closed position and applying surgical energy to the tissue allows for treatment of the tissue, and positioning the cooling member in its closed position provides at least one of a pressure gradient or a thermal gradient between the jaw members and the cooling member.

Surgical instrument and method for use thereof

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Kevin P Pipe