Polymers/Membranes | Office of Technology Licensing

Available Technologies by Category
Novel Hydrogels for Encapsulation, Vascularization, and Transplantation of Cells	This hydrolytically degradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel leverages ester linkages combined at various ratios with non-degradable macromers to enable tunable degradation kinetics. Potential applications include controlled release and delivery of drugs or proteins as well as cell encapsulation. It can also be used as a delivery vehicle and adhesive for cells in transplantation settings. These innovative hydrogels allow for rapid hydrolytic cleavage in vivo but remain stable in vitro for weeks at neural pH 7 to support regenerative medicine techniques.	9019
Tunable Membrane-Based Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery	Customizable membrane structure and surface properties provide selective removal of contaminants of emerging concerns (CEC) and recovery of valuable components. An enlarged membrane surface area, combined with a gutter effect from the interlayer, results in nearly double the water permeability of current filtration membranes. Achieves high-performance recovery of essential nutrients/fertilizers that are free of CECs.	8633
AI-Designed High Energy–Density High-Temperature Polymers	The present materials are capable of withstanding enormous electric fields at very high temperatures. The materials produced are extremely lightweight. Vehicles making use of these materials will be lightweight, and lighter vehicles consume less energy.	9101
Lymphoid Tissue System Harnesses Ex Vivo Immune Reactions for Rapid Antibody Production and Immune Response Prediction	This immunocompetent system uniquely accounts for the unexpected activation of various immune cells to allow proper immune cell differentiation, recapitulating an effective immune response. The chemokine gradient is switchable, allowing the immune cell differentiation needed for an appropriate immune reaction. An ex vivo system supports immune response creation in a controlled environment, allowing reproduction of immunologic events for developing improved therapeutics.	9196
Bioabsorbable, Permeable, and Flexible 3D Auxetic Implants Offer Large-Volume Soft Tissue Reconstruction	A novel 3D auxetic architecture offers enhanced compressive flexibility, permeability, and nonlinear mechanical behavior. This high-performance technology has the potential to generate implants with soft tissue-mimetic biomechanical properties and high mass transfer capacity. Implants can be customized for patients by adjusting the strut width and intervals and by fitting the complex anatomic geometry of the defect based on patient medical data.	8821
Tunable MEMs Gas Sensor Improves Selectivity and Sensitivity	Versatile: Customizes MEMS chemical sensors, compatible with a variety of sensing materials, allowing for the detection of numerous gas-phase analytes Easy to manufacture: Uses batch-fabricated sensors compatible with COTS electronics Highly sensitive: Offers sub parts-per-million detection limits for volatile organic compounds Enhanced selectivity: Combines gravimetric and impedimetric responses to demonstrate enhanced discrimination between multiple VOCs Powerful: Enables the simultaneous observation of both mass loading and dielectric changes in polymeric sensing films upon sorption of an analyte Innovative: Uses the transient response characteristics of a sensor response to a gated exposure event, rather than steady-state sensor data	8269, 8987
Catalyst for Degradation of Traditional PET	Degradation of PET products lead to less landfill waste. The technology has applications in bio-based packaging to eliminate single-use plastics. Degradation does not give rise to microplastics, which are hazardous.	8960
Superluminescent Light Projection (SLP) System Decreases Nanoscale Printing Costs by 10–50 Times	This superluminescent light projection (SLP) system decreases overall nanoscale printing costs by 10–50 times. A parallel writing mechanism supports higher throughput speeds: up to 100 times higher than existing metal printing methods and four times higher than existing polymer printing methods. SLP creates sharp-edged images with minimal speckling patterns, resulting in high-resolution images and structures on both polymer and metal-based films.	9066
Hydrogel-Based Artificial Ligaments Offer Substantial Improvements for ACL Reconstruction Therapies	This biocompatible hydrogel-based device is designed to reproduce natural ligament/tendon function to decrease the incidence of immune responses that lead to chronic inflammation. An alternative to standard artificial ligaments and tendons, the device is designed to be placed via non-invasive techniques, making it a safer alternative to current, invasive surgical methods. Non-biodegradable hydrogels are highly durable, potentially increasing the lifespan of the prostheses.	5386
Thermoformed Polymeric Valved Conduits Offer a Biocompatible, Customizable Heart Valve Replacement Treatment	This biocompatible device may reduce adverse events resulting in a lower incidence of post-surgical adverse events for better long-term outcomes. Customizable valve conduits allow patient-specific device creation for potentially easier surgical placement and optimal post-surgical valve function. This unique device may offer a safer treatment option by providing a biocompatible, patient-specific intervention, resulting in fewer undesirable adverse events.	9003
Fully Bioresorbable Heart Valve Scaffold Supports Native Neovalve Growth to Reduce Future Procedures	Replacing a stenotic fetal heart valve with a living autologous valve could possibly cure the complex cardiac anomalies that cause single ventricle physiology. With this approach, the valve has the potential to accommodate patient growth and eliminate the need for multiple heart valve replacements during the patient’s lifetime. The transcatheter nature of this valve deployment makes the procedure similar in risk to a traditional fetal valvuloplasty.	8868
Patterned Implantable Devices for Improved Reconstruction of Tubular Tissue Passageway Defects	This innovation improves patterned airway stents for passageways or tubular tissues to potentially enable long-passageway reconstructions. Extrusion-based 3D bioprinting produces a patterned implantable device with higher mechanical strength without increasing the wall thickness of the device. Incorporating auxetic-patterning creates an implantable splinting device for supporting passageway defects in growing patients, such as infants or children.	8831
Custom-Fit Reusable Respiratory Protective Device (RPD) with Continuous Fit Monitoring Improves Comfort and Protection	Vastly improves comfort and protection while bringing peace of mind to wearers through a custom fit and continuous monitoring Reduces pressure injuries caused by extended RPD use through both a customized fit and alerts to the wearer when the RPD should be adjusted or removed Minimizes exposures to workplace hazards by immediately detecting leakage during RPD use and alerting the wearer to adjust the device	8876, 9089, 9090, 9091
Sustained Lymphatic Drug Delivery System Potentially Improves Efficacy and Safety of Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies	This sustained lymphatic drug delivery system guides therapeutics and imaging agents to the injection site, lymphatic vessels, and lymph nodes. Sustained lymphatic delivery enables lower dosing and fewer administrations to potentially improve therapeutic response while reducing adverse effects and costs. The simplicity of a vaccine-like, sustained drug release injection allows use at less expensive community health centers.	8637
Customized 3D-Printed Bioresorbable Heart Valves	Resorbable, patient-specific heart valves offer great flexibility for treating a wider range of conditions and patients than traditionally manufactured heart valves. Customizable valves potentially decrease complications due to poor fit and the need for reinterventions. Selecting materials for optimal mechanical properties, thermodynamic properties, chemical properties, and surface chemistry and morphology reduces mismatch between device and tissue, potentially improving performance and patient outcomes.	8893
Chemically Modified Reduced Graphene Oxides (rGOs) Improve Strength and Qualities of Polymer Composites	Chemically modifying rGO creates improved dispersibility and miscibility that can be used in polymer processes as a composite reinforcement or coating material. Easily scalable solution chemistry and purification/filtration makes the process economically feasible, resulting in a commercially viable material for many applications. Melt lamination results in a robust conductive coating that is more durable than comparable polymer-based coatings and enables many electronically active device designs.	8297
Anodically Coloring Molecular Electrochromics (EC) Improve Contrast, Color, and Transitions	True black-to-clear transitions with high contrast and color tuning are now possible with anodically coloring electrochromics. Broad absorption supports color mixing and color tunability in the charged state, and color tuning is enabled by manipulating the oscillator strengths of radical cation transitions. Energy required for practical electrochromic applications is effectively decreased by much lower oxidative potentials, as compared to their corresponding polyamides.	7745
Efficiently Generating Complex Hydrogel Structures for Tissue/Organ-on-a-Chip Models	Faster: Reduces preparation time from several hours to minutes Simplified: Generates complex patterns, including perfusable channels, using light-triggered polymerization of synthetic hydrogels and photomasks rather than current equipment-intensive methods that use laser-based patterning or ablation techniques Lowers regulatory burdens: Using synthetic rather than biological matrices simplifies regulatory hurdles, increases reproducibility from batch to batch, and increases tunability of the mechanical and biochemical properties of the matrix	8838, 8839
Self-Driven, Reusable, Scalable Technique for Harvesting Microalgae with Porous Superabsorbent Polymer	Fast: The optimized pore structure of the PSAP beads allows fast and selective absorption of water, greatly reducing standard processing time. Cost effective: Microalgae harvesting with PSAP beads cuts costs, as it does not require any complex instrument and little training is needed to operate the harvesting procedures. Scalable: PSAP beads can be produced in large quantities at a significantly lower cost than conventional harvesting tools.	8849
Biodegradable Shape Memory Polymer for 3D-Printed Tissue and Biomedical Devices	New synthesis reaction produces novel biomaterials for soft tissue treatment combines shape memory and biodegradability with custom 3D printing for patient-specific, minimally invasive solutions Customizable to patient needs by varying the formulation and molecular architecture to alter the mechanical properties Improves safety and efficacy by providing a much-needed middle range to existing “too hard/too soft” tissue repair options, while also being biodegradable and bioresorbable	8655

Technologies