The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued nineteen patents during January, February, and March for technologies invented at the University of New Mexico. The technologies were created by UNM researchers in the departments of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Biology, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, and Pathology, and the Centers for High Technology Materials, Micro-Engineered Materials, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Discovery, Infectious Diseases & Immunity, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Issued Patent for “Polymer Scaffold Degradation Control via Chemical Control”
Patent No. 9,228,042, issued January 5, 2016
Inventors: Elizabeth L. Hedberg-Dirk, Shawn Dirk, Kirsten Cicotte
This technology is a novel technique for creating a crosslinkable polymer system. It is applicable to all polymers with glass transition temperatures lower than room temperature and also contain a photo-crosslinkable functional group. The system is crosslinked to produce non-calendaring, 3D porous scaffolds for use in tissue engineering.
Issued patent for “Structural Illumination and Evanescent Coupling for the Extension of Imaging Interferometric Microscopy”
Patent No. 9,239,455, issued January 19, 2016
Inventors: Steven R. J. Brueck, Yuliya V. Kuznetsova, Alexander Neumann
This technology uses a low numerical-aperture (NA) microscope objective to obtain high-frequency partial images using simultaneous coherent off-axis illumination beams and different methods of creating the image. The benefits of this flexibility require only minimal access to the objective pupil, making the invention much more adaptable to current technology. Applications include semiconductor manufacturing and microscopy of biological subjects.
Issued patent for “Enzymatically-Active High-Flux Selectively Gas-Permeable Membranes”
Patent No. 9,242,210, issued January 26, 2016
Inventors: Ying-Bing Jiang, Joseph L. Cecchi, Susan L. Rempe, Yaqin Fu, C. Jeffrey Brinker
This technology is a new enzyme-catalyzed membrane that is effective for CO2 separation. Called Memzyme™, the membrane uses enzyme catalyzation or other catalytic methods to accelerate the overall selective permeation process. The membrane is ultra-thin and pin-hole-free. The CO2 flux through this membrane is several orders of magnitude higher than traditional polymer membranes, and the selectivity surpasses almost all concurrent membranes. Applications for this CO2 capture method include flue gas, oil refineries, power plants, medical science, chemical engineering, the petroleum industry, and food industries.
Issued Patent for “Polony Sequencing Methods”
Patent No. 9,243,290, issued January 26, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventor: Jeremy S. Edwards
This technology provides methods for ultra-high throughput sequencing improvements, including high accuracy, increased read length, increased read density, and a significant cost reduction to re-sequence a human genome compared to gold standard technology. It is adaptable to many sequencing platforms.
Issued Patent for “Suppressing Optical Loss in Nanostructured Metals by Increasing Self-Inductance and Electron-Path Length”
Patent No. 9,246,031, issued January 26, 2016
Inventors: Sang Eon Han, Samuel Clark
This technology is a method for using helical coils that can render metals transparent. The helical-coiled ribbon nanostructures are comprised of two metal electrode layers that sandwich a semiconductor active layer and are periodically arranged to form an array. Tests have shown that light is able to pass through the metal electrode layers and be absorbed by the semiconductor, giving credence to the metals being transparent. The absorption rate in the semiconductor of the helical structure is an order of magnitude higher than for tubular or planar structures.
Issued Patent for “Durable Polymer Aerogel-Based Superhydrophobic Coatings: A Composite Material”
Patent No. 9,249,333, issued February 2, 2016
Inventors: David J. Kissel, C. Jeffrey Brinker
The technology is a highly advanced nanocomposite coating made from amorphous silica and a custom-engineered polymer. The coating can be applied to any type of surface regardless of shape, size or composition by spin-coating, ink-jet printing, blade-casting, dip-coating, and aerosol spraying. Benefits include optical clarity, low cost, simple processing and application on nearly any surface, such as self-cleaning surfaces, non-fogging displays, anti-icing coatings, insulation for mechanically abusive applications, corrosion protection, and water collection in harsh environments.
Issued patent for “Gate-All-Around Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Transistors With Gate Oxides”
Patent No. 9,257,535, issued February 9, 2016
Inventors: Seung-Chang Lee, Steven R. J. Brueck, Daniel F. Feezell
This gate-all-around FET technology uses well-defined nano-scale floating current channel from source to drain. The current channel is surrounded with Group III oxide formed by liquid phase chemical-enhanced oxidation for thermal stability, providing less leakage, greater performance, and longevity for use in semiconductors, integrated circuit, and transistors.
Issued patent for “Paper-Based Fuel Cell”
Patent No. 9,257,709, issued February 9, 2016
Inventors: Scott Sibbett, Carolin Lau, Marchesi Krall Ciniciato, Plamen B. Atanassov
This technology is a fuel cell that can be easily manufactured in high-volume and at low cost at both mini- (<1 cm3) and macro-scales (>1 m3) with proportionate scaling in output from microwatts to kilowatts of power. A small number of serial process steps produce ready-to-operate devices, complete with integrated positive and negative terminals ready for wiring to a current-requiring device. Particular advantage of this technology is providing solutions to environmental energy harvesting devices that operate at low current densities.
Issued for “Efficacy in Treating Bacterial Infection”
Patent No. 9,259,415, issued February 16, 2016
Inventors: Larry A. Sklar, Mark K. Haynes, Susan McDowell, Robert Sammelson
This technology is a compound that inhibits the invasion of host cells and decreases intracellular persistence of Staphylococcus aureus. This particular compound decreases the chance of invasion by bacterial and viral pathogens by inhibiting both uptake and replication. Such a discovery may prove to be a central target in developing aggressive new treatment strategies for invasive infection of S. aureus and other pathogens.
Issued patent for “Monodispersed Particles Fabricated by Microfluidic Device”
Patent No. 9,260,311, issued February 16, 2016
Inventors: Dimiter N. Petsev, Amber Ortiz, Nick Carroll, Plamen B. Atanassov, Svitlana Pylypenko
This technology is a method for the synthesis and design of mesoporous microparticles with biporous internal structure and also describes the procedures and ancillary steps that are necessary for obtaining bimodal porous structures through microemulsion templating. Applications include catalysis and electrocatalysis, chromatography, and drug delivery.
Issued patent for “High-Efficiency, Light-Absorbing and Light-Emitting Nanostructures”
Patent No. 9,267,889 issued, February 23, 2016
Inventors: Mike Klopfer, Ravinder K. Jain
This technology is a method for producing high-brightness plasmonic quantum-dot nanostructures that eliminates cadmium toxicity by shielding the quantum dot in a nanoshell. The technology allows for new medical research and clinical applications such as biomedical imaging, deep-tissue imaging and phototherapy.
Issued patent for “Flow Cytometry for High-Throughput Screening”
Patent No. 9,267,892 issued February 23, 2016
This technology is currently licensed.
Inventors: Larry A. Sklar, Frederick W. Kuckuck, Bruce S. Edwards
This technology is a fluorescent detection and analysis system called the HyperCyt® that provides a simple solution to high-throughput cytometry, allowing samples to be removed from sample wells in multiple well plates at rates exceeding one sample per second and sample volumes in the range of five microliters or less. The HyperCyt® system incorporates a sample handler and cytometer that is integrated with a plate handling system.
Issued patent for “Low Defect-Density, Lattice-Mismatched Semiconductor Devices and Methods of Fabricating Same”
Patent No. 9,269,569, issued February 23, 2016
Inventors: Sang M. Han, Darin Leonhardt
This technology is a novel method for terminating dislocations in crystalline films heteroepitaxially grown on lattice-mismatched substrates and preventing these dislocations from propagating into subsequently grown films. Applications include low-cost photovoltaics, optoelectronics, semiconductor fabrication, and photonic devices.
Issued patent for “Semiconductor Device and Method of Making the Device”
Patent No. 9,269,724, issued February 23, 2016
Inventors: Sang M. Han, Darin Leonhardt, Ghosh Swapnadip
This technology is a novel method for mitigating the stress induced by thermal expansion coefficient mismatch for semiconductor devices. A SiO2 nanotemplate structure is used to block the threading dislocations and reduce the thermal stress due to thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between Ge and Si. The SiO2 template leaves voids around the template sidewall and top surface, which relieve stress caused by the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the film and the substrate.
Issued patent for “System and Methods for Usage Management in Multi-Level Security Networks”
Patent No. 9,270,701, issued February 23, 2016
Inventors: Christopher C. Lamb, Gregory L. Heileman
This technology is a usage management system embedded in a delivery network in the form of overlay networks for secure information partitioning. This overlay-structure integration approach takes a novel direction by providing provisionable security as a service over domains of differing sensitivity. The technology allows communities to create content-centric information cells of arbitrary sensitivity and security.
Issued patent for “Spatially Correlated Light Collection from Multiple Sample Streams Excited with a Line Focused Light Source”
Patent No. 9,274,042, issued March 1, 2016
This technology is currently licensed.
Inventors: Steven Wayde Graves, Pearlson Prashanth Austin Suthanthiraraj, Andrew P. Shreve, Gabriel P. Lopez
This technology is a simple method for collecting light from multiple sample streams and converting the multiple light sources into parallel streams. The technology makes it possible to simultaneously excite multiple sample streams and correlate which stream the signal came from by its spatial position on an array-based sensor, including through the interrogation of multiple wavelengths using a single excitation and collection lens.
Issued patent for “Cell-Based Composite Materials with Programmed Structures and Functions”
Patent No. 9,273,305, issued March 1, 2016
Inventors: Bryan J. Kaehr, C. Jeffrey Brinker, Jason L. Townson
This technology is a simple method to create functional biomorphic composites, silica “frustules,” and carbon replicas from mammalian cells, allowing straightforward customization of structure and function via chemical and genetic engineering. Applications include use as a biocatalyst, a separation medium, an adsorbent/absorbent, and fuel cell, decontamination, and sensor technologies.
Issued patent for “Nanowires, Nanowire Networks and Methods for Their Formation and Use”
Patent No. 9,275,857, issued March 1, 2016
Inventors: Stephen D. Hersee
This technology is a method for creating small-diameter GaN nanowires by a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) synthesis approach that produces arrays of highly-oriented nanowires of constant diameter that remain attached to the parent substrate for measurement. This new method is scalable and realistically transferable for practical applications; will allow for the study of the influence of quantum-size effects (QSE) and contribute to the potential growth of nanowire networks.
Issued patent for “High-Q Optical Resonators and Method of Making the Same”
Patent No. 9,285,535, issued March 15, 2016
Inventors: Ravinder K. Jain, Mani Hossein-Zadeh
This technology is a simple and reliable new method for fabricating high-Q WGM optical microresonators in several mid-IR relevant glasses. The method is very practical for creating spheres with minimal bulk and surface defects. Applications include mid-IR spectroscopic sensors, mid-IR microsphere lasers and novel mid-IR luminescent light sources.