Methods for in vivo and in vitro use of graphene and other two-dimensional materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10980919-B2
Application number	US-201615099304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2016
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

Two-dimensional materials, particularly graphene-based materials, having a plurality of apertures thereon can be formed into enclosures for various substances and introduced to an environment, particularly a biological environment (in vivo or in vitro). One or more selected substances can be released into the environment, one or more selected substances from the environment can enter the enclosure, one or more selected substances from the environment can be prevented from entering the enclosure, one or more selected substances can be retained within the enclosure, or combinations thereof. The enclosure can for example allow a sense-response paradigm to be realized. The enclosure can for example provide immunoisolation for materials, such as living cells, retained therein.

First claim

What is claimed is the following:

1. A device comprising a first enclosure and a second enclosure,
wherein the first enclosure and the second enclosure are in direct fluid communication with one another,
wherein the enclosures independently comprise two or more stacked single layers of chemical vapor deposition graphene encapsulating a compartment, or a portion thereof, with at least one substance,
wherein the enclosures contain nanoparticle bombardment-created pores across the chemical vapor deposition graphene,
wherein the first enclosure and/or second enclosure allows release of the substance to an environment external to the device via passage across the pores in the chemical vapor deposition graphene, and
wherein the first and/or second enclosure comprises a central compartment E surrounded by four compartments A-D, wherein compartment E comprises egress into compartments A-D, compartments A-D comprise egress to the environment external to the device and wherein compartment E does not comprise egress into the external environment.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first enclosure and the second enclosure are connected by microfluidic channels.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first enclosure and the second enclosure are in direct fluid contact via microfluidic channels.

4. The device of claim 1 , comprising more than two enclosures, wherein each enclosure is in direct fluid contact with at least one other enclosure.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein fluids and/or the substance pass between the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the fluids and/or the substance pass between the first enclosure and the second enclosure via osmosis, applied electric potential, concentration gradients, diffusion, piston-induced transport, triggered movement, or a combination thereof.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an osmotic pump that promotes passage of fluids and/or the substance between the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the substances in the first enclosure are released into an environment external to the device at a different rate and/or at different relative concentration than substances in the second enclosure.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first enclosure is in direct fluid communication with the environment external to the device, wherein the second enclosure is in direct fluid communication with the first enclosure, and wherein the second enclosure is not in direct fluid communication with the environment external to the device.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein each compartment comprises two or more stacked single layers chemical vapor deposition graphene containing pores.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the substance is selected from the group consisting of atoms, ions, molecules, macromolecules, viruses, particles, pharmaceuticals, drugs, medicaments, therapeutics, small molecules, and combinations thereof.

12. An artificial liver comprising a first enclosure and a second enclosure in direct fluid contact with one another, wherein the first and/or second enclosure comprises a central compartment E surrounded by four compartments A-D, wherein compartment E comprises egress into compartments A-D, compartments A-D comprise egress to an environment external to the artificial liver and wherein compartment E does not comprise egress into the external environment wherein two or more stacked single layers of chemical vapor deposition graphene encapsulate the compartments,
wherein the two or more stacked single layers of chemical vapor deposition graphene contains nanoparticle bombardment-created pores, and the first enclosure and/or second enclosure allows release of the substance to the environment external to the artificial liver via passage across the pores in the stacked single layers of chemical vapor deposition graphene.

13. The device of claim 1 , further comprising
a means for moving substances and/or fluids between the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the means comprises osmosis, applied electric potential, concentration gradients, diffusion, piston-induced transport, triggered movement, or a combination thereof.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the enclosures independently comprise 2 to 5 stacked single layers of chemical vapor deposition graphene.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the enclosures further comprise one or more support structures.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the enclosures comprise two support structures different from one another.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein one of the support structures comprises polymeric fibers.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein one of the support structures comprises carbon nanotubes.

20. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first enclosure and/or second enclosure's compartment E is square or rectangular in shape, wherein compartments A-D are each independently joined to compartment E at one of the four different sides of the square or rectangle, respectively, and wherein the compartment E further comprises two additional compartments joined to a top and bottom face of compartment E, respectively.

21. The artificial liver of claim 12 , wherein the first enclosure and/or second enclosure's compartment E is square or rectangular in shape, wherein compartments A-D are each independently joined to compartment E at one of the four different sides of the square or rectangle, respectively, and wherein the compartment E further comprises two additional compartments joined to a top and bottom face of compartment E, respectively.

22. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first enclosure and/or second enclosure's compartment E is square or rectangular in shape, wherein compartments A-D are each independently joined to compartment E at one of the four different sides of the square or rectangle, respectively, and wherein the compartment E further comprises two additional compartments joined to a top and bottom face of compartment E, respectively.

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Simon Sarah M
• Swett Jacob L

Classifications

• B01D69/108

  Inorganic support material · CPC title

• B01D71/0211

  Graphene or derivates thereof · CPC title

• B01D69/107

  Organic support material · CPC title

• B01D69/1216

  Three or more layers · CPC title

• B01D71/0212

  Carbon nanotubes · CPC title