Methods of digital image correlation for biological samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11099004-B2
Application number	US-201916598107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2019
Priority date	Oct 10, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A method of marking a hydrated tissue specimen for mechanical testing is provided. The method includes adding a metal nanoparticle precursor solution to a reducing agent solution to form a mixture; incubating the mixture to form a plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles, where each of the aggregated metal nanoparticles includes a plurality of individual metal nanoparticles; separating the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles from a supernatant by means of centrifugation or gravitational settling; resuspending the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles in a buffer solution to form a colloidal metal nanoparticle suspension; and soaking the hydrated tissue specimen in the colloidal metal nanoparticle suspension, where at least a portion of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles adhere to the hydrated tissue specimen in a random pattern of speckles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of marking a hydrated tissue specimen for mechanical testing, the method comprising:
adding a metal nanoparticle precursor solution to a reducing agent solution to form a mixture;
incubating the mixture to form a plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles, wherein each of the aggregated metal nanoparticles includes a plurality of individual metal nanoparticles;
separating the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles from a supernatant by means of centrifugation or gravitational settling;
resuspending the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles in a buffer solution to form a colloidal metal nanoparticle suspension; and
soaking the hydrated tissue specimen in the colloidal metal nanoparticle suspension, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles adhere to the hydrated tissue specimen in a random pattern of speckles.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of individual metal nanoparticles has a particle size ranging from about 100 nanometers to about 200 nanometers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles has a particle size ranging from about 0.75 micrometers to about 100 micrometers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual metal nanoparticles comprises gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, nickel nanoparticles, or platinum nanoparticles.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
subjecting the hydrated tissue specimen to one or more mechanical testing protocols, wherein an image capture device obtains a plurality of images of the hydrated tissue specimen, wherein a displacement of one or more speckles present on the tissue specimen is monitored.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticle precursor solution comprises chloroauric acid, silver nitrate, nickel chloride, dihydrogen hexachloroplatinate, or tetraammineplatinum (II) chloride.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticle precursor solution has a molarity ranging from about 0.0005M to about 0.15M.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing agent solution comprises ascorbic acid, sodium citrate, sodium borohydride, ethylene glycol, or hydrazine.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing agent solution has a molarity ranging from about 0.1M to about 0.4M.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticle precursor solution is present in an amount ranging from about 1.01% by volume to about 4% by volume based on a total volume of the mixture.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing agent solution is present in an amount ranging from about 96% by volume to about 98.99% by volume based on a total volume of the mixture.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixture is incubated for a time period ranging from about 2 days to about 8 days.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixture is incubated at a temperature ranging from about 20° C. to about 25° C.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a stabilizer is added to the mixture, wherein the stabilizer comprises alginate, agar, carrageenan, cellulose, gelatin, guar gum, gum arabic, locust bean gum, pectin, starch, xanthan gum, or a combination thereof.

15. A marking solution for marking a hydrated tissue specimen with a random speckle pattern, the marking solution comprising a colloidal metal nanoparticle suspension containing a plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles, wherein each of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles includes a plurality of individual metal nanoparticles, wherein each of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles has a particle size ranging from about 0.75 micrometers to about 100 micrometers, and wherein each of the plurality of individual metal nanoparticles has a particle size ranging from about 100 nanometers to about 200 nanometers.

16. A tissue specimen mechanical testing system comprising:
an apparatus configured to subject the tissue specimen to one or more mechanical testing protocols;
an image capture device configured to obtain a plurality of images of the tissue specimen as it is subjected to the one or more mechanical testing protocols;
a marking solution for applying a random speckle pattern to the tissue specimen when the tissue specimen is in a hydrated state, the marking solution comprising a colloidal metal nanoparticle suspension containing a plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles, wherein each of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles includes a plurality of individual metal nanoparticles, wherein each of the plurality of aggregated metal nanoparticles has a particle size ranging from about 0.75 micrometers to about 100 micrometers;
a first memory for storing data corresponding to measured positions of selected image points from the plurality of images to monitor a displacement of one or more speckles present on the tissue specimen;
a second memory for storing software in the form of computer-executable instructions; and
a processor coupled to the first and second memories and configured to selectively implement the computer-executable instructions stored in the second memory to process the data stored in the first memory, wherein the processor implements the computer-executable instructions stored in the second memory in order to implement the functions of determining one or more mechanical properties of the tissue specimen.

17. The mechanical testing system of claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of individual metal nanoparticles has a particle size ranging from about 100 nanometers to about 200 nanometers.

18. The mechanical testing system of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of individual metal nanoparticles comprises gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, nickel nanoparticles, or platinum nanoparticles.

19. The mechanical testing system of claim 16 , wherein the image capture device comprises a digital camera comprising a charge coupled device.

Assignees

• Univ South Carolina

Inventors

• Lessner Susan M
• Du Liya

Classifications

• G01N3/08

  by applying steady tensile or compressive forces (G01N3/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B11/16 Primary

  for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge · CPC title

• G01N2203/0647

  Image analysis · CPC title

• G01B11/165

  by means of a grating deformed by the object · CPC title

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title