Electricity energy harvesting with liquid crystal-magnetic particle composite particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11633615-B2
Application number	US-201916253915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2019
Priority date	Jan 22, 2018
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

A method and apparatus generate electrical currents and/or voltage in tissue using particles composed of liquid crystals and magnetic particles.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for stimulating neural tissue, the method comprising:
positioning at least one device within a living tissue, wherein the at least one device is no more than 100 microns in any single dimension and contains at least one magnetic particle in a liquid crystal solution; and applying one or more magnetic fields to the at least one device to produce electrical energy in a vicinity of the neural tissue, wherein the electrical energy is produced in response to a change in configuration of liquid crystals in the liquid crystal solution.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one device is untethered within the living tissue.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more sections of the at least one device are coated with a biocompatible material.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more sections of the device are coated with a material to enhance transport to or through the living tissue.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more sections of the device are coated with a material to enhance transport into a brain.

6. A method for altering and monitoring an electrical state of neural tissue, the method comprising: positioning at least one device within the neural tissue, wherein the at least one device is no more than 100 microns in any single dimension and contains at least one magnetic particle in a liquid crystal solution;
applying one or more magnetic fields to the at least one device to produce electrical energy to the neural tissue, wherein the electrical energy is produced in response to a change in configuration of liquid crystals in the liquid crystal solution: and remotely sensing a status of the at least one device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the sensed status is a magnetic state of the at least one device.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one device is untethered within a living tissue.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein one or more sections of the at least one device are coated with a biocompatible material.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein one or more sections of the device are coated with a material to enhance transport to or through living tissue.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein one or more sections of the device are coated with a material to enhance transport into a brain.

Assignees

• Weinberg Medical Physics Inc

Inventors

• Weinberg Irving N

Classifications

• A61N1/37205

  Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula · CPC title

• G01R33/381

  using electromagnets · CPC title

• A61B5/242 Primary

  Detecting biomagnetic fields, e.g. magnetic fields produced by bioelectric currents · CPC title

• A61B5/055

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title

• A61N1/3787

  from an external energy source · CPC title