Porous material and methods related thereto

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019276580-A1
Application number	US-201916247018-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 14, 2019
Priority date	Apr 12, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an aerogel made from a polyhydroxy benzene compound crosslinked with formaldehyde. The aerogel is dry and has a first volume and wherein the aerogel can be exposed to a liquid and be re-dried in a gas while retaining at least 70% of the first volume.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method comprising the steps of:
a) providing an aerogel comprising a polyhydroxy benzene compound crosslinked with formaldehyde, wherein the aerogel is dry and has a first volume, wherein the aerogel can be exposed to a liquid and be re-dried in a gas while retaining at least 70% of the first volume; and b) modifying the aerogel with a chemical linker, thereby producing a functionalized aerogel.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel is hydrophilic.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerogel is hydrophobic.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical linker comprises a reactive moiety.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactive moiety comprises an amine, an amide, a silane, an azide, an alkane, an alkene, an alkyne, or a thiol.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical linker is further bound to a signaling moiety, wherein the functionalized aerogel comprises the aerogel, the chemical linker, and the signaling moiety, wherein the chemical linker is bound to both the signaling moiety and the aerogel.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the signaling moiety comprises a detection portion and a target binding portion.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the detection portion comprises a fluorescent moiety, acolloidal gold, an enzyme, a dye, a radioisotope, or a chemiluminescent marker.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the target binding portion comprises a RNA molecule, a DNA molecule, an antibody, or fragment thereof.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyhydroxy benzene compound is resorcinol.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the molar ratio of the polyhydroxy benzene compound to formaldehyde in the provided aerogel is from about 1:1 to about 1:4.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the provided aerogel can be exposed to a liquid and be re-dried in air while retaining at least 90% of the first volume.

13 . A functionalized aerogel produced by the method of claim 1 .

14 . A device comprising the functionalized aerogel of claim 13 .

15 . A method of detecting comprising the steps of:
a) incubating a sample of blood with the functionalized aerogel of claim 13 ; and b) detecting the presence or absence of a biomarker for a biological condition in the sample using the signaling moiety of the aerogel.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein detecting the presence of the biomarker comprises a positive signal provided from the signaling moiety of the aerogel.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein detecting the absence of the biomarker comprises a negative signal or lack of signal provided from the signaling moiety of the aerogel.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the biomarker is a nucleic acid, protein or metal.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the biomarker is a nucleic acid, and wherein the nucleic acid is a miRNA.

Assignees

• Southern Res Inst

Inventors

• Parks William Madison
• Boohaker Rebecca J
• Pathak Ashish
• Chakraborty Saibal

Classifications

• B01J13/0091

  Preparation of aerogels, e.g. xerogels · CPC title

• C12Q1/6816

  characterised by the detection means (C12Q1/6804 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08G8/22 Primary

  Resorcinol · CPC title