# US 10,246,698 B2 · Composites material with suspended particles and method of using the same

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- Number: US 10,246,698 B2
- Document ID: US10246698B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/853,895
- Filed: 2017-12-25
- Published: 2018-05-31
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2014-08-12
- Assignees: Purdue Research Foundation
- Applicants: Purdue Research Foundation
- Inventors: Cagri A. Savran; Bin-Da Chan; Richard Lee Gieseck, III
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246698B2

## CPC

- C12N 11/04: entrapped within the carrier, e.g. gel or hollow fibres
- B01J 20/22: comprising organic material
- B01J 20/28026: {Particles within, immobilised, dispersed, entrapped in or on a matrix, e.g. a resin}
- B01J 20/28047: {Gels}
- B81B 1/00: Devices without movable or flexible elements, e.g. microcapillary devices
- C12Q 1/18: Testing for antimicrobial activity of a material
- B01J 2220/4868: Cells, spores, bacteria
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00)
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES

## Abstract

An intermediate composite capable of transferring a biological or chemical material to be patterned on a surface. The intermediate composite includes a hydrogel, and particles suspended in the hydrogel, generating a particle-gel composite (composite), the composite is configured to absorb a biological or chemical material (agent), and further configured to deposit the agent when the composite is positioned proximate to a surface on which the agent is to be deposited.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of depositing biomolecules or chemical material on a surface, the method comprising:
suspending particles in a hydrogel, the particles having a first charge, thereby generating a hydrogel-spore composite (first composite);
embedding biomolecule or chemical material (agent) having a second charge into the first composite thereby allowing absorption of the agent by the spores generating a second composite; and
micro-manipulating the second composite proximate to a surface resulting in deposition of the agent on the surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the particles are Bacillus subtilis spores.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel is humidity sensitive.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the humidity at the second composite can be varied from about 3.5% to about 95%.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of micro-manipulating is performed by a micromanipulator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein more than one first composite is used and spores in each first composite are configured to absorb a different embedded set of agents.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the deposition of the agent results in a concentration gradient of the agent on the surface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of agent deposition is dependent on i) humidity, ii) the first and second charge, or iii) a concentration of the particles in the hydrogel.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first charge-second charge is one of negative-positive, positive-negative, positive-positive, negative-negative, neutral-positive, neutral-negative, negative-neutral, or neutral-neutral.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein a rate of agent deposition increases by about 20 percent when humidity increases from about 35% to about 55% when the first charge-second charge is negative-positive.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the deposited agent result in a concentration gradient of the agent on the surface.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the agent is configured to be deposited on any combination of vertical and horizontal surfaces.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the agent is configured to be deposited according to a user defined pattern.