Optically and mechanically active nanoscale media
AssigneeSyracuse University
InventorsPatrick T. Mather, Amir Torbati, Ryan Mather
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for incorporating dye and/or nanoparticles into polymer films and into electrospun polymeric nanofibers, and, more specifically, to a method for electrospinning a molecularly homogenous solution of dye (and/or nanoparticles) and polymer dissolved in a mutual solvent leading to uniform distribution of dye across the cross-section of each constituent fiber and to resulting nanofibers with the dye/nanoparticles incorporated therein.
Claims14
A near infrared fluorescent marker for a target medical device, comprising:
- a fiber mat including a plurality of fibers formed from a shape memory polymer and a near infrared dye that is homogenously distributed within the plurality of fibers of said shape memory polymer;
- wherein the shape memory polymer is programmed to shrink from a temporary shape to a permanent shape in response to a stimulus so that said fiber mat will shrink around a portion of the target medical device;
- and
- wherein said near infrared dye within the plurality of fibers of fiber mat will emit fluorescence between 750 nm and 950 nm when subject to near infrared excitation after the fiber mat has been shrunk around the portion of the target medical device.
A method of visualizing a medical device positioned in a patient, comprising the steps of:
- providing a near infrared marker comprising a fiber mat including a plurality of fibers formed from a shape memory polymer and a near infrared dye that is molecularly homogenously distributed within the plurality of fibers of said shape memory polymer, wherein the shape memory polymer is programmed to shrink from a temporary shape to a permanent shape in response to a stimulus so that said fiber mat will shrink around a portion of a target medical device and wherein said near infrared dye will emit fluorescence between 750 nm and 950 nm when subject to near infrared excitation after the fiber mat has been shrunk around the portion of the target medical device;
- positioning the near infrared marker around a portion of said target medical device;
- stimulating the shape memory polymer of the near infrared marker so that the fiber mat shrinks from the temporary shape to the permanent shape;
- positioning said target medical device and said near infrared marker within said patient;
- exciting said near infrared marker with near infrared light so that the near infrared marker fluoresces between 750 nm and 950 nm;
- capturing any near infrared emissions from said near infrared marker and from a predetermined area of said patient proximate to said near infrared marker;
- and
- displaying said near infrared emissions from said near infrared marker and said proximate area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.