Back to results
US 4,139,348 AGranted
Electrochemical process and apparatus to control the chemical state of a material
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorMitchell R. Swartz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorMitchell R. Swartz
Estimating the term…
Process and apparatus to control the chemical state of a material. Bulk control of the chemical state of such material which permits maintenance of chemicals including enzymes by both restoration and stabilization. Optical and electrical power sources act in the presence of chemical mediators to control the rate of charge transfer to substances including metals contained in proteins, for example. Controlled charge transfer to the proteins enables construction of devices including small molecule detectors, e.g., electrically restored ferrous deoxyhemoglobin in a discrete component electrooptical circuit to monitor, for example, oxygen and carbon monoxide partial pressures. Restoration of chemical activity in molecules which have deteriorated enables construction of chemical reactors composed of stabilized catalysts and enzymes, e.g., restored functional nitrogenase in solar energy conversion devices which evolve molecular hydrogen or in chemical reactors which convert molecular nitrogen into ammonia. Control of charge transfer to molecular oxygen enables dose related in situ production of superoxide anion and other free radicals. Oxygen ion control enables low voltage processes suitable for the sterilization of microorganisms, including viruses and neoplastic tissue, and the destruction of poisonous chemical including toxins and polychlorinated organic molecules.
A detector for sensing the presence of a molecular species of interest, that comprises, in combination:
A detector for sensing the presence and amount of a molecular species of interest, that comprises, in combination:
A detector to sense the presence and amount of a molecular species of interest in the environment about the detector, that comprises, in combination:
A detector for sensing the presence of a molecular species of interest in the environment about the detector, that comprises, in combination:
A detector for sensing a molecular species of interest, that comprises, in combination:
A method of detecting the presence and the amount of a specific molecular species, that comprises:
In a process wherein a chemical change is wrought upon a material as a consequence of it having been subjected to a reaction or reactions, the further steps of injecting appropriate charge carriers into the material to counteract unwanted deterioration thereof and cause the material to revert to a desired state, adding small amounts of an electroactive mediator to the material to facilitate charge carrier transfer thereto, the resulting material being a matrix material and the electroactive mediator, said electroactive mediator being taken from the group consisting essentially of dyes, quinones, free transition metals and other molecules with conjugated .pi.-electron systems as well as other elements and complexes with d.sup.- and f.sup.- electrons capable of moving between two or more electronic states, introducing photons to the resulting material, the electroactive mediator being one which permits, in the presence of said photons, charge carrier transfer to the resulting material at an applied electric potential difference that is below the electrolysis potential of the resulting material, said matrix material containing an emphore that detects the presence of a molecular species by reversibly binding to the species and is changed in properties in the process of such reversible binding.
A method of controlling a biological or a chemical process of a material that comprises introducing an electroactive mediator to the bulk of the material, directing radiation into the bulk of the material and introducing charge carriers to the bulk of the material and into the energy states thereof, the combined effects of the electroactive mediator and radiation being to facilitate introduction of charge carriers to the energy states of the material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.