Search Results - soft+materials

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Antenna Reflectors Based On Stretchable Perforated Thin Films
Kirigami-based metamaterials with tunable properties for large, lightweight, and cost-effective parabolic antennas for space applications. Problem: Parabolic antennas used in space currently have a maximum diameter of about 20m. Larger antennas (e.g., with diameters of up to 100 m) would be highly beneficial, but launching such large payloads presents...
Published: 5/12/2026   |   Updated: 5/12/2026   |   Inventor(s): Igor Bargatin, Gulzhan Aldan, Sergio Pellegrino
Keywords(s): Electronic Materials, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Hardware & Components, Technology Classifications > Materials
Heterostructured Film For Atmospheric Water Recovery
A nanoparticle-polymer film enables isothermal droplet formation and water recovery from humid air through capillary condensation on a porous surface. Problem: Conventional condensation of undersaturated water vapor can require energy-intensive cooling. Porous materials can condense water without cooling but often retain it inside voids. That makes...
Published: 5/6/2026   |   Updated: 4/30/2026   |   Inventor(s): Daeyeon Lee, Baek Min Kim, Amish Patel, Zachariah Vicars, Lilia Escobedo, R Bharath Venkatesh
Keywords(s): Nanotechnology, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Agriculture & Environment, Technology Classifications > Materials
A Potent HIV Treatment with Low Toxicity
A small-molecule class that binds to HIV particles to improve immune response and block viral entry into cells. Problem: 37 million people worldwide currently live with HIV and an estimated 2-3 million new infections occur annually. While antiretroviral therapies do exist for those with the disease, therapy interruption leads to the re-emergence of...
Published: 11/11/2025   |   Updated: 10/30/2025   |   Inventor(s): Amos Smith, Xuchen Zhao, Tyler Higgins, Andres Finzi, Shilei Ding, Daniel Lee, Marzena Pazgier, Dung Nguyen, William Tolbert
Keywords(s): Drug Target, HIV/AIDS, Small Molecule, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemical Processes and Synthesis, Technology Classifications > Therapeutics
Origami-Inspired And Remotely Adjustable Pediatric Heart Implant
Pediatric pulmonary artery band (PAB) using origami-inspired fabrication that is remotely adjustable after implantation. Problem: Congenital heart defects affect 1% of births in the United States and can lead to irregular blood flow through the main pulmonary artery (MPA). A pulmonary artery band (PAB) is an implant that can be placed on the MPA to...
Published: 11/18/2024   |   Updated: 11/18/2024   |   Inventor(s): Cynthia Sung, Gabriel Unger, Mark Fogel, Jonathan Chen, Brianna Leung
Keywords(s): Bioengineering, Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Soft Materials, Surgery
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Medical Devices, Technology Classifications > Robotics
Biocompatible, Reversible, and Strong Multilayered Tape for Advanced Wound Care
A hydrogel-based adhesive with a hydrophobic backing layer protects it from exposure to water and offers painless removal and easy repositioning. Problem: Reversible adhesives have gained popularity in industries with a growing emphasis on reducing waste and improving sustainability. Previously, the inventors have developed a strong and reversible adhesive...
Published: 9/12/2025   |   Updated: 7/22/2024   |   Inventor(s): Shu Yang, Baohong Chen, Alexander Tucker
Keywords(s): Bioengineering, Hydrogels, Platform Technology, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemical Processes and Synthesis, Technology Classifications > Materials
Biodegradable Batteries Operational In The Air, Environment, And Soil
A method to fabricate batteries from biodegradable materials that can operate in the environment, such as on or under soil, and are scalable in size. Problem: Recently there have been significant developments in biodegradable sensors, which can perform environmental measurements (e.g., on or below the surface of soil) for a specific time and then...
Published: 9/12/2025   |   Updated: 5/20/2024   |   Inventor(s): Jingwen Zhang, Mark Allen
Keywords(s): Electronic Materials, Hydrogels, Internet of Things, Nanotechnology, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Research Tools & Reagents, Technology Classifications > Agriculture & Environment, Technology Classifications > Energy, Technology Classifications > Materials
Scalable and Eco-Friendly Manufacturing of Tunable Heterogeneous Nanoparticle Films
A scalable heterogeneous nanoparticle film with controllable manufacturing methods with tunable properties that could be useful for a variety of applications. Problem: Current techniques for manufacturing polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films (PINFs) include immersion in polymer melts, capillary rise infiltration, and solvent-driven infiltration....
Published: 10/3/2025   |   Updated: 5/16/2024   |   Inventor(s): Daeyeon Lee, Baek Min Kim
Keywords(s): Nanotechnology, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemical Processes and Synthesis, Technology Classifications > Hardware & Components, Technology Classifications > Materials
An Electrophoresis Microfluidic System for Measuring Size, Shape, Charge, and Deformability of Single Particles
A microfluidic system that uses transverse alternating-current (AC) electrophoresis for multi-parameter analysis of single biological particles including mammalian or bacterial cells. Problem: With broad distributions of bacterial species in the human gut microbiome, there is a growing need for characterization methods capable of obtaining the signatures...
Published: 12/15/2025   |   Updated: 5/8/2024   |   Inventor(s): Aaron Timperman
Keywords(s): Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Materials
A Stretch-Activated Adhesive Microcapsule For The Controlled Release of Drugs In Wound-Healing Dressings
An adhesive drug-loaded microcapsule which releases therapeutic cargo upon mechanical stretching. Problem: Medicated dressings can improve healing of open wounds and improve pain management in patients. However, drug-coated bandages lack stimuli-response release mechanisms, so therapeutics are not released in a controlled and sustained manner. Poor...
Published: 6/20/2024   |   Updated: 4/8/2024   |   Inventor(s): Daeyeon Lee, Yun Kee Jo, Robert Mauck, George Dodge
Keywords(s): Drug Delivery, Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Materials
Base Metal Catalysts For Cyclic Conjugated Polymer Formation
A class of base metal catalysts (as opposed to expensive platinum and heavier group metals) with facile preparation methods for cyclic conjugated polymer synthesis. Problem: There is a demand for facile synthesis and purification of cyclic conjugated polymers due to their applications as lubricants, conductors, or materials with high refractive indices....
Published: 9/12/2025   |   Updated: 1/29/2024   |   Inventor(s): Daniel Mindiola, John Russell
Keywords(s): Soft Materials
Category(s): Technology Classifications > Chemical Processes and Synthesis, Technology Classifications > Materials, Technology Classifications > Research Tools & Reagents
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