Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024 - 24

the injectability of the final gel, including
the size and stiffness of the bioblocks,
the viscosity of the interstitial fluid
between the blocks, and the
dimensions of the needle and syringe
used to inject the gel.
" Our long-term goal was to get to the
point where we had reliable and predictable
injection properties, because that
was something that we really struggled
with in the lab - getting these materials
to flow properly, " said Verheyen.
Some team members now plan to use
this modeling approach to try to develop
materials that could be used for repairing
heart defects or delivering
drugs to the gastrointestinal tract. The
researchers have also made their models
and data available online for other
labs to use.
" It's all open source, and hopefully it will
reduce the amount of frustration with issues
that you might have reproducing
something that happened in another lab,
or even within one lab when you're transferring
knowledge from one person to another, "
said Roche.
For more information, contact Sarah
McDonnell at s_mcd@mit.edu; 617-2538923.
'Smart'
Coating Could turn Fabrics into Protective Gear
The metal-organic technology detects and captures toxic gases in air.
Dartmouth University, Hanover, NH
A
durable, copper-based coating developed
by a team at Dartmouth University
can be integrated into fabric to
create
responsive, reusable
materials
such as protective equipment, environmental
sensors, and smart filters.
The coating responds to the presence of
toxic gases by converting them into less toxic
substances that become trapped in the
fabric, the research, published in the Journal
of the American Chemical Society, shows.
The findings hinge on a conductive metal-organic
framework developed in the lab
of corresponding author Katherine Mirica,
an Associate Professor of Chemistry.
First reported in 2017, the framework
was a simple coating that could be layered
onto cotton and polyester to create
smart fabrics - Self-Organized Framework
on Textiles (SOFT). The work
demonstrated that SOFT smart fabrics
could detect and capture toxic substances
in the surrounding environment.
The team found that, instead of the coating
reported in 2017, it could precisely embed
the framework into fabrics using a copper
precursor that allows them to create
specific patterns and more effectively fill in
the tiny gaps and holes between threads.
The research showed that the framework
technology effectively converted the toxin
nitric oxide into nitrite and nitrate, and
transformed the poisonous, flammable gas
hydrogen sulfide into copper sulfide. It
also showed the framework's ability to capture
and convert toxic materials withstood
wear and tear, as well as standard washing.
" This new method of deposition means
that the electronic textiles could potentially
interface with a broader range of systems
because they're so robust, " Mirica said.
" This technological advance paves the way
for other applications of the framework's
combined filtration and sensing abilities
24
Study authors Nataliia Vereshchuk, a postdoctoral fellow, at left, and Aileen Eagleton, Guarini '23,
examine the metal-organic on fabric. (Image from video by Vadim Zharkov for Mirica Group)
that could be valuable in biomedical settings
and environmental remediation. "
The technique also could eventually be a
low-cost alternative to technologies that are
cost-prohibitive and limited in where they
can be deployed by needing an energy
source, or - such as catalytic converters in
automobiles - rare metals, Mirica added.
" Here we're relying on an Earth-abundant
matter to detoxify toxic chemicals,
and we're doing it without any input of
outside energy, so we don't need high
temperature or electric current to achieve
that function, " Mirica said.
Co-first author Michael Ko, Guarini '20,
observed the new process in 2018 as he attempted
to deposit the metal-organic
framework onto thin-film copper-based
electrodes. But the copper electrodes
would be replaced by the framework.
" He wanted it on top of the electrodes,
not to replace them, " Mirica said. " It took
us four years to figure out what was happening
and how it was beneficial. It's a very
straightforward process, but the chemistry
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behind it is not and it took us some time
and additional involvement of students
and collaborators to understand that. "
The team discovered that the metal-organic
framework " grows " over copper
- replacing it with a material with
the ability to filter and convert toxic gases.
Ko and co-author Lukasz Mendecki
investigated methods for applying the
framework material to fabric in specific
designs and patterns.
Co-first author Aileen Eagleton finalized
the technique by optimizing the
process for imprinting the metal-organic
framework onto fabric, as well as identifying
how its structure and properties
are influenced by chemical exposure
and reaction conditions. Future work
will focus on developing new multifunctional
framework materials and scaling
up the process of embedding the metal-organic
coatings into fabric, Mirica
added.
For more information, contact Morgan
Kelly at Morgan.Kelly@dartmouth.edu.
Tech Briefs, May 2024

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