Microrobot Supercritical Fluid Delivery Under High Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies struggle to effectively and efficiently administer supercritical fluids, such as supercritical water, at nano- and micro-scales to destroy harmful substances like PFAS and microplastics within living organisms, due to challenges in maintaining high reaction temperatures and pressures, and deviations in fluid properties at small scales.
Innovation Solution
A microrobot design with a 3D cylinder for extreme packing of supercritical fluid, utilizing advanced materials to withstand high pressures and temperatures, and administering doses correlated with the organism's tolerance to avoid excess fluid accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If supercritical fluids are administered at nano- and micro-scales to destroy harmful substances, then the effectiveness against harmful substances improves, but the maintenance of high reaction temperatures and pressures becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the fluid by using supercritical water (above critical temperature and pressure) instead of normal water. This parameter change enables the fluid to achieve both high reactivity for destroying harmful substances and stable physical properties at the micro-scale, resolving the contradiction between effectiveness and temperature maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite structures including micro-robots with integrated supercritical water generation systems, combining multiple materials and functions (heating elements, pressure containment, fluid delivery) into a unified system that can maintain high temperatures and pressures while operating at micro-scale
2Productivity
If supercritical water is used to destroy harmful substances, then the destruction efficiency improves, but the complexity of maintaining high pressure and temperature conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The micro-robot system is designed to generate and maintain supercritical conditions internally through integrated heating and pressure systems, making the device self-sufficient. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external complex support systems, thereby maintaining high destruction efficiency while managing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into modular micro-robot units, each capable of independently generating and delivering supercritical water. This segmentation allows the complex function of maintaining supercritical conditions to be distributed across multiple simple units rather than requiring one complex centralized system
3Measurement precision
If supercritical fluids are administered at small scales, then the precision of fluid administration improves, but deviations in fluid properties occur
Solution Approach 1:
By maintaining the fluid in the supercritical state (above critical point parameters), the invention ensures that water exhibits stable and predictable physical properties even at micro-scale administrations. The supercritical state eliminates phase boundary issues and provides consistent density, viscosity, and solvation properties, resolving the contradiction between precision and stability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient destruction of harmful substances by administering supercritical fluids at small scales without significant deviations in fluid properties, ensuring safe and effective treatment within living organisms.
Implementation Method 1
to specifically administer supercritical fluids of any type and any dose size, especially supercritical water, to destroy, eliminate, etc. harmful or undesired matter or substances
Data Source
AI summary
Any and all nano-, micro-, or small-scale robots, devices, machines, etc. in general that may or can be used inside any living organism, such as the human body or animals, to specifically administer supercritical fluids of any type and any dose size, especially supercritical water, to destroy, eliminate, etc. harmful or undesired matter or substances, including but not limited to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, small-scale synthetic chemicals in general, and plastics such as micro-and nanoplastics. Any nano-and micro-sizes refer to all nanometers and all micrometers. Small-scale increases the size to millimeters where some of these said devices may operate but less likely so, especially in relation to micrometers and nanometers. In current technology, many of these devices operate in the tens of micrometers, such as a 20-micrometer robot for biotechnology and engineering. A living organism may be living anywhere or everywhere.