NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 20140002357: On-Command Force and Torque Impeding Devices (OC-FTID) Using ERF

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by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

strated using both suspension (HL-60) sisted mixing and contacting of mi- Corp. for Johnson Space Center. Further infor-
and adherent (BHK-21) cells. crobeads in a shape-optimized chamber. mation is contained in a TSP (see page 1).
Novel features associated with this de- A secondary proprietary feature is in the In accordance with Public Law 96-517,
velopment are twofold. First, novel de- particular layout integrating these com- the contractor has elected to retain title to this
signs that execute needed processes with ponents to perform the desired opera- invention. Inquiries concerning rights for its
improved speed and efficiency were de- tion of RNA isolation. commercial use should be addressed to:
veloped. These primarily encompass Apart from a novel functional capabil- CFD Research Corp.
electric-field-driven lysis of cells. The ity, advantages of the innovation include 215 Wynn Dr.
con figura tions include electrode-con- reduced or eliminated use of toxic Huntsville, AL 35805
taining constructs, or an “electrode-less” reagents, and operator-independent ex- Phone No.: [phone]
chip design, which is easy to fabricate traction of RNA. E-mail: [email protected]
and mitigates fouling at the electrode This work was done by Shivshankar Sun- Refer to MSC-24375-1, volume and num-
surface; and the “fluidized” extraction daram, Balabhaskar Prabhakarpandian, ber of this NASA Tech Briefsissue, and the
format based on electrokinetically as- Kapil Pant, and Yi Wang of CFD Research page number.
Enabling Microliquid Chromatography by Microbead Packing
of Microchannels
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
The microbead packing is the critical microbeads was created. Microbeads using highly pressurized systems. More-
element required in the success of on- were extracted from a commercially avail- over, these channels are typically long
chip microfabrication of critical microflu- able high-performance liquid chro- and straight without any turns or curves.
idic components for in-situ analysis and matography column. The silica beads ex- On the other hand, this method of mi-
detection of chiral amino acids. In order tracted were 5 microns in diameter, and crobead packing is completed within a
for microliquid chromatography to had surface coating of phenyl-hexyl. microchannel 75 micrometers in diame-
occur, there must be a stationary phase These microbeads were mixed with a 200- ter. Moreover, the microbead packing is
medium within the microchannel that in- proof ethanol solution to create a mi- completed into a serpentine type mi-
teracts with the analytes present within crobead slurry with the right viscosity for crochannel, such that it maximizes mi-
flowing fluid. The stationary phase media packing. A microfilter is placed at the crochannel length within a microchip.
are the microbeads packed by the process outlet via of the microchannel and the Doing so enhances the interactions of
discussed in this work. The purpose of slurry is injected, then withdrawn across a the analytes with the microbeads to sep-
the microliquid chromatography is to filter using modified syringes. After each arate efficiently amino acids and amino
provide a lightweight, low-volume, and injection, the channel is flushed with acid enantiomers.
low-power element to separate amino ethanol to enhance packing. This cycle is This work was done by Manuel Balvin
acids and their chiral partners efficiently repeated numerous times to allow for a and Yun Zheng of Goddard Space Flight Cen-
to understand better the origin of life. tightly packed channel of microbeads. ter. Further information is contained in a
In order to densely pack microbeads Typical microbead packing occurs in TSP (see page 1).GSC-16514-1
into the microchannels, a liquid slurry of the macroscale into tubes or channels by
On-Command Force and Torque Impeding Devices (OC-FTID)
Using ERF
This technology is applicable as a rehabilitation or exercise device.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Various machines have been developed ity by inducing force and torque imped- larity that increase the ERF viscosity
to address the need for countermeasures ance via ElectroRheological Fluid when activated. This increase leads to
of bone and muscle deterioration when (ERF). The resistive elements consist of the formation of a virtual valve inside
humans operate over extended time in pistons that are moving inside ERF-filled the piston creating impeding force to
space. Even though these machines are in cylinders or a donut-shaped cavity, and the piston motion. The cross-sectional
use, each of them has many limitations the fluid flows through the piston when area of the piston is mostly hollow to
that need to be addressed in an effort to the piston is moved. Tests of the opera- allow low piston resistance to the mo-
prepare for human missions to distant tion of ERF against load showed the fea- tion when the electrodes are not acti-
bodies in the solar system. sibility of this approach. vated, and produce high impedance
An exercise exoskeleton was con- The inside of the piston consists of when the electrodes are activated. A bal-
ceived that performs on-demand resistiv- parallel electrodes with alternating po- anced volume is created on the two
14 NASA Tech Briefs, January 2014
sides of the piston so that pushing it will ERF properties of high yield stress,
only involve fluid flow against the effect low current density, and fast response
of the increased viscosity in the gaps be- (less than one millisecond) offer essen-
tween the electrodes. tial characteristics for the construction
The elements are shaped as a cylinder of the exoskeleton. ERFs can apply very
or donut with a piston that is moved in- high electrically controlled resistive
side the internal cavity containing ERF. forces or torque while their size (weight
The elements have a piston inside the and geometric parameters) can be very
cavity with shafts on its two sides. The small. Their long life and ability to func-
piston is pushed or pulled inside the tion in a wide temperature range (from
chambers and consists of parallel elec- –40 to 200 ºC) allows for their use in ex-
trodes with opposing polarity wired treme environments. ERFs are also non-
through one of the shafts. When the abrasive, non-toxic, and nonpolluting
electrodes are subjected to electric field, (meet health and safety regulations).
they form a virtual valve causing in- The technology is applicable as a com-
creased viscosity and impeded flow. pact exercise machine for astronauts’
Using ERF offers the ability to propor- countermeasure of microgravity, an exer-
tionally (as a function of the voltage) in- cise machine for sport, or as a device for
crease the viscosity of the fluid with a rehabilitation of patients with limb issues.
very fast reaction time on the order of This work was done by Yoseph Bar-Cohen,
milliseconds. The feasibility of this ap- The Exoskeletonand the required elements that Mircea Badescu, and Stewart Sherrit of Cal-
proach is straightforward from the na- control the mechanical impedance are shown. tech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The elements are shaped as a cylinder or donut
ture of ERF materials and preliminary Further information is contained in a TSP
with a piston that is moved inside the internal
tests made in the lab. cavity containing ERF. (see page 1).. NPO-48393

NASA Tech Briefs, January 2014 15