Method and apparatus for extracting target molecules from a liquid by binding them to an activated polymer surface
First Claim
1. A method for treating a surface of a polymer, comprising the steps of:
- chemically treating at least a portion of the surface of the polymer sufficient to provide an activated polymer surface, wherein said activated polymer surface is able to bind one or more target molecules that are disposed in a water-based liquid to said activated polymer surface during a step of placing said activated polymer surface in contact with said water-based liquid for a predetermined period of time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for producing the apparatus that is used to bind one or more different types of target molecules to a polymer surface that has been treated, and thereby activated, according to the method. A three or four step process to activate the surface is described. After activation, a fifth step immerses the activated surface into a liquid which binds a quantity of the target molecules to the polymer surface by chemical binding and/or by molecularly imprinted polymers and/or by modified carbon nanotubes. The method is used to convert an inert polymer surface into the activated surface. Either ion exchange binding (3 step process) or binding by the use of molecularly imprinted polymers and/or carbon nanotubes (four step process) or both are simultaneously used to provide the apparatus that is capable of binding and thereby extracting a quantity of the target molecules from the liquid.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for treating a surface of a polymer, comprising the steps of:
chemically treating at least a portion of the surface of the polymer sufficient to provide an activated polymer surface, wherein said activated polymer surface is able to bind one or more target molecules that are disposed in a water-based liquid to said activated polymer surface during a step of placing said activated polymer surface in contact with said water-based liquid for a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- 8. An apparatus for exposure to said water-based liquid, wherein said apparatus includes at least a portion of a polymer surface that has been treated to provide an activated surface that is able to bind a desired target molecule or a desired range of target molecules to said activated surface subsequent to an immersion of said activated surface into said water-based liquid.
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16. A device for placement in a liquid to reduce a number of target molecules in said liquid, comprising:
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(a) a quantity of a plastic included with said device; and (b) at least one molecularly imprinted polymer that is attached to said plastic, wherein said molecularly imprinted polymer includes at least one receptor site that is able to retain at least one of said target molecules for removal from said liquid when said device is immersed in said liquid or at least one modified carbon nanotube that is attached to said plastic, wherein said modified carbon nanotube includes at least one receptor site that is able to retain at least one of said target molecules for removal from said liquid when said device is immersed in said liquid. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A device for placement in a liquid to reduce a quantity of a substance in said liquid, comprising:
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(a) a quantity of a plastic included with said device; and (b) at least one imprinted polymer or one modified carbon nanotube attached to said plastic, wherein said imprinted polymer or said modified carbon nanotube includes at least one receptor site that is able to retain at least some of said substance for removal from said liquid when said device is immersed in said liquid. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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33. An improvement to a device for filtering a liquid, wherein the improvement comprises:
chemically treating a polymer surface sufficient to change said polymer surface from an inert surface that is not capable of binding a substance thereto into an activated polymer surface that is capable of binding a quantity of molecules of said substance, thereto, when said activated polymer surface is disposed in the liquid, and wherein the liquid additionally includes a puré
e, mash, milk, or soup.- View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. An improvement to a device for filtering a liquid, wherein the improvement comprises:
chemically treating a polymer surface sufficient to change said polymer surface from an inert surface that is not capable of binding a substance thereto into an activated polymer surface that is capable of simultaneously binding a plurality of molecules of a plurality of different substances, thereto, when said activated polymer surface is disposed in the liquid, and wherein the liquid additionally includes a puré
e, mash, milk, or soup.- View Dependent Claims (36)
Specification