Plasmonic assisted systems and methods for interior energy-activation from an exterior source

• US 9,579,523 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duke University, Immunolight, LLC
• Original Assignee: Duke University, Immunolight, LLC
• Inventors: Bourke, Frederic Avery Jr., Vo-Dinh, Tuan
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCLENDON, SANZA L
• Application Number:
  US14/851,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20160005503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 2/50 by irradiation or electric treatment without heating
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/26 by irradiation without heating
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/263 with corpuscular or ionising radiation, i.e. X, alpha, beta or omega radiation laser plasma radiation A23L3/26
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/28 with ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/32 using phonon wave energy, e.g. sound or ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0057 Photodynamic therapy with a photosensitizer, i.e. agent able to produce reactive oxygen species upon exposure to light or radiation, e.g. UV or visible light; photocleavage of nucleic acids with an agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0066 Psoralene-activated UV-A photochemotherapy (PUVA-therapy), e.g. for treatment of psoriasis or eczema, extracorporeal photopheresis with psoralens or fucocoumarins
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0011 using physical methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0047 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0076 using a photocatalyst or photosensitiser
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/082 X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/088 using a photocatalyst or photosensitiser
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/16 using chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/21 Pharmaceuticals, e.g. medicaments, artificial body parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/22 Blood or products thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3683 using photoactive agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0661 ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0662 Visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 : Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1089 : Electrons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1098 : Enhancing the effect of the particle by an injected agent or implanted device
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/062 : Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0624 : for eliminating microbes, germs, bacteria on or in the body
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• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/082 : Gamma-radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 : Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/12 : employing electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/123 : Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/125 : X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/127 : Sunlight; Visible light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/128 : Infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0877 : Liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 : Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0892 : involving catalytically active material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1203 : Incoherent waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2231/005 : General concepts, e.g. reviews, relating to methods of using catalyst systems, the concept being defined by a common method or theory, e.g. microwave heating or multiple stereoselectivity
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/50 : Silver
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/52 : Gold
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2531/005 : Catalytic metals
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• CPC Class Codes: B01J 31/0275 : also containing elements or functional groups covered by B01J31/0201 - B01J31/0269
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 31/2295 : Cyclic compounds, e.g. cyclopentadienyls
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/19 : Catalysts containing parts with different compositions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/23 : in a colloidal state
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• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/0221 : of particles
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• CPC Class Codes: C08J 7/18 : using wave energy or particle radiation
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• CPC Class Codes: C09J 201/00 : Adhesives based on unspecified macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 2301/416 : use of irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 5/00 : Adhesive processes in general; Adhesive processes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. relating to primers
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• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/008 : Surface plasmon devices diffractive gratings with a pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength G02B5/1809; surface plasmons in integrated optics G02B6/1226; optical analysis of materials by means of surface plasmons G01N21/553
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/00 : Irradiation devices discharge tubes for irradiating H01J37/00
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• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/777 : Metallic powder or flake
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/896 : Chemical synthesis, e.g. chemical bonding or breaking
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Abstract

A method and a system for producing a change in a medium disposed in an artificial container. The method places in a vicinity of the medium at least one of a plasmonics agent and an energy modulation agent. The method applies an initiation energy through the artificial container to the medium. The initiation energy interacts with the plasmonics agent or the energy modulation agent to directly or indirectly produce the change in the medium. The system includes an initiation energy source configured to apply an initiation energy to the medium to activate the plasmonics agent or the energy modulation agent.

Claims

1. A method for producing a change in an aqueous-fluid medium, comprising:

(1) placing in a vicinity of the aqueous fluid medium at least one of a plasmonics agent and an energy modulation agent, said energy modulation agent is configured to emit light into the aqueous fluid medium upon interaction with an initiation energy; and

(2) applying the initiation energy from an energy source to the aqueous fluid medium, wherein the applied initiation energy interacts with the plasmonics agent or the energy modulation agent to treat the aqueous fluid medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein placing further comprises providing a photocatalyst in a vicinity of a waste water medium comprising said aqueous fluid medium.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising placing said energy modulation agent in the vicinity of the aqueous fluid medium;

and

inducing photocatalysis in the waste water medium from said light emitted from the energy modulation agent to treat the waste water medium.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the photocatalyst comprises at least one of CdS, Fe₂O₃, ZnO, WO₃, ZnS, TiO₂P_25,TiO₂, CdSe, SnO₂, SrTiO₃, and Ta₂O₅ particles.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said plasmonics agent in the vicinity of the aqueous fluid medium, wherein the plasmonics agent 1) enhances or modifies said light from the energy modulation agent or 2) enhances or modifies the initiation energy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying comprises:

applying the initiation energy from an external energy source;

or applying the initiation energy from a source that is at least partially in an artificial container holding the aqueous fluid medium or that is exposed through an opening in the artificial container.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said energy modulation agent in the vicinity of the aqueous fluid medium wherein the energy modulation agent comprises at least one of a sulfide, a telluride, a selenide and an oxide semiconductor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the aqueous fluid medium comprises a changing an organism activity in the aqueous fluid medium.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a magnetically introducing or collecting the energy modulation agent into or from the aqueous fluid medium.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein applying comprises:

transmitting the initiation energy through an artificial container comprising at least one of an aluminum container, a quartz container, a glass container, a plastic container or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said energy modulation agent in the vicinity of the aqueous fluid medium, wherein the energy modulation agent is provided within the medium at a density where said light generated in the aqueous medium from the energy modulation agent is not occluded throughout the aqueous fluid medium.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing encapsulations of the energy modulation in the aqueous fluid medium.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing encapsulations comprises:

providing a fluidized bed of said encapsulations within the aqueous fluid medium;

providing said encapsulations in re-entrant structures extending into the artificial container holding said medium;

or providing said encapsulations on interior walls of the artificial container holding said medium.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing encapsulations of the plasmonics agent in the aqueous fluid medium.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiation energy comprises x-ray energy and UV/VIS energy treats the aqueous fluid medium.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiation energy comprises infrared energy and UV/VIS energy treats the aqueous fluid medium.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiation energy comprises radiowave or microwave energy and UV/VIS energy treats in the aqueous fluid medium.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein applying comprises applying initiation energy to the aqueous fluid medium and reducing contaminants in the aqueous fluid medium.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the initiation energy from an energy source to the aqueous fluid medium comprises applying the initiation energy to said aqueous fluid medium contained in an artificial container.

19. A system for producing a change in an aqueous fluid medium, comprising:

a mechanism configured to provide to the aqueous fluid medium

     1) an activatable agent and

     2) at least one of a plasmonics agent and an energy modulation agent, said energy modulation agent is configured to emit light into the aqueous fluid medium upon interaction with an initiation energy, and said plasmonics agent is configured to enhance or modify an energy being transmitted in a vicinity of the plasmonics agent; and

an initiation energy source configured to apply the initiation energy to the aqueous fluid medium, wherein the initiation energy interacts with the plasmonics agent or the energy modulation agent to process the aqueous fluid medium.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a fluidized bed;

or

re-entrant structures extending into a container holding said medium.