Commercialization Efforts Research Articles

Biodiversity Economy and conservation territorialization: a pyrrhic strategy in Kwazulu-Natal

Post-apartheid Kwazulu-Natal is in the midst of ecological and social crises related to land ownership, resource control, minerals extraction, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. The environs of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park are a violent environment, where the immediate violence of an anti-poaching 'war' waged over fears of Rhinoceros extinction, is counter-posed to the slow violence permeating the lives of marginal rural residents affected by the externalities of coal mining. A range of struggles are waged against these challenges, but a hegemonic 'Biodiversity Economy' intervention has arisen, attended by projects aimed at territorializing conservation space and multiple-win scenarios. Based on four years of intermittent research in the area, this article critiques the territorialization of conservation, project outcomes, and commercialization efforts within the Umfozi Biodiversity Economy Node (UBEN). I contend that a biodiversity economy nodal approach extends neoliberal conservation strategies, and functions as a spatial aggregator to reterritorialize conservation land use over space and time. However, the findings suggest that, despite years of energy and investment there have only been limited individual successes in the UBEN, and a range of frustrations, compounded by COVID-19 complications. The analysis also highlights further costs and externalities of the initiative: as the UBEN exacerbates underlying tensions in Kwazulu-Natal's uneven conservation geography, and it aligns with problematic and often unrepresentative traditional authority structures and related accumulation networks. It is also complicit with the production of sacrificial spaces at the conservation-extraction nexus.In this context, I argue the UBEN is pyrrhic; that is, an outcome or goal strived for/achieved at too little reward and too high a cost. The article extends political-ecological critique of neoliberal conservation and the green economy to incorporate the framing and implementation of biodiversity economy nodal approaches – and their uneven and pyrrhic effects – in contested, crisis-ridden conservation contexts.

WHISPER: Wireless Home Identification and Sensing Platform for Energy Reduction

Many regions of the world benefit from heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to provide productive, comfortable, and healthy indoor environments, which are enabled by automatic building controls. Due to climate change, population growth, and industrialization, HVAC use is globally on the rise. Unfortunately, these systems often operate in a continuous fashion without regard to actual human presence, leading to unnecessary energy consumption. As a result, the heating, ventilation, and cooling of unoccupied building spaces makes a substantial contribution to the harmful environmental impacts associated with carbon-based electric power generation, which is important to remedy. For our modern electric power system, transitioning to low-carbon renewable energy is facilitated by integration with distributed energy resources. Automatic engagement between the grid and consumers will be necessary to enable a clean yet stable electric grid, when integrating these variable and uncertain renewable energy sources. We present the WHISPER (Wireless Home Identification and Sensing Platform for Energy Reduction) system to address the energy and power demand triggered by human presence in homes. The presented system includes a maintenance-free and privacy-preserving human occupancy detection system wherein a local wireless network of battery-free environmental, acoustic energy, and image sensors are deployed to monitor homes, record empirical data for a range of monitored modalities, and transmit it to a base station. Several machine learning algorithms are implemented at the base station to infer human presence based on the received data, harnessing a hierarchical sensor fusion algorithm. Results from the prototype system demonstrate an accuracy in human presence detection in excess of 95%; ongoing commercialization efforts suggest approximately 99% accuracy. Using machine learning, WHISPER enables various applications based on its binary occupancy prediction, allowing situation-specific controls targeted at both personalized smart home and electric grid modernization opportunities.

A review: Dielectrophoresis for characterizing and separating similar cell subpopulations based on bioelectric property changes due to disease progression and therapy assessment.

This paper reviews the use of dielectrophoresis for high-fidelity separations and characterizations of subpopulations to highlight the recent advances in the electrokinetic field as well as provide insight into its progress toward commercialization. The role of cell subpopulations in heterogeneous clinical samples has been studied to deduce their role in disease progression and therapy resistance for instances such as cancer, tissue regeneration, and bacterial infection. Dielectrophoresis (DEP), a label-free electrokinetic technique, has been used to characterize and separate target subpopulations from mixed samples to determine disease severity, cell stemness, and drug efficacy. Despite its high sensitivity to characterize similar or related cells based on their differing bioelectric signatures, DEP has been slowly adopted both commercially and clinically. This review addresses the use of dielectrophoresis for the identification of target cell subtypes in stem cells, cancer cells, blood cells, and bacterial cells dependent on cell state and therapy exposure and addresses commercialization efforts in light of its sensitivity and future perspectives of the technology, both commercially and academically.

Ultrahigh Temperature Manufacturing Toward Extreme Materials

I will discuss our work in the past 6 years on extremely high temperature (2000–3000 K) as a disruptive platform to design/synthesize novel materials, from single atom (Nature Nanotech 2019), high entropy nanoparticles (Science 2018, 359, 1489, Cover) to bulk ceramics/metals for energy technologies (e.g., batteries, fuel cells) and other applications in extreme conditions (Science 2020). The manufacturing process is highly reproducible, scalable, and can be generally applied to a range of materials. I will also briefly discuss our commercialization efforts on these inventions through HighT-Tech LLC.

Tailored 3D-Microstructured Electrode Substrates for Increased Performance in Zero-Excess Lithium Metal Batteries

Meeting the growing demands on modern batteries in many diverse areas such as energy density, safety, sustainability and cost is a key challenge in research and development related to electrochemical energy storage today. While lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are often cited as a potential alternative to current lithium ion battery (LIB) technology that provides a high theoretical energy density, large-scale commercialization efforts have so far been hindered by significant challenges regarding the LMBs operational safety and large volume changes during cycling as well as continuous parasitic side reactions between the lithium metal and the electrolyte, among other issues.[1] A particularly interesting and promising approach to overcome these challenges is the use of a so-called “zero-excess” or “anode-free” cell configuration for lithium metal batteries. Such cells are very similar to both LIBs and conventional LMBs in terms of construction except for their omittance of a traditional anode material. The only component in a zero-excess LMB (ZELMB) to carry lithium upon fabrication of the cell is the cathode material. When the cell is charged, the lithium inventory is electroplated onto the anode current collector to form a temporary lithium metal anode. During the subsequent discharging of the cell, this lithium metal layer is electrodissolved again and the lithium ions are integrated back into the cathode. This way, the amount of lithium that is present in the cell is reduced to the absolute minimum amount necessary for the operation of an LMB, which provides several benefits including drastically increased safety, reduced cost, and simplicity of construction. On the other hand, the inherent scarcity of lithium in a ZELMB requires the Coulombic Efficiency (CE) during cell operation to be as high as possible to prevent quick capacity fading as a consequence of any lithium losses. Therefore, parasitic reactions between the lithium and the electrolyte as well as the formation of disconnected “dead” lithium have to be minimized.[2] One way to boost the performance of ZELMBs is by employing a modified anode current collector instead of the standard planar copper foil. Applying a suitable coating to the current collector surface can lead to a more homogeneous lithium cycling behavior yielding an increased CE and prolonged cycle life. Similar effects can also be achieved when the 2D copper foil anode substrate is replaced by a host structure with a microporous 3D morphology. The increased surface area of such 3D structures leads to a reduction of the local current density at the substrate surface which is beneficial for uniform lithium electroplating. Also, depositing lithium inside a host structure instead of onto a plain foil eliminates continuous volume changes that can induce heavy mechanical stress in the cell. This presentation covers various types of 3D microstructured copper host materials that are used as negative electrode substrates in ZELMBs to increase the performance of the cells. Ranging from the employed preparatory procedures to the electrochemical characterization of battery cells encompassing the fabricated microporous 3D anode substrates, this work aims to give an insight into the process of developing the tailored materials needed to make ZELMBs a viable alternative to both common LIBs and LMBs.[1] A. Pei, G. Zheng, F. Shi, Y. Li, Y. Cui, Nano Lett. 2017, 17, 2, 1132-1139.[2] M. Genovese, A. J. Louli, R. Weber, S. Hames, J. R. Dahn, J. Electrochem. Soc. 2018, 165, 14, A3321 – A3325.

Nanotube Sheet and Yarn Manufacturing and Commercialization

Nanotube macroscale materials such as yarns, tapes, and sheets provide combinations of material properties that are unique relative to existing materials. Although nanotube sheet and yarn commercialization is still an emerging activity, these materials may become important in the future Business and Economics of societies. Therefore, this paper surveys current worldwide efforts toward manufacturing and commercialization of nanotube macroscale materials. The survey will help researchers, investors and economists consider how the new materials might be used in new applications and how the materials might spur economic development. Nanotube macroscale materials consist of yarn, tapes, and sheets, and exclude powdered forms of nanotubes used as filler materials. Both Carbon Nanotube (CNT) and Boron Nitride Nanotube (BNNT) materials are considered. It is anticipated that macroscale sheet and yarn with customizable properties will have broad applications. This paper is organized to provide ideas for possible areas of applications of nanotube yarn and sheet, followed by a survey of current commercialization efforts. Manufacturing barriers that must be overcome to push the development of nanotube macroscale materials toward large scale commercialization are also discussed. The paper also provides references for researchers and industry professionals who may want to further develop and put nanotube macroscale materials into their own applications.

Overview of Canada's energy storage related research activities: A perspective

Overview of Canada's energy storage related research activities: A perspective

Atlantic cod aquaculture: Boom, bust, and rebirth?

AbstractThe commercialization of a new species through aquaculture is much more complex than the mastery of the production process, or closing the loop, as it is sometimes referred to. Commercial aquaculture is a layer within the global seafood industry, much as wild capture is; however, it places human control at a much earlier phase in the life cycle of the harvested product. As an important species on both sides of the Atlantic, the commercialization efforts for the culture of Atlantic cod are described for four locations, Norway, United Kingdom, New England, and Atlantic Canada that highlight many similar technical challenges and the progress made from the late 1980s through 2012. We also describe some of the marketing challenges faced and how they differ. Technically, the species has been commercialized. Hatcheries and farms in all four countries were successfully established. However, there are clear differences in access to capital for research and industrial expansion from both the private and public sector, social acceptance of farmed fish, as well as the impacts on sales when marketing farmed cod in the context of a global seafood supply. Lower cost species substitution, from either the farmed or wild catch, is also a factor that can have a significant impact on long‐term successful commercialization.

Facile Patterning of Thermoplastic Elastomers and Robust Bonding to Glass and Thermoplastics for Microfluidic Cell Culture and Organ-on-Chip.

The emergence and spread of microfluidics over the last decades relied almost exclusively on the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The main reason for the success of PDMS in the field of microfluidic research is its suitability for rapid prototyping and simple bonding methods. PDMS allows for precise microstructuring by replica molding and bonding to different substrates through various established strategies. However, large-scale production and commercialization efforts are hindered by the low scalability of PDMS-based chip fabrication and high material costs. Furthermore, fundamental limitations of PDMS, such as small molecule absorption and high water evaporation, have resulted in a shift toward PDMS-free systems. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are a promising alternative, combining properties from both thermoplastic materials and elastomers. Here, we present a rapid and scalable fabrication method for microfluidic systems based on a polycarbonate (PC) and TPE hybrid material. Microstructured PC/TPE-hybrid modules are generated by hot embossing precise features into the TPE while simultaneously fusing the flexible TPE to a rigid thermoplastic layer through thermal fusion bonding. Compared to TPE alone, the resulting, more rigid composite material improves device handling while maintaining the key advantages of TPE. In a fast and simple process, the PC/TPE-hybrid can be bonded to several types of thermoplastics as well as glass substrates. The resulting bond strength withstands at least 7.5 bar of applied pressure, even after seven days of exposure to a high-temperature and humid environment, which makes the PC/TPE-hybrid suitable for most microfluidic applications. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the PC/TPE-hybrid features low absorption of small molecules while being biocompatible, making it a suitable material for microfluidic biotechnological applications.

Recent advancements and perspectives on light management and high performance in perovskite light-emitting diodes

Abstract Perovskite semiconductors have experienced meteoric rise in a variety of optoelectronic applications. With a strong foothold on photovoltaics, much focus now lies on their light emission applications. Rapid progress in materials engineering have led to the demonstration of external quantum efficiencies that surpass the previously established theoretical limits. However, there remains much scope to further optimize the light propagation inside the device stack through careful tailoring of the optical processes that take place at the bulk and interface levels. Photon recycling in the emitter material followed by efficient outcoupling can result in boosting external efficiencies up to 100%. In addition, the poor ambient and operational stability of these materials and devices restrict further commercialization efforts. With best operational lifetimes of only a few hours reported, there is a long way to go before perovskite LEDs can be perceived as reliable alternatives to more established technologies like organic or quantum dot-based LED devices. This review article starts with the discussions of the mechanism of luminescence in these perovskite materials and factors impacting it. It then looks at the possible routes to achieve efficient outcoupling through nanostructuring of the emitter and the substrate. Next, we analyse the instability issues of perovskite-based LEDs from a photophysical standpoint, taking into consideration the underlying phenomena pertaining to defects, and summarize recent advances in mitigating the same. Finally, we provide an outlook on the possible routes forward for the field and propose new avenues to maximally exploit the excellent light-emitting capabilities of this family of semiconductors.

Potential Socioeconomic and Environmental Effects of an Expanding U.S. Bioeconomy: An Assessment of Near-Commercial Cellulosic Biofuel Pathways.

This paper showcases the suitability of an environmentally extended input-output framework to provide macroeconomic analyses of an expanding bioeconomy to allow for adequate evaluation of its benefits and trade-offs. It also exemplifies the framework's applicability to provide early design stage evaluations of emerging technologies expected to contribute to a future bioeconomy. Here, it is used to compare the current United States (U.S.) bioeconomy to a hypothetical future containing additional cellulosic ethanol produced from two near-commercial pathways. We find that the substitution of gasoline with cellulosic ethanol is expected to yield socioeconomic net benefits, including job growth and value added, and a net reduction in global warming potential and nonrenewable energy use. The substitution fares comparable to or worse than that for other environmental impact categories including human toxicity and eutrophication potentials. We recommend that further technology advancement and commercialization efforts focus on reducing these unintended consequences through improved system design and innovation. The framework is seen as complementary to process-based technoeconomic and life cycle assessments as it utilizes related data to describe specific supply chains while providing analyses of individual products and portfolios thereof at an industrial scale and in the context of the U.S. economy.

Genetic Code Expansion: Inception, Development, Commercialization.

Virtually all natural proteins are built from only 20 amino acids, and while this makes possible all the functions they perform, the ability to encode other amino acids selected for specific purposes promises to enable the discovery and production of proteins with novel functions, including therapeutic proteins with more optimal drug-like properties. The field of genetic code expansion (GCE) has for years enabled the production of such proteins for academic purposes and is now transitioning to commercialization for the production of more optimal protein therapeutics. Focusing on E. coli, we review the history and current state of the field. We also provide a review of the first generation commercialization efforts, the lessons learned, and how those lessons are guiding new efforts. With continued academic and industrial progress, GCE methodologies promise to make possible the routine optimization of proteins for therapeutic use in a way that has only previously been possible with small-molecule therapeutics.

95349 T1-T4 in 3 (Minutes)

ABSTRACT IMPACT: The purpose of the T1-T4 in 3 Minutes program is to improve trainees’ capacity for communication of complex to a non-scientific audience as well as to ensure that our community stakeholders have access to, and understanding of, ongoing clinical and translation research OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The T1-T4 in 3 Program: ο Increases knowledge of research across institution; ο Increases capacity of trainees to convey complex science to lay audiences, funders, colleagues, and the media; ο Increases health and scientific literacy; ο Bridges gaps between trainees and potential entrepreneurial mentors METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: T1-T4 in 3 (Minutes) is an adaptation of the University of Queensland’s Three Minute Thesis competition in which PhD students present their thesis in 3 minutes or less to a lay audience. The competition enables them to cogently communicate their ideas and research findings to a non-specialist audience. Our adapted version, T1-T4 in 3, requires a presentation in three minutes or less to a lay audience, but rather than a thesis, the topics are on trainees’ research, and in this particular case, an idea for a commercial venture. The competition provides awards for the first- and second-best projects as determined by a panel of judges, and a ‘people’s choice’ award determined by a lay audience. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: This exercise is anticipated to improve trainees’ capacity for communications as well as ensure that community stakeholders and research and business community partners have access to, and understanding of, ongoing clinical and translation research with potential commercial applications. Further, the increased ability of our faculty and trainees to effectively communicate complex science to the public and other audiences’‘ including potential funders’‘ supports additional stakeholder dissemination mechanisms by increasing their confidence in their abilities to converse with non-specialists about their research, thus increasing the likelihood of participation in other community-based activities. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: To increase ITS commercialization efforts, we envision involving numerous external partners to educate, fund, and support new ventures. T1-T4 in 3 judges will include commercialization scholars from regional and national institutions as well as pharmaceutical entities and regional angel investors.

Dye-sensitized solar cells strike back.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are celebrating their 30th birthday and they are attracting a wealth of research efforts aimed at unleashing their full potential. In recent years, DSCs and dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (DSPECs) have experienced a renaissance as the best technology for several niche applications that take advantage of DSCs' unique combination of properties: at low cost, they are composed of non-toxic materials, are colorful, transparent, and very efficient in low light conditions. This review summarizes the advancements in the field over the last decade, encompassing all aspects of the DSC technology: theoretical studies, characterization techniques, materials, applications as solar cells and as drivers for the synthesis of solar fuels, and commercialization efforts from various companies.

Challenges in tin perovskite solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells are the rising star of third-generation photovoltaic technology. With a power conversion efficiency of 25.5%, the record efficiency is close to the theoretical maximum efficiency of a single-junction solar cell. However, lead toxicity threatens commercialization efforts and market accessibility. In this context, Sn-based perovskites are a safe alternative. Nevertheless, the efficiency of Sn-based devices falls far behind the efficiency of Pb-based counterparts. This concise review sheds light on the challenges that the field faces toward making Sn-based perovskites the perovskite photovoltaic benchmark. We identified four key challenges: materials and solvents, film formation, Sn(II) oxidation, and energy band alignment. We illustrate every single challenge and highlight the most successful attempts to overcome them. Finally, we provide our opinion on the most promising trends of this field in the future.

Regulatory compliances in development of commercial scale process of Nanoparticles (Liposomes and Niosomes) in pharmaceutical industry : A review

The main objective of this review work was designed to explore the regulatory environments that govern the pharmaceutical industry. Main objective of regulatory department is to maintain the quality, safety and efficacy of the medical products it also ensures the standard of medicinal product for sales, importing and manufacturing. The biggest challenge faced by the pharma manufactures is Scaling up their production. Our review process focuses on regulatory requirements concerning Liposomes and Niosomes and their limitations in respect to industrial applicability. In detail explanation of what type of information should be submitted to FDA and EU in new drug applications (NDAs) or abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs). By comparing these two developed regulatory markets we can build a strong regulation in Indian market on Liposomes and Niosomes. The review study deals with the sound knowledge about regulatory landscape that governs the pharmaceutical industry. Study describes in depth about liposomes and niosomes delivery systems and gives a critical overview of the current regulatory landscape surrounding commercialization efforts of higher-level complexity systems, the expected requirements and the hurdles faced by companies seeking to bring novel liposome and noisome based systems for clinical use to market.

Salinity gradient energy generation by pressure retarded osmosis: A review

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) has gained attention due to its use as a salinity gradient energy-generating membrane process. This process can convert difference in salinity between two streams into energy as it allows water transport through a semi-permeable membrane against the application of hydraulic pressure. This review provides a comprehensive look at the history and latest developments in preparation of membranes and modules for the PRO process, as well as the various applications of PRO. This review also explored the influence of feed characteristics and pretreatment strategies on water permeation and power generation during PRO operation. The current status and technological advancements of PRO as a process were reviewed, revealing how PRO can be operated as a stand-alone process or in integration with other hybrid processes. Despite the recent advancements in material and process development for PRO, membrane performance, wide-scale implementation, and commercialization efforts still leave much to be desired. Recognizing the current challenges facing the PRO technology, the advancements in PRO membrane and module development, and the various applications of the process, this review also draws out the future direction of PRO research and generation of osmotic salinity gradient energy as a viable energy source.

Tacit knowledge, localization push, and diffusion of science: Evidence from Singapore

Abstract We propose localization push, as an alternative to tacit knowledge, to explain the localization of knowledge diffusion. Sponsors of scientific research enact policies and create institutions for locally-produced knowledge spillovers. We hypothesize that localization necessitated by tacit knowledge renders the local diffusion of such knowledge more productive than distant commercialization. However, this is not the case when the localization push is the primary reason for the localization. We empirically investigate the hypothesis using data on knowledge diffusion in SingaporeOur main findings are as follows: (1) The diffusion of basic research, measured by journal articles cited in patents, is localized, but this is almost exclusively accounted for by Singaporean public institutions; (2) Local patents citing papers authored by Singaporeans are less significant than foreign patents citing such papers; and (3) Singaporean public patent applicants are more willing to seek multijurisdiction patent protection despite the ineffectiveness of their commercialization efforts.

Wearable electrochemical biosensors in North America

Tremendous research and commercialization efforts around the world are focused on developing novel wearable electrochemical biosensors that can noninvasively and continuously screen for biochemical markers in body fluids for the prognosis, diagnosis and management of diseases, as well as the monitoring of fitness. Researchers in North America are leading the development of innovative wearable platforms that can comfortably comply to the human body and efficiently sample fluids such as sweat, interstitial fluids, tear and saliva for the electrochemical detection of biomarkers through various sensing approaches such as potentiometric ion selective electrodes and amperometric enzymatic sensors. We start this review with a historical timeline overviewing the major milestones in the development of wearable electrochemical sensors by North American institutions. We then describe how such research efforts have led to pioneering developments and are driving the advancement and commercialization of wearable electrochemical sensors: from minimally invasive continuous glucose monitors for chronic disease management to non-invasive sweat electrolyte sensors for dehydration monitoring in fitness applications. While many countries across the globe have contributed significantly to this rapidly emerging field, their contributions are beyond the scope of this review. Furthermore, we share our perspective on the promising future of wearable electrochemical sensors in applications spanning from remote and personalized healthcare to wellness.

Wearable sweat sensing for prolonged, semicontinuous, and nonobtrusive health monitoring

AbstractTogether with the upcoming market for wearable consumer technologies, noninvasive and continuous health monitoring has become a new trend in the healthcare landscape. In recent years, significant research has been targeted toward the development of wearable sensing devices for monitoring biomarker levels in nonobtrusively accessible biofluids such as tears, urine, saliva, and sweat. Sweat could be an ideal candidate for prolonged, semicontinuous, and nonobtrusive health monitoring because sweat is a continuously accessible biofluid containing physiologically and metabolically rich information. However, challenges still remain toward commercialized wearable sweat‐sensing devices, and the correlation between biomarker concentrations in sweat with health conditions still seems to be not fully understood. This review article aims to display the full scope of sweat sensing for health monitoring, starting from the fundamentals of human sweat, via modeling of the sweat gland physiology toward wearable sweat‐sensing devices in research and commercialization efforts. Finally, the challenges of sweat sensing that still have to be overcome toward the utilization of sweat sensing in the conventional healthcare settings are discussed.