Background

The critical stirring of a test solution relies on an external input and can take up valuable time. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a self-rotating device that is compatible with small-scale mixing, allowing for the results of tests to be delivered quicker and without the need of an external input.

Rocket stirrers have been developed for efficient stirring of solutions at the pL (picoliter) to mL scale. They are biocompatible, biodegradable and customisable to user requirements. As well as reducing waste, Rocket Stirrers are easy to deploy relative to conventional stirrers and shakers manufactured from single use plastic.

Technology Overview

The stirrers are composed of biocompatible silk and are produced through reactive inkjet printing. The self-rotary motion is generated either by the release of a surface active agent resulting in the Marangoni effect (a change in the surface tension) or by catalytically powered bubble propulsion. The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is 3.

Benefits

The team have developed small scale devices that can stir via self-propulsion to promote mixing in small volumes (pL to mL) of solutions.

Rocket stirrers are:

biocompatible
biodegradable
customisable to user requirements
compatible with miniaturised assay formats e.g. microfluidic devices

The team is also able to rapidly demonstrate the benefits of rocket stirrers in a given user defined scenario via computational fluid dynamics modelling.

Applications

Alongside the use for medical and environmental diagnostic tests (using immuno-based or enzyme-based detection) to provide faster, more accurate tests, this technology has the potential to improve performance in a range of applications.

Some of these include:

Targeted therapeutic delivery
Motion sensing
Environmental science (water bioremediation by selective removal of contaminants)
Enhanced delivery of chemicals
Cell homogenisation

Opportunity

Seeking collaborators and in particular industrial partners
Licensing

Rocket Stirrers

IP Status

Seeking