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BIONETIC DESIGNS FOR FREE ENERGY TRANSDUCTION USING BIOELASTIC MATERIALS

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 17179
Amount: $50,865.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
1075 S 13th St
Birmingham, AL 35205
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
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Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

LIVING ORGANISM THRIVE BY HAVING EVOLVED (1) MECHANISMS OF HIGH EFFICIENCY FOR THE INTERCONVERSION OF ENERGY AND (2) MATERIALS CAPABLE OF EXTRAORDINARY DURABILITY, E.G. THE ELASTIC FIBER OF THE AORTIC ARCH BEING CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING BILLIONS OF STRETCH/RELAXATION CYCLES. THESE PROPERTIES OF HIGH EFFICIENCY AND POTENTIAL DURABILITY ARE COMBINED IN SYNTHETIC ELASTIC PROTEIN-BASED POLYMERS. THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON A NEW, EFFICIENT MECHANISM OF FREE ENERGY TRANSDUCTION IN WHICH A FOLDING/UNFOLDING TRANSITION IN ELASTIC PROTEIN-BASED POLYMERS CAN BE CONTROLLED BY ANY OF THE INTENSIVE VARIABLES OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, MECHANICAL FORCE, CHEMICAL POTENTIAL AND ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL. THE TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES ARE (1) TO DEMONSTRATE BAROMECHANICAL, BAROCHEMICAL AND BAROELECTRICAL TRANSDUCTION IN SYNTHETIC ELASTIC PROTEIN-BASED POLYMERS, I. BY SYNTHESIS OF APPROPRIATE PROTEIN-BASED POLYMERS, II. BY IDENTIFYING AND COUPLING APPROPRIATE REDOX COUPLES, III. BY CONSTRUCTION OF A TRANSPARENT PRESSURIZABLE CELL, AND IV. BY EQUIPPING THE PRESSURIZABLE CELL FOR POTENTIOMETRIC TITRATIONS, (2) TO MONITOR VISUALLY BAROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCTION IN THE TRANSPARENT PRESSURIZABLE CELL, AND (3) TO MONITOR PH CHANGES AND REDUCTION POTENTIAL CHANGES RESULTING FROM THE APPLICATION OF PRESSURE. THE FOUR DIFFERENT ELASTIC PROTEIN-BASED POLYMERS, UTILIZING AS ITS PRIMARY COMPONENT THE ELASTOMERIC POLYPEPTIDE, POLY(VAL-PRO-GLY-VAL-GLY), ARE TO BE PREPARED BY SOLUTION PEPTIDE CHEMISTRY GIVING RISE TO HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYMERS WHICH ARE TO BE Y-IRRADIATION CROSS-LINKED TO FORM ELASTOMERIC MATRICES AND STUDIED FOR THE ABOVE-NOTED TRANSDUCTIONAL PROPERTIES. A UNIFYING FREE ENERGY TRANSDUCTION MECHANISM, IN WHICH THE CENTRAL TRANSDUCTIONAL PROCESS IS REVERSIBLE HYDROPHOBIC FOLDING AND UNFOLDING IN AN AQUEOUS MILIEU OF DOMINANTLY ENTROPIC ELASTOMERS DERIVED FROM THE BIOLOGICAL ELASTIC FIBER, HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO HAVE REMARKABLE REVERSIBILITY FOR THERMOMECHANICAL TRANSDUCTION AND DESIGNED TO BE CAPABLE OF CHEMOMECHANICAL TRANSDUCTION OF HIGH EFFICIENCY.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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