Wirelessly activated device with an integrated ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) cantilever valve for targeted drug delivery

Abstract

This paper reports a wirelessly powered ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) soft actuator operated by external radio frequency (RF) magnetic fields for targeted drug delivery. A 183 μm thick IPMC cantilever valve was fitted with an embedded LC resonant circuit to wirelessly control the actuator when the field frequency is tuned to its resonant frequency of approximately 25 MHz. Experimental characterization of the fabricated actuator showed a cumulative cantilever deflection of 160 μm for three repeated RF ON-OFF cycles at 0.6 W input power. The device was loaded with a dye solution and immersed in DI water to demonstrate wireless drug release. The qualitative result shows the successful release of the dye solution from the device reservoir. The release rate can be controlled by tuning the RF input power. We achieved a maximum average release rate of ∼0.1 μl s-1. We further conducted an in vitro study with human tumor cells (HeLa) to demonstrate the proof of concept of the developed device. The experiments show promising results towards the intended drug delivery application.

Engineering bioactive synthetic polymers for biomedical applications: a review with emphasis on tissue engineering and controlled release

“…261,262 Programmable actuation behaviours can be useful for overcoming the various challenges and limitations of biomedical devices; for instance, actuation may enable a fine control of biological events by adding a fourth dimension to the biological system (i.e., the temporal coordinate). The overall goal of bioactuators is to generate functional outcomes in the form of responses to various external physical or chemical stimuli, including temperature, [263][264][265] pH, [266][267][268][269] ionic strength, [270][271][272] oxidation/reduction, [273][274][275] light, [276][277][278][279][280] and electric [281][282][283][284] or magnetic fields [285][286][287] that satisfy biocompatible conditions.…”

Fabrication and Actuation of Cu-Ionic Polymer Metal Composite

“…IPMCs can produce large deflections at low voltage (<5 V), and generate a corresponding electrical response in the process of mechanical bending [5][6][7]. IPMCs have been used in different fields such as biomechanical and biomedical applications, robotics, flexible sensing and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), as well as the aerospace and vehicles industry [8][9][10][11][12]. The IPMC is comprised of an ion-exchange-polymer membrane and two metal electrodes plated on the both sides of the Nafion membrane [13][14][15].…”

Compact organic liquid dielectric resonator antenna for air pressure sensing using soft material

“…Stretchable materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, Sylgard 184, Dow Corning, USA) and Ecoflex (type 0,030, Smooth-on-Inc, USA) elastomers have low stiffness and are commonly used to replace rigid container for improving the stretchability of liquid antennas 18 , 19 . Stretchable materials have also been utilized in other disciplines, such as micropump 20 – 22 , self-powered sensor 23 , 24 and soft sensor 12 , 25 , 26 . With the improved stretchability, resonant frequency of a liquid antenna can now be mechanically tuned over a wide range of frequencies by deforming the elastomer and can therefore act as a wireless pressure sensor.…”