TODAY’S PATENT – DENSITY-BASED METHODS FOR SEPARATION OF MATERIALS, MONITORING OF SOLID SUPPORTED REACTIONS AND MEASURING DENSITIES OF SMALL LIQUID VOLUMES AND SOLIDS

Today’s patent was invented by Scott T. Phillips, George M. Whitesides, Katherine A. Mirica, Emanuel Carrilho, Andres W. Martinez, Sergey S. Shevkoplyas, Phillip W. Snyder, Raquel Perez-Castillejos, Malancha Gupta, Adam Winkleman, and Katherine L. Gudiksen on January 24, 2017, bearing patent no. US9551706.

The ability to levitate, to separate, and to detect changes in density using diamagnetic particles suspended in solutions containing paramagnetic cations using an inhomogeneous magnetic field is described. The major advantages of this separation device are that: i) it is a simple apparatus that does not require electric power (a set of permanent magnets and gravity are sufficient for the diamagnetic separation and collection system to work); ii) it is compatible with simple optical detection (provided that transparent materials are used to fabricate the containers/channels where separation occurs; iii) it is simple to collect the separated particles for further processing; iv) it does not require magnetic labeling of the particles/materials; and v) it is small, portable. The method and kits provided provide for separation and collection of materials of different densities, diagnostics for detection of analytes of interest, monitoring of solid-supported chemical reactions and determination of densities of solid and liquid mixtures.