June 2023 Vacuum Deposition Blog
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June 15, 2023
 Smart Microfluid Device Detects Respiratory Diseases Early 
Respiratory diseases such as COVID are a constant threat to our health, and unfortunately diagnostic tools that are competent at early detection are not readily available and other forms of tests take much too long to deliver results. To combat the scarcity of suitable medical diagnostic tools researchers at McGill University developed an all in one diagnosis platform called Qolor EX that can detect respiratory diseases early and deliver test results within minutes. The best part about this technology is that it can be configured to work from almost anywhere and it is a low cost solution that is perfect for use in low resource areas. As opposed to other tests this new diagnostic platform requires only a small sample of saliva to obtain solid results so no intense swabbing necessary. The saliva is then transferred to a microfluid device that is outfitted with a machine learning algorithm that is automatically programed to take microscopic images of the sample. Once the analysis is complete the device sends the images and data to a smartphone application that decodifies it into test results. When it comes to COVID the platform is able to deliver test results with a 95% accuracy rate, similar to that of PCR tests. However, the platform can be applied to other diseases both current and potential. Learn more here. 
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June 30, 2023
Nanosensor Can Monitor Thermoset Polymer Manufacturing to Save Time, Energy, and Equipment Use
Researchers from Skoltech University patented a novel thermoset polymer curing method. The technique consists of small embeddable nanosensors made using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and designed to monitor polymer curing during thermoset manufacturing. Thermoset polymers are used extensively in several industries and are an important material in the fabrication of various plastic parts for products including wind turbines, marine vessels, aircraft, cars, and high tech sports equipment. Thermoset polymers are cured in large ovens or autoclaves and the curing process is a long energy-intensive task which often lasts for days on end. The issue is that curing depends on the conductive airflows within the oven and polymerization may happen in different areas throughout the object depending on the complexity of its shape. This would lead polymer manufacturers to either leave the oven on for longer to ensure the proper curing of the item or to use some other type of method to monitor the status of the curing process. In the latter case the only feasible alternatives would be to take samples which is time consuming and wasteful or to use fiber optic sensors to monitor the item, which are expensive. This is why a new, cheap, versatile and scalable method was necessary. The new patented  technique  is able to detect when the material has been appropriately cured enabling the termination of the process early and thereby saving energy, time, and speeding up manufacturing. Learn more here.