ABSTRACT
Advanced autonomous nanomedical devices of all classes will have the requirement of sources of energy that will enable them to dependably transit and navigate through the human body; establish and maintain communications with “outbody” control computers as well as companion nanodevices; conduct internal computation; and most importantly, successfully perform the specic medical procedures that they are tasked with
CONTENTS
4.1 Provision of Power for Autonomous Nanomedical Devices ....................................... 173 4.2 Energy Sources Inherent to Living Systems .................................................................. 174 4.3 Energy-Harvesting Strategies for Autonomous Nanomedical Devices .................... 175
4.3.1 Ultrathin Film Membrane Lamination for Glucose Conversion .................... 176 4.3.2 Enzymatically Active Thin Films ........................................................................ 178 4.3.3 ATP Conversion ..................................................................................................... 180 4.3.4 Nanometric Biofuel Cells ...................................................................................... 180 4.3.5 Biomimetic Microorganism Functionality ......................................................... 181
4.4 Energy-Generating Strategies for Advanced Nanomedical Devices ......................... 183 4.4.1 Laminated Ultrathin Film Nanoscale Thermopiles ......................................... 183 4.4.2 Piezoelectric Materials .......................................................................................... 184 4.4.3 Biomimetic Electrocytes/Electroplax ................................................................. 186 4.4.4 Biomimetic Photosynthetic Reactive Structures ............................................... 188 4.4.5 Nanoscale Photonic Antenna ............................................................................... 190 4.4.6 Graphene ................................................................................................................. 191 4.4.7 Graphene Oxide Acoustic Energy Harvesting .................................................. 191 4.4.8 Hydrostatic Streaming Currents/Nanouidics ................................................. 193
4.5 Proposed Research Tasking List: VCSN Power-Harvesting/Generating Component.......................................................................................................................... 193 4.5.1 Glucose Conversion Membrane ........................................................................... 193 4.5.2 Nanoscale Thermodynamic Mechanisms ......................................................... 197 4.5.3 Piezoelectric Entities.............................................................................................. 198 4.5.4 Biomimetic Electrocytes and Electroplax Stacks .............................................. 199 4.5.5 Biomimetic Photosynthetic Mechanisms ...........................................................200 4.5.6 Nanoscale PEM ...................................................................................................... 201
References ..................................................................................................................................... 201
accomplishing. This chapter will explore what may constitute one of the more challenging aspects of nanomedical design, as the onboard provision of robust and reliable energy harvesting or generation will be essential for the operation of most species of medical nanodevices. A range of potential designs and strategies will be investigated which might facilitate the efcient conversion of energy that is harvested from in vivo biouids (primarily blood/plasma resident) that permeate the patient’s “inbody” environment. Additional design considerations that must be taken into account will be associated with the cumulative dissipation of heat that will be generated as a consequence of nanodevice energy sources, which are converted and expended as useful work. This will be especially critical when perhaps millions of nanodevices work concurrently in vivo to perform massively parallel procedures, such as chromatin replacement or cell repair operations, at millions of distinct “treatment” sites within the patient. The conceptual exemplar VCSN device design will serve as a model template to elucidate the characteristics of particular envisioned energy-harvesting and energy-generating components, which might be utilized as modular onboard mechanisms for the powering of nanomedical devices.
