SYNTHETIC, SCALE-UP, AND PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

  • Chemspeed Synthesis Accelerator: Fully automated state-of-the-art SLT100 Accelerator work station allowing the simultaneous parallel synthesis of up to 192 separate reactions. The automated synthesizer has capability to carry out a) Synthesis of a complete polymer library in small quantities; b) Synthesis of a focused polymer library with sufficient sample size to conduct extensive characterization; c) "Up-scaled" synthesis of a small group of selected polymers.  The automated platform is currently one of three in a US academic setting, where the RESBIO Integrated Resource for Polymeric Biomaterials develops approaches to accelerating biomaterials discovery using this rare instrument.

The Accelerator facilitates the exploration of optimized reaction  conditions allowing for hypothesis-driven work  flow that rapidly screens parameters such as reagent amounts, mixing and stirring, reaction temperature andtime.Expansion of the platform to include rapid analysis of reaction mixtures (using GLC or LC/ mass spectroscopy) is possible. For a video demonstration of the Accelerator click here.

  • The Extruder: (Randcastle Extrusion Systems Inc., NJ) has the unique capability to extrude polymers as little as 35 g.  Special screw design allows the blends of polymers to be extruded with efficient mixing.  The extruder has been used to make 1 to 4 mm dia. bone pins, and 70 to 200 um dia. filaments for ligaments, meniscus and braided tubing applications.

  • Spin-Coater: Spin-coating is a process used to get uniform thin films of solution of polymer or proteins ranging in thickness from 50 nm to 200 nm on a desired substrate.  The NJCBM polymer fabrication facilities includes a custom built, humidity controlled spin-coater apparatus which can perform at speeds from 2000 RPM to 6000 RPM.

  • Millrock Technology Freeze Drier: freeze-drying of the drug-containing formulations is used to increase the shelf life of products, such as vaccines and other injectables. By removing the water from the material and sealing the material in a vial, the material can be easily stored, shipped, and later reconstituted to its original form for injection.

  • Compression molder: Two compression molding presses (Carver, Wabash, IN) are available for use at the NJCBM.  These pressed are used to mold polymer powder into film of various thickness, typically ranging from 100 μm to 1000 μm. Through the use of custom-made molds, applied pressure and heat fault-free, uniform films can be produced.
 
  • Electrospinning: A custom designed electrospinning apparatus is housed within the class 10,000 cleanroom facility at NJCBM. Electrospinning is an industrial-scaled process used to fabricate fibro-porous structures through the use of an electric field. This fabrication technique is compatible with a number of polymers. The electrospun fibers can range in diameter from nanometers to microns and provide a three-dimensional architecture with high surface area for applications such as drug delivery or tissue engineering.

  • KSV DC dip coater enables precise coatings of small samples,and is used both for basic science studies of biomaterials interactions and for for the fabrication of neural devices.