[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70718-70719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-29935]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Government Owned Inventions Available for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of government owned invention available for licensing.

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SUMMARY: The invention listed below is owned in whole by the U.S. 
Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce. The invention 
is available for licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37 CFR 
part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of 
federally funded research and development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical and licensing information on 
this invention may be obtained by writing to: National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, ATTN: Mary 
Clague; Building 820, Room 213, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Information is 
also available via telephone: 301-975-4188, e-mail: [email protected]; 
or fax: 301-869-2751. Any request for information should include the 
NIST Docket number and title for the invention as indicated below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST may enter into a Cooperative Research 
and

[[Page 70719]]

Development Agreement (``CRADA'') with the licensee to perform further 
research on the invention for purposes of commercialization. The 
invention available for licensing is:
    NIST Docket Number: [01-029US].
    Title: Simplified Method For Electrokinetic Focusing Of Samples In 
Microfluidic Devices.
    Abstract: Methods are described for the focusing of ionic species 
in microfluidic systems using electric field gradients that are 
generated without external electrical connections.
    In the first example, the electric field within a microchannel is 
effected by putting a highly or partially conductive material inside 
portions of the channel. The conductive material can consist, for 
example, of a metal film on the channel walls. The presence of 
conductive material will alter the total conductivity of the 
microchannel, and thereby alter the electric field in the microchannel. 
Regions of different electric field can be created by applying 
different films (or no films) to different regions of the microchannel. 
The electric field gradients at the borders between these different 
regions can then be used to focus and concentrate ionic species by 
balancing their electrophoretic velocities with an applied bulk fluid 
velocity.
    In the second example, the electric field gradient which is used 
for electrokinetic focusing is created by application of a temperature 
gradient. In order for this to work, the conductivity of the buffer 
within the microchannels must depend on temperature in a way that 
differs from the typical inverse proportionality with the buffer 
viscosity. For example, it must have an ionic strength that is 
temperature dependent.
    Also discussed is the possibilty that any apparatus/system which 
can be used for electrokinetic focusing can also be used to produce 
streams of either concentrated or diluted analytes.

    Dated: November 18, 2002.
Karen H. Brown,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 02-29935 Filed 11-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P