2020/12/23
Keio University
To build a sustainable society, a global movement to raise awareness about reducing plastic waste is already underway, with measures such as banning straws and charging for plastic shopping bags. However, progress in research and manufacturing settings has been slow. A research group led by Associate Professor Teruhiko Matsubara of the Department of Biosciences and Informatics and Professor Kenjiro Takemura of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, both at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, has proposed a method for conducting chemical reactions and bio-organic synthesis by levitating a reaction solution in the air, thereby eliminating the need for reaction vessels made of glass or plastic. Although it was already possible to trap (levitate) substances in the air using the properties of acoustic standing waves, this study is the first to demonstrate that processes such as high-polymer polymerization and enzymatic reactions can be efficiently carried out inside a levitated droplet. Furthermore, because the container material does not come into contact with the reactants, it is also possible to suppress the risk of denaturation of biological substances like proteins or a decrease in their effective concentration. This method is expected to have applications in both basic research and at production sites.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the German scientific journal "Advanced Science" on December 16, 2020 (GMT/UTC+0000).
For the full press release, please see below.