Pulse Electric Fields: Harnessing Electricity for Innovation and Advancement
Introduction:
In today’s rapidly evolving world, the quest for innovative technologies that can revolutionize various industries is relentless. Pulse Electric Fields (PEF) is one such cutting-edge technology that has emerged as a game-changer in multiple fields, ranging from food processing and biotechnology to wastewater treatment and biomedical research. By harnessing the power of electricity, PEF offers a versatile and powerful tool for modifying biological systems, driving advancements, and unlocking new possibilities.
Understanding Pulse Electric Fields:
Pulse Electric Fields involve the application of short-duration, high-voltage electrical pulses to biological samples or systems. These pulses, carefully tailored to specific requirements, create an electric field that interacts with the targeted biological entities. PEF technology operates on the principle that the electrical pulses induce various physiological responses, leading to profound changes in the treated systems.
Mechanism of Action:
The mechanism behind Pulse Electric Fields revolves around the effects of electric field pulses on biological structures and processes. When exposed to these pulses, cells and tissues experience several key phenomena. One such phenomenon is electroporation, where the electric field disrupts the integrity of cell membranes, creating temporary pores or channels. This electroporation enables the delivery of molecules, such as DNA, drugs, or nutrients, into the cells, expanding the possibilities for genetic engineering, drug delivery, and cell-based therapies.
Furthermore, PEF can induce cell lysis, selectively targeting specific cell types or microorganisms for inactivation. The controlled disruption of cellular membranes or structures can be utilized in applications such as microbial inactivation in food preservation, waste treatment, or the extraction of intracellular components for biotechnological processes.
Applications and Advantages:
The wide-ranging applications of Pulse Electric Fields demonstrate its versatility and potential across various industries:
- Food Processing: PEF technology has transformed the food industry by offering a non-thermal alternative to traditional pasteurization and sterilization methods. It effectively inactivates spoilage microorganisms, extends the shelf life of products, and preserves nutritional quality while minimizing sensory changes. PEF has found applications in juices, dairy products, liquid foods, and more.
- Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering: PEF enables the delivery of genetic material into cells, facilitating genetic engineering processes, gene therapy, and the production of therapeutic proteins. It enhances the efficiency of gene transfer methods, making it an invaluable tool in biomedical research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Wastewater Treatment: PEF technology has shown promise in wastewater treatment by aiding in the removal of pollutants, such as heavy metals, organic compounds, and microorganisms. The electroporation effect enhances the separation and degradation of contaminants, contributing to more efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment processes.
- Biomedical Applications: PEF is utilized in various biomedical applications, including cancer treatment and tissue engineering. It can selectively induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells, offering a potential therapeutic avenue. Additionally, PEF can aid in tissue engineering by enhancing cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation.
Pulse Electric Fields (PEF) represent a groundbreaking technology that harnesses the power of electricity to drive innovation and advancements in diverse fields. By exploiting the effects of electrical pulses on biological systems, PEF offers a range of applications, from food processing and biotechnology to wastewater treatment and biomedical research. The ability to selectively modify biological entities and processes opens up new possibilities, paving the way for a future where PEF plays a vital role in improving human lives, protecting the environment, and shaping industries across the globe.
Research and Future Developments
The field of PEF is constantly evolving, with ongoing research and exciting advancements. In this section, we’ll highlight some notable research studies and recent breakthroughs in PEF applications. We’ll also discuss potential future developments and the areas where further exploration is required.
Shaping the Electrostatic Field
Using different shape electrodes to shape the electrostatic field is a technique that allows for precise control and manipulation of the electric field distribution during various applications. By designing electrodes in different shapes and configurations, it becomes possible to tailor the electric field to specific requirements and optimize the desired outcome. The shape of the electrodes directly influences the distribution and intensity of the electric field, enabling the focusing, defocusing, or steering of the field towards specific regions of interest. This approach finds applications in numerous fields, including electrostatic spraying, particle manipulation, electrostatic precipitation, and electrochemical processes. The ability to shape the electrostatic field using different electrode geometries opens up new possibilities for enhanced efficiency, improved performance, and customized applications in various scientific and technological domains.
Using a Fresnel optical lens-shaped electrode design can significantly alter the electrical field in a controlled and precise manner. Inspired by the principles of Fresnel lenses used in optics, this electrode design consists of concentric rings or zones with varying thicknesses. Each zone acts as a separate electrode, allowing for the modulation of the electric field across the surface. The unique geometry of the lens shape allows for the focusing or spreading of the electric field, depending on the desired application. By carefully designing the curvature and thickness distribution of the electrode, it is possible to manipulate the intensity and distribution of the electric field. This can be particularly advantageous in applications such as electrostatic spraying, where precise control of the electric field is crucial for achieving uniform and efficient atomization or deposition of charged particles. The Fresnel optical lens-shaped electrode design offers a versatile approach for tailoring the electrical field distribution, enabling enhanced performance and expanded possibilities in various electrostatic applications.
An axicon-shaped lens can be employed to effectively manipulate and focus an electric field. By utilizing the conical surface of the axicon lens, the phase and direction of the incident electric field can be modified. As the electric field “passes” through the “electrostatic lens”, it undergoes a transformation and forms a Bessel beam. This Bessel beam, characterized by a central maximum and concentric rings of lower intensity, enables the electric field to be focused into a precise line. The parameters of the axicon lens, such as the cone angle and the wavelength of the incident field, play a crucial role in determining the length and width of the resulting focused line. This innovative approach to electric field manipulation provides a versatile tool for various applications, ranging from beam shaping to optical trapping and beyond.
The generation and manipulation of vortex or helical-shaped electrical fields have gained significant interest in recent years, with applications spanning from communication systems to quantum information processing. One method to achieve such fields is through the use of an orbital angular momentum (OAM) shaped lens. This specialized lens is designed to impart a specific OAM value onto the incident electric field. As the field passes through the lens, it acquires a spiral phase profile, resulting in the formation of a vortex or helical-shaped electric field. The OAM shaped lens essentially acts as a sculptor, shaping the electric field into a tightly wound spiral pattern. The resulting field possesses a distinctive characteristic of carrying angular momentum per photon, enabling novel applications in information encoding and multiplexing. The precise design and optimization of the OAM shaped lens, including factors like the phase distribution, beam divergence, and wavelength, are crucial for achieving high-quality vortex or helical-shaped electrical fields.
3D conductive printable filament
It is now possible to create electrostatic shape electrodes with remarkable precision and efficiency. This groundbreaking technology allows for the fabrication of intricate three-dimensional structures capable of generating and manipulating electrical charges. By harnessing the conductivity of the specialized filament, designers and engineers can bring their imaginative concepts to life, forming electrodes that possess unique shapes and geometries. The versatility of 3D printing enables the realization of complex electrode designs, enhancing their performance in diverse applications such as energy storage, biomedical devices, and electronic components. This revolutionary approach revolutionizes the field of electrode fabrication, offering unprecedented control over the electrostatic properties of the printed shapes, and opening up exciting possibilities for innovation and advancement in various industries.
Health aspects of Electric Fields:
Effects of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) on the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans: an in vitro study
Abstract
Candida albicans is the leading human fungal pathogen that causes many life-threatening infections. Notably, the current clinical trial data indicate that Candida species shows the emerging resistance to anti-fungal drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal effects of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) as a novel drug-free strategy in vitro. In this study, we investigated the inactivation and permeabilization effects of C. albicans under different nsPEFs exposure conditions (100 pulses, 100 ns in duration, intensities of 20, 40 kV cm−1). Cell death was studied by annexin-V and propidium iodide staining. The changes of intracellular Ca2+ concentration after nsPEFs treatment were observed using Fluo-4 AM. Results show that C. albicans cells and biofilms were both obviously inhibited and destroyed after nsPEFs treatment. Furthermore, C. albicans cells were significantly permeabilized after nsPEFs treatment. Additionally, nsPEFs exposure led to a large amount of DNA and protein leakage. Importantly, nsPEFs induced a field strength-dependent apoptosis in C. albicans cells. Further experiments revealed that Ca2+ involved in nsPEFs induced C. albicans apoptosis. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study provides a potential alternative drug-free strategy for killing pathogenic Candida species.
Abstract
This article studies the sterilization effects of high-voltage pulsed electric field (PEF) of technology on filamentous fungi. A cell dielectric model was proposed based on the physical structure of filamentous fungi. Basic theories of the electromagnetic field were comprehensively applied, and the multiphysics field simulation software COMSOL Multiphysics was used for more detailed study. The effects of PEF treatment parameters and microbial characteristic parameters on the resulting cell membrane and nuclear membrane changes were simulated and analyzed. The results showed significant effects on the transmembrane voltage of the cell membrane and nuclear membrane from the electric field intensity, pulse duration, cell membrane thickness, superposition effect of the pulses. However, the amount of hyphae had little effect, and the number of cell nuclei and the thickness of the cell walls had almost no effect on the transmembrane voltage of the cell membranes and the nuclear membranes. The results provide theoretical support for applying high-voltage PEFs to kill fungi in practical applications.
Eradication of multidrug-resistant pseudomonas biofilm with pulsed electric fields
Abstract
Biofilm formation is a significant problem, accounting for over eighty percent of microbial infections in the body. Biofilm eradication is problematic due to increased resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobials as compared to planktonic cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) on biofilm-infected mesh. Prolene mesh was infected with bioluminescent Pseudomonas aeruginosa and treated with PEF using a concentric electrode system to derive, in a single experiment, the critical electric field strength needed to kill bacteria. The effect of the electric field strength and the number of pulses (with a fixed pulse length duration and frequency) on bacterial eradication was investigated. For all experiments, biofilm formation and disruption were confirmed with bioluminescent imaging and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Computation and statistical methods were used to analyze treatment efficiency and to compare it to existing theoretical models. In all experiments 1500 V are applied through a central electrode, with pulse duration of 50 μs, and pulse delivery frequency of 2 Hz. We found that the critical electric field strength (Ecr) needed to eradicate 100–80% of bacteria in the treated area was 121 ± 14 V/mm when 300 pulses were applied, and 235 ± 6.1 V/mm when 150 pulses were applied. The area at which 100–80% of bacteria were eradicated was 50.5 ± 9.9 mm2 for 300 pulses, and 13.4 ± 0.65 mm2 for 150 pulses. 80% threshold eradication was not achieved with 100 pulses. The results indicate that increased efficacy of treatment is due to increased number of pulses delivered. In addition, we that showed the bacterial death rate as a function of the electrical field follows the statistical Weibull model for 150 and 300 pulses. We hypothesize that in the clinical setting, combining systemic antibacterial therapy with PEF will yield a synergistic effect leading to improved eradication of mesh infections. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 643–650. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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An exceptional choice for both reading and listening pleasure is “We Are Electric: Inside the 200-Year Hunt for Our Body’s Bioelectric Code, and What the Future Holds.” This captivating book/audio book explores the intriguing realm of electricity in relation to our bodies, making it an excellent choice for both those with a general interest in the subject and experts in the field. It stands out as one of the finest audio books that delves into the fascinating intersection of electricity and the human body, offering valuable insights accessible to readers of all backgrounds.
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