Reversible mechanochemical engines comprised of bioelastomers capable of modulable inverse temperature transitions for the interconversion of chemical and mechanical work

Claim 2

A mechanochemical device for desalinating sea water of brackish water by the conversion of mechanical work to chemical work, which comprises: a) a housing containing an elastomeric material capable of being stretched to thereby allow salt-diminished water to move into the elastomeric material while substantially repelling solvated salt ions from entry thereto, b) means for stretching and relaxing said elastomeric material in said housing, in connection with said elastomeric material; and c) means for uptake of said sea water or brackish water into said housing, means for draining concentrated saltwater from said housing, and means for draining desalinated water from said housing; wherein said elastomeric material is capable of reversibly contracting and relaxing by means of an inverse temperature transition wherein a change in chemical potential of a molecular species in solution will effect a change in said inverse temperature transition.

Claim 3

The mechanochemical device of claim 1, wherein said elastomeric matrix is cross-linked.

Claim 4

The mechanochemical device of claim 1, wherein said elastomeric material is in the form of a plurality of longitudinally-oriented elastomeric strips.

Claim 5

The mechanochemical device of claim 1, wherein said elastomeric material is in the form of a single elastomeric matrix in said housing.

Claim 6

The mechanochemical device of claim 1, wherein said housing is made of metal, glass, wood, rubber or plastic.

Claim 7

The mechanochemical device of claim 1, wherein said means for stretching and relaxing said elastomeric material in said housing is a manual plunger in connection with said elastomeric material.

Claim 8

The mechanochemical device of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric material comprises a sequential polypeptide having elastomeric repeating units comprising tetrapeptide or pentapeptide repeating units optionally modified by hexameric repeating units, and mixtures thereof, wherein said elastomeric repeating units comprise amino carboxylic acid residues selected from the group consisting of hydrophobic amino carboxylic acid and glycine residues and wherein said repeating units exist in a conformation having a β-turn.

Claim 9

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said repeating units comprises the formula -X 1 -(IPGVG) n -Y 1 - and wherein I is a peptide-forming residue of L-isoleucine; P is a peptide-forming residue of L-proline; G is a peptide-forming residue of glycine; V is a peptide-forming residue of L-valine; and wherein X 1 is PGVG, GVG, VG, G or a covalent bond; Y 1 is IPGV, IPG, IP, or I or a covalent bond; and n is an integer from 1 to 200; or n is 0, with the proviso that X 1 and Y 1 together constitute a repeating pentapeptide unit.

Claim 10

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said repeating units comprises the formula -X 2 -(VPGVG) n -Y 2 - and wherein P is a peptide-forming residue of L-proline; G is a peptide-forming residue of glycine; V is a peptide-forming residue of L-valine; and wherein X 2 is PGVG, GVG, VG, G or a covalent bond; Y 2 is IPGV, IPG, IP, or I or a covalent bond; and n in both formulas is an integer from 1 to 200; or n is 0, with the proviso that X 2 and Y 2 together constitute a repeating pentapeptide unit.

Claim 11

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said repeating unit comprises the formula -X 3 -(VPGG) n -Y 3 - and wherein P is a peptide-forming residue of L-proline; G is a peptide-forming residue of glycine; V is a peptide-forming residue of L-valine; and wherein X 3 is PGG, GG, G or a covalent bond; Y 3 is VPG, VP, V or a covalent bond; and n is an integer from 1 to 200; or n is 0, with the proviso that X 3 and Y 3 together constitute a repeating tetrapeptide unit.

Claim 12

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said repeating unit comprises the formula -X 4 -(IPGG) n -Y 4 - and wherein P is a peptide-forming residue of L-proline; G is a peptide-forming residue of glycine; I is a peptide-forming residue of L-isoleucine; and wherein X 4 is PGG, GG, G or a covalent bond; Y 4 is IPG, IP, I or a covalent bond; and n is an integer from 1 to 200; or n is 0, with the proviso that X 4 and Y 4 together constitute a repeating tetrapeptide unit.

Claim 13

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said polypeptide comprises a mixture of repeating units.

Claim 14

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said repeating units comprise the formula (R 1 PR 2 R 3 G) n - or -(R 1 PR 2 R 3 )n- or -(R 1 PGG) n - and wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of Phe, Leu, Ile, and Val; R 2 is selected from the group consisting of Ala and Gly; R 3 is selected from the group consisting of Phe, Leu, Ile, and Val; n is an integer from 1 to 200; and P is L-proline and G is glycine.

Claim 15

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said hydrophobic amino carboxylic acid residues are selected from the group consisting of residues of hydrophobic α-amino carboxylic acids.

Claim 16

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said hydrophobic amino carboxylic acid residues are selected from the group consisting of alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, and proline.

Claim 17

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said polypeptide comprises a combination of the repeating units -αPσΩG- or (VPφδ) n - wherein V is a peptide-forming residue of L-valine; P is a peptide-forming residue of L-proline; G is a peptide-forming residue of glycine; α is a peptide-forming residue of L-valine or a peptide-forming residue of L-Glu, L-Asp, L-His, L-Lys, L-Tyr, or another ionizable peptide-forming L-amino acid residue; σ is a peptide-forming residue of glycine or a peptide-forming residue of D-Glu, D-Asp, D-His, D-Lys, D-Tyr, or another ionizable peptide-forming D-amino acid residue; and Ω is a peptide-forming residue of L-valine or a peptide-forming residue of L-Glu, L-Asp, L-His, L-Lys, L-Tyr, or another ionizable peptide-forming L-amino acid residue; and φ is a peptide-forming residue of D-Glu, D-Asp, D-His, D-Lys, D-Tyr, or another ionizable peptide-forming D-amino acid residue; and δ is a peptide-forming residue of L-Glu, L-Asp, L-His, L-Lys, L-Tyr or another ionizable peptide-forming L-amino acid residue; and n is an integer of from 1 to 5,000.

Claim 18

The mechanochemical device of claim 7, wherein said repeating units are of the general formula -(S a -T b )-n wherein either S or T comprise a functional repeating unit designed to modify or shift the temperature of elastomeric force development of the elastomeric material, while either S or T, whichever is remaining, comprises another repeating unit of the elastomeric material, and a, b, and n are integers.

Claim 19

The mechanochemical device capable of utilizing mechanical work to produce chemical gradients, which comprises: a) a housing containing an elastomeric material capable of reversibly contracting and relaxing by chemical modulation of an inverse temperature transition, and containing a chemical functionality capable of existing in either of two states, wherein said state determines the temperature of the inverse temperature transition; b) means for stretching and relaxing said elastomeric material in said housing, in connection with said elastomeric material; and c) means for uptake of a solution into said housing, means for draining concentrated solution or chemical species contained in said feed solution from said housing, and means for draining solution from said housing which is less concentrated with respect to the chemical species than that contained in said feed solution.

Claim 20

The mechanochemical device capable of utilizing mechanical work to produce chemical gradients, which comprises: a) a housing containing an elastomeric material capable of reversibly contracting and relaxing by chemical modulation of an inverse temperature transition, and containing a chemical functionality capable of existing in either of two states, wherein said state determines the temperature of the inverse temperature transition; b) means for stretching and relaxing said elastomeric material in said housing, in connection with said elastomeric material; and c) means for uptake of a solution into said housing, means for draining concentrated solution or chemical species contained in said feed solution from said housing, and means for draining solution from said housing which is less concentrated with respect to the chemical species than that contained in said feed solution.