National Inventors Month: Shining a Spotlight on Purdue Innovation 

May 1, 2024

Purdue researchers persistently pursue innovations and breakthroughs that help move the world forward. Explore recent inventions brought into the world by Boilermakers and just what it takes to bring an idea from the lab bench to commercialization.

useful terms

Disclosure

Before you file for a patent, you need to share information about the invention.

Intellectual property (IP)

Creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.

Patent

An exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem.

OTC

The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) offers services that support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property.

HOW IDEAS GO FROM LAB TO LIFE

INNOVATE

A Purdue innovator comes up with a new technology that solves an unmet need and submits their invention disclosure to OTC.

Invent

OTC evaluates and protects the IP by filing a patent application or registering copyright.

Impact

OTC licenses the IP to a commercialization partner which takes a product to market.

Let us keep innovating across all units and keep excelling at scale – one brick at a time, toward boundless potential in the Boilermaker future.

President Mung Chiang

Purdue University

WHY WE HELP BOILERMAKERS DISCLOSE

Disclosure is critical. It allows academics to support themselves by earning revenue which allows them to devote more time to their critical research efforts.

But disclosing isn’t always a simple process, so OTC exists to make connections and bring research to users around the world. Experts connect with industry contacts interested in Purdue research so innovations can be brought to the market.

By disclosing and commercializing research, brilliant ideas become tangible products and real-world innovation.

WE WORK HARDER HERE.
WE LEAVE NOTHING UNTRIED,
NOTHING UNTESTED,
AND NOTHING UNDONE.

TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING

Purdue University innovations can be found in all 50 U.S. states and in nearly 100 countries around the world. Millions of people benefit from the cutting-edge research that takes place at Purdue – here are just a few examples of licensable ideas shaping our future.

Highways that charge EVs like a smartphone 

A Rail-Rung System for Installation of a 3-phase Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Transmitter in a Roadway  

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People: Steven D. Pekarek (project leader), Dionysios Aliprantis, Aaron D. Brovont, and Robert R. Swanson. 

This Purdue technology would enable highway pavement to provide power to EVs similarly to how newer smartphones use magnetic fields to wirelessly charge when placed on a pad.

Read more about the project

 
Enhanced Near-Infrared Perovskite Light Emitting Diodes 

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People: Letian Dou (project leader), Sung-Doo Baek, and Wenhao Shao. 

Applicable within the semiconductor industry, biomedical applications, night vision, or LIDAR, researchers at Purdue University have developed a near-infrared (NIR) perovskite light emitting diode (PeLED) with exceptional brightness and efficiency. 

 
Adjacent Electrode Configuration for Electrically Stabilized Flames 

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People: Dustin Cruise (project leader) and Galen B. King. 

Flames change shape by the millisecond, affecting its heat release and stability. Purdue researchers have created methods to dynamically manipulate a flame using electric fields and electrode configurations to control its heat release. 

Electric Field-Assisted Nanofiltration 

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People: Yangyuan Ji (project leader), Youn Jeong Choi, Yuhang Fang, Linda S. Lee, Junfeng Niu, Alliyan Tan Nou, Hoang Son Pham, and David Elan Martin Warsinger. 

PFAS, known as “forever chemicals”, poses a significant risk to the environment and human health even at low levels. Purdue University researchers have developed an electric field-assisted nanofiltration approach. Testing of the approach demonstrated the ability to remove and destroy 97% of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a common PFAS. 

 

Process Heat Co-production with Heat Pump Assisted Distillation 

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People: Rakesh Agrawal (project leader), Akash Sanjay Nogaja, and Mohit Tawarmalani. 

Adoption of heat pumps and heat recuperation is recognized as a pivotal technology for decarbonization but has drawbacks. Researchers at Purdue University have developed a heat pumped distillation system that enables the coproduction of steam to repurpose waste heat, increasing energy efficiency. 

 

High-Concentration Aluminum Alloys for Improved Ignition and Combustion 

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People: Steven F. Son (project leader) and Caleb Nathaniel Harper 

With applications in energetic materials like explosives and pyrotechnics, these aluminum alloys with improved ignition and combustion properties for energetic materials applications. 

Create a Novel mRNA-based HCV Vaccine 

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People: Richard J. Kuhn (project leader), Steven K. H. Foung, Zhen-yong Keck, and Devika Sirohi. 

HCV causes 1.5 million new infections each year globally and is the leading cause for liver transplantations in the U.S. e. Leveraging the power of mRNA vaccinology with engineered HCV antigens, Purdue University researchers have taken a critical step towards the development of an efficacious HCV vaccine. 

 

Real-Time, Data-Driven Analytics Solutions for Addressing Widespread Nursing Shortages 

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People: Pengyi Shi (project leader) and Jonathan Helm. 

Researchers at Purdue University and Indiana University have developed an analytics solutions system to address widespread nurse deployment and staffing issues. This solutions system helps large hospital networks tackle widespread nursing shortages by offering integrated, end-to-end solutions to streamline nurse deployment. 

 

Novel Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy for Cold Solid Tumors 

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People: Quihong He (project leader), Lindsay R. Brncick, Julia L. Flowers, and Boxi R. Gong. 

This strain developed by Purdue researchers helps oncologists and pharmaceutical companies effectively treat immunologically cold solid tumors by inducing host innate and adaptive immune responses to enhance cancer immunotherapy. 

Novel TAK1 Inhibitor for Multiple Myeloma 

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People: Herman O. Sintim (project leader) and Desmond Akwata 

Multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, is characterized by dysregulated and proliferative plasma cells, which facilitate bone destruction. Researchers at Purdue University have developed a novel transforming growth factor-beta activated kinase 1 (TAK1) inhibitor therapeutic for multiple myeloma.  

 

Nanopuff: A New Class RNA Therapeutic Carrier 

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People: Yoon Yeo (project leader) and Woojin Kim 

Researchers at Purdue University have developed an effective carrier system for RNA drugs which helps deliver RNA therapeutics to target cells via systemic administration to treat cancers, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders. 

Synthesis of Biolubricants 

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People: Junli Liu (project leader) and Nathan Scott Mosier 

Currently, almost all lubricants are produced from petroleum, which are not readily biodegradable and often have toxic additives included. Researchers have discovered a method to produce biodegradable lubricants from common agricultural byproducts. 

 

Highly Reflective and Durable Silicone Rubber Coating for Radiative Cooling Applications 

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People: Xiulin Ruan (project leader) and Abdulrahman Aljwirah. 

This silicone rubber coating for radiative cooling applications developed by Purdue University researchers differentiates itself from existing competition by utilizing highly reflective and non-UV absorbing material to cool, protect, and preserve structures from excessive heat. 

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