Automated high throughput scalable green nanomanufacturing for naturally occurring nanoparticles using English ivy

The discovery of novel nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles and nanofibers, is crucial to the expansion of the nanotechnology field. Of even greater importance, is the identification of nanomaterials that exist in nature and have low environmental toxicity when compared to man-made nanomaterials. In 2008, our group first discovered that ivy secretes nanoparticles for surface affixing. It was further demonstrated that these nanoparticles could be used for biomedical applications. This paper proposes an automated framework for high throughput scalable green nanomanufacturing of these naturally occurring nanoparticles. Several parameters necessary to optimize the growth of the ivy, including temperature, humidity, and light level, were regulated using feedback controls. Since the contact of ivy rootlets with a substrate is necessary to initiate the secretion of ivy adhesive, an electromechanical system was designed to automatically stimulate the rootlets to start the nanoparticle secretion process. The contact of ivy rootlets with a surface was formulated as a linear viscoelastic model and a speed control law was proposed for the actuator of the automated system. The proposed framework was verified through prototype experiments, and demonstrated promise for high throughput production of ivy nanoparticles.