Lenses in laparoscopes, arthroscopes, and laryngoscopes fog during closed body surgery due to humidity from bodily fluids and differences between body and operating room temperatures.1,2 Surgeons must repeatedly remove, clean, and reinsert scopes that are obscured by fog. As a result, surgery duration, infection risks, and scarring from air exposure increase.3,4 Current methods to address fogging introduce other complications. Acidic alcohol-based coatings scar tissue and quickly evaporate, and heated lenses require reheating every 5 to 20 minutes.3,4 This paper presents a new super-hydrophilic, biocompatible, non-toxic, pH neutral (7.2-7.4), and long-lasting anti-fog coating called VitreOx™.5-7 VitreOx™ can be used wet or dry, without use of alcohol, heat, or fluid evacuation. When applied as a liquid, it easily espouses lenses’ surfaces and edges, and dries within seconds to form a permanently super-hydrophilic surface on silica and polymer surfaces. VitreOx™ avoids current shortfalls by eliminating frequent reapplications, avoiding reapplication for surgeries lasting up to 72 hours.VitreOx™'s anti-fog properties can be explained by nucleation and growth theory for thin films condensation: 1) 3-D droplets, resulting in fogging; 2) 2-D sheets resulting in a flat transparent film; or 3) mixed 3-D on 2-D, resulting in optical distortion. On hydrophobic surfaces (e.g. lenses), condensation occurs with fogging via spherical 3-D droplets, as in the Volmer-Weber model. 3-D droplets scatter light in all directions through refraction yielding opaque or translucent films (fog). VitreOx™ applied to hydrophobic lenses renders them super-hydrophilic. Similar to the 2-D Frank Van-der-Merwe Growth Mode, condensation with uniform wetting yields transparent 2-D films that do not distort optical images transmission.In vitro and in vivo studies of VitreOx™ were conducted to measure performance and duration of anti-fog effectiveness and bio-compatibility. In vitro tests spanned from 3 to 72 hours over a 3-year range. Side-by-side in vivo gastro-endoscopies were conducted on Yucatan™ swine for 90 minutes using 1) VitreOx™, 2) bare lens, and 3) Covidien Clearify™ surfactant with warmer. VitreOx™ coated lenses did not fog nor need reapplication for 90 minutes, while Covidien Clearify™ lasted 38 minutes without fogging, requiring retreatment. No adverse reaction was observed on swines exposed toVitreOx™, in surgery and 12 months thereafter.

Percolation of blood and of interstitial fluids into implantable continuous glucose sensors (CGS) for diabetics presently limits sensor lifetime between 3 and 7 days. Na+ mobile ions in body fluids damage Si-based CGS sensors electronics. The direct detection of Na percolation is investigated by Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) and Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) in previously used CGS. Based on these results, a new technology called HemaDropTM is then tested to prepare small volume (5-10 µL) of blood for IBA. A species’s detectability by IBA scales with the square of the ratio of element’s atomic number Z to that of the substrate. Because Na has a low atomic number (Z=11), Si signals from sensor substrates can prevent Na detection in Si by 2 mega electron volt (MeV) IBA.Using 4.7 MeV 23Na (α, α)23Na nuclear resonance (NR) can increase the 23Na scattering cross section and thus its detectability in Si. The NR energy, width, and resonance factor, is calibrated via two well-known alpha (α) particle signals with narrow energy spreads: a 5.486 ± 0.007 MeV 241Am α-source (ΔΕ = 0.12%) and the 3.038 ± 0.003 MeV 16O(α, α)16O NR (ΔΕ = 0.1%). Next, the NR cross section is calibrated via 100 nm NaF thin films on Si(100) by scanning the beam energy. The23Na (α, α) NR energy is found to be 4.696 ± 0.180 MeV, and the NR/RBS cross section 141 ± 7%. This is statistically significant but small compared to the 4.265 MeV 12C NR (1700%) and 3.038 MeV 16O NR (210%), and insufficient to detect small amounts of 23Na in Si. Next, a new method of sample preparation HemaDropTM, is tested for detection of elements in blood, such Fe, Ca, Na, Cl, S, K, C, N, and O, as an alternative to track fluid percolation and Na diffusion in damaged sensors. Detecting more abundant, heavier elements in blood and interstitial fluids can better track fluid percolation and Na+ ions in sensors. Both Na detection and accuracy of measured blood composition by IBA is greatly improved by using HemaDropTM sample preparation to create Homogeneous Thin Solid Films (HTSFs) of blood from 5-10 µL on most substrates. HTSF can be used in vacuo such as 10-8 –10-6 Torr).

Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analysis was employed to characterize hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) 32 60 19 C H O polymer film via areal density measurement on silicon-based substrates utilizing the differential PIXE concept, and compared with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) results. It is demonstrated in this paper that PIXE and RBS measurements both yield comparable results for areal densities ranging from 10 18 atom/cm 2 to several 10 19 atom/cm 2. A collection of techniques including PIXE, RBS, tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM), and contact angle analysis were used to compute surface free energy, analyze surface topography and roughness parameters, determine surface composition and areal density, and to predict the water affinity and condensation behaviors of silicates and other compounds used for high impact resistance vision ware coatings. The visor surface under study is slightly hydrophilic, with root mean square of surface roughness on the order of one nm, and surface wavelength between 200 nm and 300 nm. Water condensation can be controlled on such surfaces via polymers adsorption. HPMC polymer areal density measurement supports the analysis of the surface water affinity and topography and the subsequent control of condensation behavior. HPMC film between 10 18 atom/cm 2 and 10 19 atom/cm 2 was found to effectively alter the water condensation pattern and prevents fogging by forming a wetting layer during condensation.