5 granted US patents. 44 industry citations. Active through 2041. Validated with diagnostic companies since 2014.
Passive capillary force self-propels fluid through microchannels — eliminating the primary cost driver in cartridge-based systems.
Flow can be started, stopped, and directed using only the surface coating — no mechanical components required.
Multiple independent flow rates on a single device layer with no external hardware, power, or electronic control.
Patents Citing This Work
Cited by subsequent industry patents
Granted US Patents
Active US patent portfolio
Portfolio Active Through
Long runway for licensing partners
Validated With Industry Since
Tested with diagnostic companies
Platform Technology
Surface Energy Gradient Coating technology addresses a fundamental engineering challenge — fluid management without mechanical complexity — across a broad range of high-value markets.
Eliminate pumps from cartridge-reader systems. Passive flow reduces hardware cost by 80%+ and enables truly portable field diagnostics.
Pump-free liquid cooling for AI chips, high-density semiconductors, and data center modules — passive, reliable, no moving parts.
Biocompatible passive coatings enable fluid control inside implants without pumps — smaller form factor, longer device life.
Metered passive flow enables controlled drug release without pumps or actuators — transdermal, implantable, and oral applications.
Directional passive fluid management in fuel cells, batteries, and solar panels — no parasitic power draw.
No moving parts. No power requirements. Inherently reliable in high-vibration, vacuum, and zero-gravity environments.
The Technology
A precise gradient in surface energy along microfluidic channel walls generates a net capillary force that self-propels liquid through passages — with no external input of any kind. Multiple flow rates, multiple channels, single device layer.
14+
Compatible Materials
100%
Flow Rate Control
80%+
Hardware Reduction
Zero
Moving Parts
Strategic Fit
This portfolio is directly relevant to any company developing cartridge-based diagnostics, point-of-care devices, or microfluidic sample-handling systems. The companies below represent the primary commercial universe for this technology.
The microfluidics diagnostics market reached $12B+ in 2023 and is growing at nearly 20% annually — with US lab-on-a-chip patents among the most actively licensed IP in life sciences.
Inquire About AcquisitionPrimary Acquisition Targets
Abbott Laboratories
IVD & POC Diagnostics
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Molecular Diagnostics
Becton Dickinson
Diagnostics Systems
Danaher / Cepheid
Rapid Molecular Testing
Bio-Rad Laboratories
Life Science & Clinical
Hologic
Women’s Health Diagnostics
Qiagen
Sample Prep & Assays
Illumina
Genomics & Sequencing
The Team Behind the Technology
Brian Babcock
Inventor & President
Microfluidics and Coatings Expert — Registered US Patent Agent · Vanderbilt B.S./M.S. ChemE
Paul Denman
Co-Founder & Business Dev
20+ yrs life sciences, medical device, semiconductor, defense