Nanoneedles for biomaterial synthesis and materials characterization of live cells

Mehdi M. Yazdanapanah, Hosseini Mahdi, Santosh Pabba, Brigitte H. Fasciotto, Scott M. Berry, Vladimir V. Dobrokhotov, Abdelilah Safir, Robert S. Keynton, Robert W. Cohn

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

Very flexible and rugged Ag-Ga nanowires of constant diameter (50-500 nm diameter, 7-70 microns long) can be simply grown onto AFM tips at room temperature. These nanowires are electrically conductive and have stiffness that is well matched to visco-elastic properties determinations of complex fluids and biological materials. We envision using them to enable a combined intracellular electrochemical plus visco-elastic cell-to-electronics interface (1) both for real-time biological sensing of the cell and its microenvironment, and (2) as a complex cellbased sensor of human health, physiological stress, environmental threats, or food integrity. This report specifically presents progress towards such systems by demonstrating the abilities of the needles to (1) make precise AFM measurements of surface tension, contact angle, evaporation rate, and shear viscosity of polymeric liquids, (2) draw polymer nanofibers of controlled lengths and widths as a combined function of surface tension, viscosity and evaporation rate, (3) measure complex viscoelastic properties of cell membranes and organelles of blood and endothelial cells, (4) be captured and surrounded by single live endothelial cells within a few seconds, (5) polymerize and detect through force measurements the growth of long fibrin nanofibers polymerizing on the end of a 100 nm diameter needle.

Original languageEnglish
StatePublished - 2007
Event39th International SAMPE Technical Conference - From Art to Science: Advancing Materials and Process Engineering - Cincinnati, OH, United States
Duration: Oct 29 2007Nov 1 2007

Conference

Conference39th International SAMPE Technical Conference - From Art to Science: Advancing Materials and Process Engineering
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCincinnati, OH
Period10/29/0711/1/07

Keywords

  • Biomaterials
  • Nanomaterials
  • Polymers

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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