Platform for Controlled Supramolecular Nanoassembly

Abstract

We here present a two-dimensional (2D) micro/nano-fluidic technique where reactant-doped liquid-crystal films spread and mix on micro- and nanopatterned substrates. Surface-supported phospholipid monolayers are individually doped with complementary DNA molecules which hybridize when these lipid films mix. Using lipid films to convey reactants reduces the dimensionality of traditional 3D chemistry to 2D, and possibly to 1D by confining the lipid film to nanometer-sized lanes. The hybridization event was observed by FRET using single-molecule-sensitive confocal fluorescence detection. We could successfully detect hybridization in lipid streams on 250 nm wide lanes. Our results show that the number and density of reactants as well as sequence of reactant addition can be controlled within confined liquid crystal films, providing a platform for nanochemistry with potential for kinetic control.

Hybrid Semiconducting Materials: New Perspectives for Molecular‐Scale Information Processing

“…Immobilization of molecular species onto semiconducting surfaces first of all increases the stability of the systems and provides the tool to increase spatial complexity of molecular-scale logic devices. Combination with various chemical processes controlled by diffusion and kinetics may lead to future generation of information-processing devices [25][26][27]. Increased geometrical complexity combined with chemical simplicity can in principle result in neuromorphic systems -large arrays of simple nodes with hierarchical structures [28,29].…”

“…27 The mechanism of photocurrent generation at electrodes made of TiO 2 modified with iron cyanide complexes on UV (a,c) and visible (b) light generation. High electrode potentials (a) ensure presence of Fe III surface species, while Fe II prevails at low potentials (b,c).…”

Supramolecular Langmuir monolayers and multilayered vesicles of self-assembling DNA–lipid surface structures and their further implications in polyelectrolyte-based cell transfections

“…Second, in order to increase the level of the recognition events from this first (1D or 2D) to a higher third dimension (3D), a multilayered vesicle systems were applied. The aim is to characterize such DNA-lipid recognitions by performing experiments on a shorter length scales, as suggested also by Czolkos et al (2009).…”

Measurement of a Structured Backflow in an Open Small Channel Induced by Surface-Tension Gradients

“…Typical experimental arrangements involve narrow pipes carrying fluids into a mixing region where the relevant physicochemical processes take place. Recently, the prospect of designing open-channel alternatives has been explored [6][7][8][9] in order to address some of the drawbacks of the standard methods, such as increasing flow resistance and clogging of narrow pipes. Under the confined, low dimensionality conditions of open channel microfluidics, flow control might be exerted through interfacial processes arising at the open interface.…”