IBM Researchers Demonstrate New Method for Rapid Molecule Sorting and Delivery
To demonstrate the positioning precision of IBM's new atomic force microscope (AFM) molecule sorting and delivery technique, the IBM researchers transferred 5-base-long DNA segments onto a chemically modified silicon surface to form the IBM corporate logo.
Image source: PhysOrg.com / IBM
Image source: PhysOrg.com / IBM
Via PhysOrg.com.
IBM researchers have demonstrated a new nanoscale method that both rapidly separates very small numbers of molecules and also delivers them precisely onto surfaces with unprecedented control. When fully developed, the new technique has the potential to improve such diverse applications as medical lab tests and future nanoelectronic circuit manufacturing.More here.
The method is based on the atomic force microscope (AFM), an instrument invented by an IBM Nobel Laureate 20 years ago that performs nanoscale operations using a tiny cantilever with a cone-shaped tip at its end. When an electrical field is applied to the tip, molecules will slide up or down its surface at characteristic speeds. By modifying the tip's surface and varying the strength and duration of the electric field, different molecular species can be separated from each other within a few milliseconds, more than 1,000 times faster than today's methods.
posted by Fergie @ 5/02/2006 12:42:00 PM
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