Rapid and efficient cell purification remains challenging. The use of ferromagnetic Ni nanowires for cell purification is
considered superior over magnetic beads. In this study, we explored the opportunity to improve cell purification by using
antibody-functionalized Ni nanowires. Antibody (anti-CD31) against mouse endothelial cells (MS-1) was conjugated to
Ni nanowire surface by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and chemical covalent reaction. The antibody functionalized
nanowires were used to purify the MS-1 from a mixture of MS-1 and mouse fibroblast cells (3T3). The nanowire-bound
cells were magnetically separated to determine the separation yield of target cells. Furthermore, the proliferation of
nanowire-bound cells was studied by MTT cell proliferation assay. This work demonstrates that antibody-functionalized
Ni nanowires provide an effective mean to separate cells.
We have fabricated field-effect transistor (FET) structures using arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the
conducting channel by using chemical vapor deposition to achieve in-plane growth from nanometer-scale Ni
dot patterns on the Au/Cr metal electrode pairs as catalyst tips. Detailed studies of the transfer characteristics
of the CNT-FETs have been carried out as a function of the number of CNTs bridging the contact gap. Both,
ambipolar and unipolar FET behaviors have been observed at room temperature. Devices containing 12 (6)
CNTs bridging the gap display CNT-FET on/off ratios of 2 (4), respectively. Best results have been achieved
for devices containing 3 semiconducting CNTs displaying pronounced on/off ratios up to 370 at room
temperature. In addition, a correlation between source-drain current and optical illumination has been
observed, indicating a photoeffect of the CNT arrays. The measured photocurrent depends linearly on the
source-drain voltage indicating that the generated electron-hole pairs are effectively separated by the applied
bias, making such devices of interest for photovoltaic applications. The demonstrated access to individual
CNTs with pronounced semiconducting behavior opens the possibility to form more advanced nanoelectronic
structures such as CNT quantum dots with the ultimate goal to realize single electron memory elements
operating at room temperature.
Ferromagnetic nanowires poise an intriguing way of separating cells. The length of nanowires affects the cell separation
yield and cellular internationalization process of nanowires. While the application of nanowires brings new exciting
perspectives in biomedical engineering, the interaction between nanowires and cells needs to be further exploited. This
paper presents the study on the interactions of various Ni and Au nanowires with adherent and suspended cells, and the
effects of magnetic field on the cell adherent behavior in the presence of Ni nanowires.
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