NER: Microarray Devices of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for Biological/Biomedical Research

该提案是根据NSE， NSF-0019收到的。该研究的目的是探索碳纳米管在生物/生物医学研究中的潜在应用，以大大提高现有微阵列设备的效率。这项工作将合成排列整齐的碳纳米管阵列，这些碳纳米管可以用来从纳米管的尖端转移生物分子，从而在当前技术无法实现的堆积密度水平上创建微阵列。碳纳米管由于其极高的弹性模量和强度以及维持大的非线性弹性变形的特殊能力而特别适合于这种应用。这是一项纳米科学与工程新思路的初步可行性研究，重点是纳米器件和系统架构，以及纳米尺度的建模和仿真。这一努力很可能促进生物/生物医学研究的快速发展。本探索性研究的目标是：(a)更好地理解排列碳纳米管的生长，以实现对其长度、直径和微阵列中堆积密度的最佳控制；(b)通过微观和力学表征更好地理解单个纳米管以及微阵列的结构和性能；(c)在连续体和原子水平上启动计算力学工作，以模拟纳米结构、手性、以及纳米管的机械行为，(d)开发用于评估这种新型微阵列设备用于生物/生物医学研究的性能的工具和标准，以及(e)评估基于纳米管的微阵列设备的可行性。预计该项目将推动微阵列技术的发展，使生物和生物医学研究人员能够在遗传研究领域进行更快速的研究。最终，这项技术可能会导致人类疾病研究和治疗的进步。对碳纳米管的合成、表征和性能建模等方面的基础性研究将对碳纳米管的合成和工程技术产生积极的推动作用。更好地了解纳米管的生长机制将有助于改进纳米管的合成和结构控制。碳纳米管力学行为的结构/性能模型的发展，以及合成/结构关系，最终将为其机械性能的工程设计提供工具。

This proposal was received in response to NSE, NSF-0019. The goal of the research is to explore the potential application of carbon nanotubes for greatly enhancing the efficiency of existing microarray devices in biological/biomedical research. The proposed work will synthesize arrays of well-aligned carbon nanotubes that can be used to transfer biomolecules from the tips of the nanotubes for creating microarrays at a level of packing density not achievable by current techniques. Carbon nanotubes are uniquely suited for this application owing to their extremely high elastic modulus and strength as well as exceptional capability in sustaining large nonlinear elastic deformation.This is a preliminary feasibility study of a novel idea in nanoscience and engineering with focuses on nanoscale devices and systems architecture, and modeling and simulation at the nanoscale. The effort is likely to catalyze rapid advances in biological/biomedical research.The objectives of this exploratory research are to (a) better understand the growth of aligned carbon nanotubes for achieving optimal control of their length, diameter, and packing density in microarrays, (b) better understand the structures and performance of individual nanotubes as well as microarrays through microscopic and mechanical characterizations, (c) initiate computational mechanics effort at both the continuum and atomistic levels for modeling the nano-structure, chirality, and mechanical behavior of nanotubes, (d) develop the tools and criteria for assessing the performance of this novel microarray device for biological/biomedical research, and (e) evaluate the feasibility of the nanotube-based microarray devices.It is expected that this project will advance microarray technology to enable more rapid study by biological and biomedical investigators in areas of genetic research. Ultimately,this technology may result in advancements in the study and treatment of human disease. Fundamentalinvestigations on synthesis, characterization, and property modeling of carbon nanotubes will benefit the technology of nanotube synthesis and engineering. Better understanding of nanotube growth mechanisms will enable improved synthesis and control of the nanotube structure. Development of structure/property models for mechanical behavior of carbon nanotubes, along with synthesis/structure relationships, will ultimately provide a tool for engineering their mechanical properties.