SGER: Growing a Metallic Nanowire up to a Live Cell

定向电化学纳米线生长是一种新技术，它提供了一种从宏观电极到电极间区域中的目标位置生长结晶金属纳米线的方法。通过在单个活细胞上的一组目标部位生长多根电线，这种技术可能用于向细胞提供复杂的电刺激。然而，实现这种应用需要以下条件：必须有可能在良好的细胞培养基中诱导这种线生长过程，并且这种生长过程不损害细胞的活力是至关重要的。 这个项目的目标是开发一种方法，使金属纳米线生长成生物细胞，而不损失细胞活力。 这一目标将通过以下具体任务来实现：（1）设计一种既支持金线生长又含有细胞培养测试培养基中存在的全部溶质的培养基;以及（2）精制这种定制培养基，以使金线能够生长至活细胞。为了完成这些任务，该团队将采用以下方法：定向电化学纳米线生长;培养动脉平滑肌细胞;落射荧光，明场和透射电子显微镜;生化活力测定;和洁净室光刻。弗兰德斯集团定期致力于提高就读于俄克拉荷马州市俄克拉荷马州科学与数学学校的高中生的教育。弗兰德斯小组的研究生进行了一系列的实验室演示，如微米尺寸导线的定向组装。这些演示强调了物理学是一门依赖于观察的实验科学的概念。

Directed electrochemical nanowire growth is a new technique that provides a way to grow crystalline, metallic nanowires from macroscopic electrodes to targeted sites in the interelectrode region. By growing multiple wires up to a set of targeted sites on single live cells, this technique could potentially be used to deliver complex electrical stimuli to the cells. However, realizing this application requires the following: it must be possible to induce this wire-growth process in a good cell culturing medium, and it is essential that this growth-process does not compromise the viability of the cell. The objective of this project is to develop methodology for growing a metallic nanowire up to a biological cell without loss of cell viability. This objective will be accomplished via the following specific tasks: (1) Design a medium that both supports the growth of gold wires and contains the full complement of solutes present in cell culture tested-media; and (2) Refine this customized medium to enable gold wire growth up to a live cell. To accomplish these tasks, this team will employ the following methods: directed electrochemical nanowire growth; culturing of arterial smooth muscle cells; epi-fluorescence, bright-field, and transmission electron microscopies; biochemical viability assays; and cleanroom lithography. The Flanders Group regularly works to enhance the education of high school students who attend the Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City. Graduate students in the Flanders Group perform a series of lab demonstrations, such as the directed assembly of micron-sized wires. These demonstrations underscore the notion that physics is an experimental science that relies on observations.