Nanoscale Particle Control by Rigid Biomineralised Surfaces

这项拟议中的研究将增加对硅藻用于分选颗粒的策略的理解。我们的假设是，在了解这些硅藻表面如何控制颗粒的过程中，将确定微流体设备的蓝图。硅藻的吸引力不仅仅是考虑其表面的几何图案，因为它们的硅藻壳（双原子壳）主要由二氧化硅制成，二氧化硅也是一种用于纳米纤维的材料。我们预计，细胞使用的一些策略和模式将能够直接转移到微流体中，并绕过纳米纤维和芯片实验室设备多年的经验发展。

The proposed research will increase understanding of the strategies diatoms use to sort particles. Our hypothesis is that in the process of understanding how these diatom surfaces control particles, blueprints for microfluidic devices will be identified. The appeal of diatoms goes beyond consideration of the geometrical patterning on their surfaces, because their frustules (the diatomic shells) are made primarily out of silica, a material also used in nanofabrication. We expect that some of the strategies and patterns used by cells will be able to be directly transferred to microfluidics, and bypass years of empirical development in nanofabrication and lab-on-a-chip devices.