Vakarelski Ivan U, Brown Scott C, Higashitani Ko, Moudgil Brij M
Department of Materials Science & Engineering and Particle Engineering Research Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-6135, USA.
Langmuir. 2007 Oct 23;23(22):10893-6. doi: 10.1021/la701878n. Epub 2007 Sep 26.
We have fabricated robust nanosurgical needles suitable for single cell operations by modifying multiwalled carbon nanotube (MCNT)-terminated atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips. Extra-long MCNT AFM tips were prepared and fortified with molecular layers of carbon to overcome mechanical instabilities and then coated with an outer shell of gold to promote chemical versatility. The terminal diameters of the final fabricated tips were approximately 30-40 nm, and the MCNT probes were several micrometers in length. We illustrate the capability of these modified MCNT tips to carry nanoparticulate payloads and to penetrate the plasma membrane of living pleural mesothelial cells at the smallest indentation depths (100-200 nm) and lowest penetration forces (100-200 pN) currently reported for these procedures.
我们通过修饰多壁碳纳米管（MCNT）末端的原子力显微镜（AFM）针尖，制造出了适用于单细胞操作的坚固纳米手术针。制备了超长的MCNT AFM针尖，并用碳分子层进行强化以克服机械不稳定性，然后涂覆一层金外壳以提升化学多功能性。最终制造的针尖末端直径约为30 - 40纳米，MCNT探针长度为几微米。我们展示了这些修饰后的MCNT针尖在携带纳米颗粒负载以及在目前这些操作所报道的最小压痕深度（100 - 200纳米）和最低穿透力（100 - 200皮牛）下穿透活的胸膜间皮细胞质膜的能力。
