Design and Development of Nanoscale Biomotor Power Units

摘要

This document is in nine parts: (1) We have continued to refine our theoretical model for the design of a bacterial cell powered motor; (2) We have determined what types of surfaces bind motile bacterial cells; (3) We have monitored surface adhered bacterial cell motility using fluorescent dyes and found that cells remain alive and motile for more than 4 hours; (4) We have discovered that E. coli bacterial cells will not bind to surface dot features with a diameter of 1.2 micrometers or smaller; (5) We have designed and fabricated 'holed' surfaces that bind motile bacterial cells in a 'nose-on' fashion; (6) We have used DPN to attach bacterial cells to surfaces; (7) We have obtained and attached CheY deficient (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) 'smooth swimming' bacterial cells to prefabricated micro-array surfaces; (8) We have generated an initial design and fabricated a prototype micro-scale biomotor; (9) We have 'proof-of-concept' that motile bacterial cells can spin a device. Progress in the last four years has been excellent, and included the publication of three manuscripts (Small, Talanta and, Langmuir). We currently have at least two additional manuscripts in preparation.