APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Nanosurgery of proteins and organelles in cells
- Force spectroscopy
- Nanopatterning
- Nanoparticle toxicant removal
ADVANTAGES:
- Easily integrated with transmission and scanning electron microscopes
- Better image resolution at nanometer scale than optical systems
- Superior to cantilever-based techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy
ABSTRACT:
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have discovered an innovative technique for manipulating the movement of nanoparticles using an electron beam that can, with nanometer precision, control a particle’s or group of particles’ spatial and temporal position, while continuously imaging the process.
The technique uses an environmental cell with two liquid reservoirs for liquid sample loading and a silicon nitride window for examining the sample under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The nanoparticles in the window respond to changes in the electron beam flux, moving towards the location of higher electron density, and can be controlled with nanometer accuracy. As beam size is reduced, the nanoparticles cluster and can then be directed to the liquid surface, which makes it possible to use the technique to clean a surface of toxic nanoparticles.
Precisely manipulating the movement of nanoparticles has direct application to nanotechnology industries interested in building useful materials architectures or fabricating functional devices using nanoparticles as building blocks. Optical tweezers are limited for such applications due their complex set up. The electron beam approach is easily integrated with conventional electron microscopy techniques, without requiring the complex setup of optical systems. It is also superior to cantilever-based manipulation techniques, such as Atomic Force Microsocopy (AFM), because it requires no mechanical contact with a molecule of interest, can produce high resolution imaging of the specimen during the process, and can dynamically modify beam properties without the need for mechanical adjustments.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Bench scale prototype.
STATUS: Patent pending. Available for licensing or collaborative research.
SEE THESE OTHER BERKELEY LAB TECHNOLOGIES IN THIS FIELD:
Electrochemical Environmental Cell with Vertical, Aligned Electrodes for TEM, IB-3330
Ultra-bright Pulsed Electron Beam with Low Longitudinal Emittance, IB-2168
REFERENCE NUMBER: IB-3123
