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A Transparent Nanowire‐Based Cell Impalement Device Suitable for Detailed Cell–Nanowire Interaction Studies
Author(s) -
Mumm Florian,
Beckwith Kai M.,
Bonde Sara,
Martinez Karen L.,
Sikorski Pawel
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201201314
Subject(s) - nanowire , materials science , nanotechnology , membrane , penetration (warfare) , chemistry , biochemistry , operations research , engineering
A method to fabricate inexpensive and transparent nanowire impalement devices is invented based on CuO nanowire arrays grown by thermal oxidation. By employing a novel process the nanowires are transferred to a transparent, cell‐compatible epoxy membrane. Cargo delivery and detailed cell‐nanowire interaction studies are performed, revealing that the cell plasma membrane tightly wraps the nanowires, while cell membrane penetration is not observed. The presented device offers an efficient investigation platform for further optimization, leading towards a simple and versatile impalement delivery system.