Fabrication of DNA microarrays on polydopamine-modified gold thin films for SPR imaging measurements.

Polydopamine (PDA) films were fabricated on thin film gold substrates in a single-step polymerization-deposition process from dopamine solutions and then employed in the construction of robust DNA microarrays for the ultrasensitive detection of biomolecules with nanoparticle-enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging. PDA multilayers with thicknesses varying from 1 to 5 nm were characterized with a combination of scanning angle SPR and AFM experiments, and 1.3 ± 0.2 nm PDA multilayers were chosen as an optimal thickness for the SPR imaging measurements. DNA microarrays were then fabricated by the reaction of amine-functionalized single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligonucleotides with PDA-modified gold thin film microarray elements, and were subsequently employed in SPR imaging measurements of DNA hybridization adsorption and protein-DNA binding. Concurrent control experiments with non-complementary ssDNA sequences demonstrated that the adhesive PDA multilayer was also able to provide good resistance to the nonspecific binding of biomolecules. Finally, a series of SPR imaging measurements of the hybridization adsorption of DNA-modified gold nanoparticles onto mixed sequence DNA microarrays were used to confirm that the use of PDA multilayer films is a simple, rapid, and versatile method for fabricating DNA microarrays for ultrasensitive nanoparticle-enhanced SPR imaging biosensing.

Entrapment of bed bugs by leaf trichomes inspires microfabrication of biomimetic surfaces.

Resurgence in bed bug infestations and widespread pesticide resistance have greatly renewed interest in the development of more sustainable, environmentally friendly methods to manage bed bugs. Historically, in Eastern Europe, bed bugs were entrapped by leaves from bean plants, which were then destroyed; this purely physical entrapment was related to microscopic hooked hairs (trichomes) on the leaf surfaces. Using scanning electron microscopy and videography, we documented the capture mechanism: the physical impaling of bed bug feet (tarsi) by these trichomes. This is distinct from a Velcro-like mechanism of non-piercing entanglement, which only momentarily holds the bug without sustained capture. Struggling, trapped bed bugs are impaled by trichomes on several legs and are unable to free themselves. Only specific, mechanically vulnerable locations on the bug tarsi are pierced by the trichomes, which are located at effective heights and orientations for bed bug entrapment despite a lack of any evolutionary association. Using bean leaves as templates, we microfabricated surfaces indistinguishable in geometry from the real leaves, including the trichomes, using polymers with material properties similar to plant cell walls. These synthetic surfaces snag the bed bugs temporarily but do not hinder their locomotion as effectively as real leaves.

Self-Assembly of Flux-Closure Polygons from Magnetite Nanocubes.

Well-defined nanoscale flux-closure polygons (nanogons) have been fabricated on hydrophilic surfaces from the face-to-face self-assembly of magnetite nanocubes. Uniform ferrimagnetic magnetite nanocubes (∼86 nm) were synthesized and characterized with a combination of electron microscopy, diffraction, and magnetization measurements. The nanocubes were subsequently cast onto hydrophilic substrates, wherein the cubes lined up face-to-face and formed a variety of polygons due to magnetostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The generated surfaces consist primarily of three- and four-sided nanogons; polygons ranging from two to six sides were also observed. Further examination of the nanogons showed that the constraints of the face-to-face assembly of nanocubes often led to bowed sides, strained cube geometries, and mismatches at the acute angle vertices. Additionally, extra nanocubes were often present at the vertices, suggesting the presence of external magnetostatic fields at the polygon corners. These nanogons are inimitable nanoscale magnetic structures with potential applications in the areas of magnetic memory storage and high-frequency magnetics.