4978results about "Nanosensors" patented technology

A bulk-doped semiconductor that is at least one of the following: a single crystal, an elongated and bulk-doped semiconductor that, at any point along its longitudinal axis, has a largest cross-sectional dimension less than 500 nanometers, and a free-standing and bulk-doped semiconductor with at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 500 nanometers. Such a semiconductor may comprise an interior core comprising a first semiconductor; and an exterior shell comprising a different material than the first semiconductor. Such a semiconductor may be elongated and my have, at any point along a longitudinal section of such a semiconductor, a ratio of the length of the section to a longest width is greater than 4:1, or greater than 10:1, or greater than 100:1, or even greater than 1000:1. At least one portion of such a semiconductor may a smallest width of less than 200 nanometers, or less than 150 nanometers, or less than 100 nanometers, or less than 80 nanometers, or less than 70 nanometers, or less than 60 nanometers, or less than 40 nanometers, or less than 20 nanometers, or less than 10 nanometers, or even less than 5 nanometers. Such a semiconductor may be a single crystal and may be free-standing. Such a semiconductor may be either lightly n-doped, heavily n-doped, lightly p-doped or heavily p-doped. Such a semiconductor may be doped during growth. Such a semiconductor may be part of a device, which may include any of a variety of devices and combinations thereof, and, and a variety of assembling techniques may be used to fabricate devices from such a semiconductor. Two or more of such a semiconductors, including an array of such semiconductors, may be combined to form devices, for example, to form a crossed p-n junction of a device. Such devices at certain sizes may exhibit quantum confinement and other quantum phenomena, and the wavelength of light emitted from one or more of such semiconductors may be controlled by selecting a width of such semiconductors. Such semiconductors and device made therefrom may be used for a variety of applications.

A semiconductor nanocrystal compound is described capable of linking to an affinity molecule. The compound comprises (1) a semiconductor nanocrystal capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation and / or absorbing energy, and / or scattering or diffracting electromagnetic radiation-when excited by an electromagnetic radiation source or a particle beam; and (2) at least one linking agent, having a first portion linked to the semiconductor nanocrystal and a second portion capable of linking to an affity molecule. The compound is linked to an affinity molecule to form a semiconductor nanocrystal probe capable of bonding with a detectable substance. Subsequent exposure to excitation energy will excite the semiconductor nanocrystal in he probe, causing the emission of electromagnetic radiation. Further described are processes for respectively: making the semiconductor nanocrystal compound; making the semiconductor nanocrystal probe; and using the probe to determine the presence of a detectable substance in a material.

Matrices for manipulation of biopolymers, including the separation, purification, bilization and archival storage of biopolymers is disclosed.

A water soluble semiconductor nanocrystal capable of light emission is provided, including a quantum dot having a selected band gap energy, a layer overcoating the quantum dot, the overcoating layer comprised of a material having a band gap energy greater than that of the quantum dot, and an organic outer layer, the organic layer comprising a compound having a least one linking group for attachment of the compound to the overcoating layer and at least one hydrophilic group space apart from the linking group by a hydrophobic region sufficient to prevent electron charge transfer across the hydrophobic region. The particle size of the nanocrystal core is in the range of about 12.ANG. to about 150.ANG., with a deviation of less than 10% in the core. The coated nanocrystal exhibits photoluminescende having quantum yield of greater than 10% in water.

The invention includes various prototypical amperometric biosensors for the quantification of biological substrates such as fructose, creatinine, creatine, and sarcosine, and the methods for producing these biosensors. Also included in the invention is a minaturized version of the biosensing devices. The components of these prototypical biosensors are immobilized on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) comprising chemisorbed alkanethiols. The deposition of an amphiphilic lipid layer to these systems increases the stability and activity of the resultant biosensor and enhances the rejection of many interferents. An additional feature of the invention is the co-deposition of the components of the sensor via a novel detergent dialysis protocol. The invention features two particular biosensor systems. One embodiment involves fructose dehydrogenase as the redox / sensor enzyme and fructose as the substrate / analyte. Another embodiment involves the measurement of the substrates / analytes, creatinine, creatine and sarcosine, using sacrosine dehydrogenase as the redox / sensor enzyme, with the involvement of creatinine amidohydrolase and / or creatine amidinohydrolase in the reaction pathway.

Carbon nanotube structures are provided, in which the networks with a desired area and volume, where the carbon nanotubes are electrically or magnetically connected, are formed and the method for easily manufacturing the carbon nanotube structures with less carbon nanotube structures. Carbon nanotube devices are also provided, to which the useful carbon nanotube structures mentioned above are applied. A method for manufacturing carbon nanotube structures includes the steps of applying carbon nanotubes to a low-viscosity dispersion medium to obtain a high-viscosity dispersing liquid which includes carbon nanotubes, and forming a network of the carbon nanotubes having electrical and / or magnetic connections therebetween by removing the low-viscosity dispersion medium from the high-viscosity dispersed liquid.

The invention relates to devices and methods for nanopore sequencing. The invention includes arrays of nanopores having incorporated electronic circuits, for example, in CMOS. In some cases, the arrays of nanopores comprise resistive openings for isolating the electronic signals for improved sequencing. Methods for controlling translocation of through the nanopore are disclosed.

The present invention provides compositions (small molecules, oligomers and polymers) that can be used to modify charge transport across a nanocrystal surface or within a nanocrystal-containing matrix, as well as methods for making and using the novel compositions.

Electrical devices comprised of nanoscopic wires are described, along with methods of their manufacture and use. The nanoscopic wires can be nanotubes, preferably single-walled carbon nanotubes. They can be arranged in crossbar arrays using chemically patterned surfaces for direction, via chemical vapor deposition. Chemical vapor deposition also can be used to form nanotubes in arrays in the presence of directing electric fields, optionally in combination with self-assembled monolayer patterns. Bistable devices are described.

The invention relates to a method for detecting a double-stranded region in a nucleic acid by (1) providing two separate, adjacent pools of a medium and a interface between the two pools, the interface having a channel so dimensioned as to allow sequential monomer-by-monomer passage of a single-stranded nucleic acid, but not of a double-stranded nucleic acid, from one pool to the other pool; (2) placing a nucleic acid polymer in one of the two pools; and (3) taking measurements as each of the nucleotide monomers of the single-stranded nucleic acid polymer passes through the channel so as to differentiate between nucleotide monomers that are hybridized to another nucleotide monomer before entering the channel and nucleotide monomers that are not hybridized to another nucleotide monomer before entering the channel.

Embodiments of nanoelectronic sensors are described, including sensors for detecting analytes inorganic gases, organic vapors, biomolecules, viruses and the like. A number of embodiments of capacitive sensors having alternative architectures are described. Particular examples include integrated cell membranes and membrane-like structures in nanoelectronic sensors.

An assembly with a substrate, nanomagnetic material and magetoresistive material. The nanomagnetic material has a saturation magentization of from about 2 to about 3000 electromagnetic units per cubic centimeter; and it contains nanomagnetic particles with an average particle size of less than about 100 nanometers. The average coherence length between adjacent nanomagnetic particles is less than 100 nanometers.

Materials and methods are provided for producing patterned multi-array, multi-specific surfaces for use in diagnostics. The invention provides for electrochemiluminescence methods for detecting or measuring an analyte of interest. It also provides for novel electrodes for ECL assays. Materials and methods are provided for the chemical and / or physical control of conducting domains and reagent deposition for use multiply specific testing procedures.

A catheter has a stylet formed of a shape-retentive and resilient material having a preformed curved shape at its distal end resulting in the catheter sheath having the preformed curved shape. The catheter sheath has a plurality of electrodes at its distal end for contacting selected biological tissue for imparting ablation energy thereto. The catheter sheath also has an axially mounted tendon for causing deflection of the distal end. The stylet material permits straightening the catheter sheath during insertion into the patient and advancing the electrodes to the target tissue. Upon removal of the straightening forces, such as by entry into a chamber of the heart, the stylet material resumes its preformed curved distal shape thereby forcing the catheter distal end with the electrodes into the same preformed curved shape. The operator may place the curved distal end into contact with the target tissue and axially move the tendon as desired to gain greater control over the bend in the distal end of the catheter sheath to adjust the radius of curvature of the distal end to obtain greater contact of the electrodes with the heart tissue. Preferably, the stylet is formed of nitinol.

Conjugate compositions are disclosed that include a specific-binding moiety covalently coupled to a nanoparticle through a heterobifunctional polyalkyleneglycol linker. In one embodiment, a conjugates is provided that includes a specific-binding moiety and a fluorescent nanoparticle coupled by a heterobifunctional PEG linker. Fluorescent conjugates according to the disclosure can provide exceptionally intense and stable signals for immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization assays on tissue sections and cytology samples, and enable multiplexing of such assays.

Sensor platforms and methods of making them are described, and include platforms having horizontally oriented sensor elements comprising nanotubes or other nanostructures, such as nanowires. Under certain embodiments, a sensor element has an affinity for an analyte. Under certain embodiments, such a sensor element comprises one or more pristine nanotubes, and, under certain embodiments, it comprises derivatized or functionalized nanotubes. Under certain embodiments, a sensor is made by providing a support structure; providing a collection of nanotubes on the structure; defining a pattern within the nanotube collection; removing part of the collection so that a patterned collection remains to form a sensor element; and providing circuitry to electrically sense the sensor's electrical characterization. Under certain embodiments, the sensor element comprises pre-derivatized or pre-functionalized nanotubes. Under certain embodiments, sensor material is derivatized or functionalized after provision on the structure or after patterning. Under certain embodiments, a large-scale array includes multiple sensors.

A solid state molecular sensor having an aperture extending through a thickness of a sensing region is configured with a sensing region thickness that corresponds to the characteristic extent of at least a component of a molecular species to be translocated through the aperture. A change in an electrical characteristic of the sensing region is measured during the molecular species translocation. The sensor can be configured as a field effect transistor molecular sensor. The sensing region can be a region of graphene including an aperture extending through a thickness of the graphene.

The present invention concerns methods and compositions for making and using bioactive assemblies of defined compositions, which may have multiple functionalities and / or binding specificities. In particular embodiments, the bioactive assembly is formed using dock-and-lock (DNL) methodology, which takes advantage of the specific binding interaction between dimerization and docking domains (DDD) and anchoring domains (AD) to form the assembly. In various embodiments, one or more effectors may be attached to a DDD or AD sequence. Complementary AD or DDD sequences may be attached to an adaptor module that forms the core of the bioactive assembly, allowing formation of the assembly through the specific DDD / AD binding interactions. Such assemblies may be attached to a wide variety of effector moieties for treatment, detection and / or diagnosis of a disease, pathogen infection or other medical or veterinary condition.

Techniques for controlling the position of a charged polymer inside a nanopore are provided. For example, one technique includes using electrostatic control to position a linear charged polymer inside a nanopore, and creating an electrostatic potential well inside the nanopore, wherein the electrostatic potential well controls a position of the linear charged polymer inside the nanopore.

The present invention generally relates to nanoantenna arrays and methods of their fabrication. In particular, one aspect relates to nanoantenna arrays comprising nanostructures of predefined shapes in predefined patterns, which results in collective excitement of surface plasmons. In some embodiments the nanoantenna arrays can be used for spectroscopy and nanospectroscopy. Another aspects of the present invention relate to a method of high-throughput fabrication of nanoantenna arrays includes fabricating a reusable nanostencil for nanostensil lithography (NSL) which provides a mask to deposit materials onto virtually any support, such as flexible and thin-film stretchable supports. The nanostencil lithography methods enable high quality, high-throughput fabrication of nanostructures on conducting, non-conducting and magnetic supports. The nanostencil can be prepared by etching nanoapertures of predefined patterns into a waffer or ceramic membrane. In some embodiments, a nanoantenna array comprises plasmonic nanostructures or non-plasmonic nanostructures.

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses for sequencing a nucleic acid. These methods permit a very large number of independent sequencing reactions to be arrayed in parallel, permitting simultaneous sequencing of a very large number (>10,000) of different oligonucleotides.

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for making an apparatus for sensing and / or characterizing a biopolymer translocating a nanopore. The apparatus of the present invention provides a first electrode, a first insulator, a second electrode, a optional insulator, a voltage source for applying a time varying potential difference between the electrodes, and a means of measuring the resulting current between the two electrodes. A method for making the apparatus is also disclosed.

Materials and methods for studying and modulating the interaction of carbohydrate-containing moieties with other species are described, in particular, small particles, e.g. clusters of metal or semiconductor atoms, which can be employed as a substrate for immobilising a plurality of ligands comprising carbohydrate groups. These “nanoparticles” can then be used to study carbohydrate mediated interactions, e.g. with other carbohydrates or proteins, and as therapeutics and diagnostic reagents.

The present invention relates to moving microorganisms to a surface, where they are grown in the presence and absence of antimicrobials, and by monitoring the growth of the microorganisms over time in the two conditions, their susceptibility to the antimicrobials can be determined. The microorganisms can be moved to the surface through electrophoresis, centrifugation or filtration. When the movement involves electrophoresis, the presence of oxidizing and reducing reagents lowers the voltage at which electrophoretic force can be generated and allows a broader range of means by which the target can be detected. Monitoring can comprise optical detection, and most conveniently includes the detection of individual microorganisms. The microorganisms can be stained in order to give information about their response to antimicrobials.

A microarray apparatus is provided which contains at least one chip having source and drain electrodes positioned on an array of carbon nanotube transistors which allows for electronic detection of nucleic acid hybridizations, thereby affording both increased sensitivity and the capability of miniaturization.

The present invention provides a water-soluble luminescent quantum dot, a biomolecular conjugate thereof and a composition comprising such a quantum dot or conjugate. Additionally, the present invention provides a method of obtaining a luminescent quantum dot, a method of making a biomolecular conjugate thereof, and methods of using a biomolecular conjugate for ultrasensitive nonisotopic detection in vitro and in vivo.