Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Synthesis and Patterning Methods
for Nanostructures Useful
for Biological Applications
Chiara Daraio and Sungho Jin
1
Introduction
The importance and benefi ts of nanotechnology in biology and medicine are now
well-recognized by scientists, technologists, as well as various governmental and
private research funding agencies. The basis that enables the application of nano-
technology is the availability of nanostructured materials. Therefore, it is essential
to provide an insight on the state-of-the-art methods to manufacture various
nanostructures.
Nanotechnology has exploded onto the scientifi c scene in the last 20 years or so
after the discovery, followed by a Nobel Prize recognition, of novel forms of car-
bon as the fullerenes molecules or buckyballs (Kroto et al.
1985
) , and the rediscov-
ery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (Iijima
1991
). The subsequent development has
impacted nearly every fi eld of scientifi c research. The infancy of nanotechnology
began in materials science laboratories and has now matured at the forefront of
several other disciplines, including chemistry, physics, various engineering fi elds,
and, of course, biology and biomedical engineering. Nanotechnology is now rap-
idly being expanded for improved biotechnology to the extent that it can now be
called as a subfi eld of “nanobiotechnology.” The research and development on syn-
thesis of nanowires and nanoparticles, nanopatterning, as well as nanoscale phe-
nomena and properties literally exploded in the past several years developing a
large variety of nanostructures extending to a myriad of other physical or chemical
components. Some of the biological applications of the nanostructures, such as
nanopatterns, nanochannels, nanotubes, and nanoparticles, synthesized using the
C. Daraio
Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, CA, USA
S. Jin (
*
)
Materials Science & Engineering Program, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Department, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
