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Wednesday, 17th June 2009 (1011 views)

A team of researchers have created non-stick gold surfaces and laser-safe gold nanoposts that could be utilised in the use of lasers to trap biomolecules.

The breakthrough by scientists at Jila - a joint initiative between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder - means that experiments could be carried out with greater accuracy and may help to improve the study of molecules.

Tom Perkins of the NIST stated that the development has resulted in the ability to "anchor DNA to gold and keep the rest of the gold very non-stick".

He added that the creation of nanoposts made from "very small islands" of the precious metal means that "more precise" studies can now be carried out, as the posts are small enough that scientists can avoid hitting them directly when using lasers.

Recently, a team at the University of Chicago announced they have developed an 'electronic glue' that can be used to bond nanocrystals together.

 

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