Multisite wide-area depth transfers of nanoparticles into a soft material via nanotip probe arrays

Abstract

We demonstrated a multisite wide-area pinpoint depth transfers of nanoparticles into a soft material via three-dimensional (3D) nanotip probe arrays, for powerful applications including local drug delivery and DNA transfer into biological samples (e.g., cells/neurons and tissues). An array of electrically biased nanoscale tips of the probes enabled multisite traps of polystyrene nanoparticles. Here we demonstrate the multisite wide-area depth transfers of the trapped particles into a soft material of gelatin by simply penetrating the nanotip probe array as a “stamp” usage. These results suggest that the nanotip probe arrays should be applicable to trap numerous particles, including DNA/molecules attached nanoparticles, and realize multisite nanoinjections into biological samples, including tissues and individual cells/neurons.