Nanobiotechnology consists of the application of tools from nanotechnology to biological and medical applications. One example is the small measurement instrument for Diabetes patient, which only needs a single droplet of blood for testing the blood sugar values. As a growing field, it is responsible for the creation of new devices, such as biosensors or microfluidic systems. The goal is the integration of various components into a lab-on-a-chip, which can be implanted into a handheld device.
One interesting area within nanobiotechnology is the manipulation and stretching of biological filaments with electrical or magnetic fields. The biological filaments include the rigid microtubules, but also thin actin filaments. Usually, the obtained results can also be transferred to carbon nanotubes or vice versa. These projects are performed in cooperation with Prof. Anke Becker (now at Freiburg University) and Prof. Hinssen (Cell Biology). These projects are supported by finite element simulations to optimize the necessary substrates and for the understanding of interaction of magnetic particles.
In cooperation with the group of Prof. Dietz (Biochemistry) we study the interaction of magnetic particles with plant cells and applications in the detection of cell signals. These include some aspects of particle toxicology, the immobilization of cells on surfaces, and the functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with special enzymes.
Finally, in addition to the close cooperation with groups in biology, some basic features for lab-on-a-chip devices are studies by the use of magnetic nanoparticles on nanostructured substrates. These include the external heating of magnetic particles by hyperthermia and the local measurement of temperatures.
Please send general emails to Simone Herth (herth@physik.uni-bielefeld.de).
S. Herth, William J. Joost, Robert H. Doremus, Richard W. Siegel: 'New approach to the synthesis of nanocrystalline boron carbide', J. Nanosci. Nanotechn. 6 (2006) 954-959
S. Herth, F. Ye, M. Eggersmann, O. Gutfleisch, and R. Würschum: 'Self diffusion in liquid interfaces', Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 (2004) 095901
R. Würschum, S. Herth, and U. Brossmann: 'Diffusion in nanocrystalline metals and alloys, a status report', Adv. Eng. Mat. 5 (2003) 365-372
