Biomimetics is the study of nature and natural phenomena to understand the principles of underlying mechanisms, to obtain ideas from nature, and to apply concepts that may benefit science, engineering, and medicine. Examples of biomimetic studies include fluid-drag reduction swimsuits inspired by the structure of shark’s skin, velcro fasteners modeled on burrs, shape of airplanes developed from the look of birds, and stable building structures copied from the backbone of turban shells. In this article, we focus on the current research topics in biomimetics and discuss the potential of biomimetics in science, engineering, and medicine. Our report proposes to become a blueprint for accomplishments that can stem from biomimetics in the next 5 years as well as providing insight into their unseen limitations.
Many countries categorize the causative agents of severe infectious diseases as high-risk pathogens. Given their extreme infectivity and potential to be used as biological weapons, a rapid and sensitive method for detection of high-risk pathogens (e.g., Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, and Vaccinia virus) is highly desirable. Here, we report the construction of a novel detection platform comprising two units: (1) magnetic beads separately conjugated with multiple capturing antibodies against four different high-risk pathogens for simple and rapid isolation, and (2) genetically engineered apoferritin nanoparticles conjugated with multiple quantum dots and detection antibodies against four different high-risk pathogens for signal amplification. For each high-risk pathogen, we demonstrated at least 10-fold increase in sensitivity compared to traditional lateral flow devices that utilize enzyme-based detection methods. Multiplexed detection of high-risk pathogens in a sample was also successful by using the nanoconstructs harboring the dye molecules with fluorescence at different wavelengths. We ultimately envision the use of this novel nanoprobe detection platform in future applications that require highly sensitive on-site detection of high-risk pathogens.
A simple
way of preparing fluorescent silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs)
with a mean diameter of ∼5 nm was demonstrated from used silicon
wafers. Anodic etching of used wafers performed in a customized electrochemical
cell produced H-terminated, nano- and micropores on the wafer surface,
and SiNPs were attained by mechanically crumbling the nano-/microporous
Si surface structures on the etched wafers in an ultrasonic bath.
The obtained SiNPs were then re-etched in different ratios of HF/HNO3 acid mixture to produce different PL intensities, sizes,
and yields. When the particle sizes were decreased by adjusting the
experimental conditions (e.g., strength of the acid mixture, reaction
time), the PL spectra from etched SiNPs were also shifted from red
to blue, indicating the quantum confinement effect from the nanoparticles.
Typically, blue-emitting SiNPs were observed with an average diameter
of 2.7 nm and a yield of 0.3 mg/cm2 of used wafers. Re-etched
SiNPs were dialyzed by a 1K-dialysis membrane for purification and
for potential use in bioapplications. The efficient method of preparing
fluorescent nanoparticles from used monocrystalline Si wafers was
demonstrated with a high production yield. The produced particles
showed outstanding physical and chemical properties, indicating the
applicability of these materials in semiconductor research and bioapplications.
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