Surface-enhanced Raman scattering ͑SERS͒ substrates, consisting of arrays of electromagnetically coupled Ag nanoparticles on Si, were manufactured by electron-beam lithography. Substrate Raman efficiency, evaluated from the relative SERS intensities of the adsorbates rhodamine 6G and thiophenol, was found to increase rapidly with decreasing interparticle separation, signaling the importance of strong interparticle coupling effects in SERS. The observed SERS efficiency variation can be qualitatively explained in terms of electrostatic models of coupled metal structures.

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Nanoplasmonic sensors based on short-range ordered nanoholes in thin metal films and discrete metal nanoparticles are known to provide similar sensing performance. However, a perforated metal film is unique in the sense that the holes can be designed to penetrate through the substrate, thereby also fulfilling the role of nanofluidic channels. This paper presents a bioanalytical sensing concept based on short-range ordered nanoplasmonic pores (diameter 150 nm) penetrating through a thin (around 250 nm) multilayer membrane composed of gold and silicon nitride (SiN) that is supported on a Si wafer. Also, a fabrication scheme that enables parallel production of multiple (more than 50) separate sensor chips or more than 1000 separate nanoplasmonic membranes on a single wafer is presented. Together with the localization of the sensitivity to within such short-range ordered nanoholes, the structure provides a two-dimensional nanofluidic network, sized in the order of 100 x 100 microm(2), with nanoplasmon active regions localized to each individual nanochannel. A material-specific surface-modification scheme was developed to promote specific binding of target molecules on the optically active gold regions only, while suppressing nonspecific adsorption on SiN. Using this protocol, and by monitoring the temporal variation in the plasmon resonance of the structure, we demonstrate flow-through nanoplasmonic sensing of specific biorecognition reactions with a signal-to-noise ratio of around 50 at a temporal resolution below 190 ms. With flow, the uptake was demonstrated to be at least 1 order of magnitude faster than under stagnant conditions, while still keeping the sample consumption at a minimum.

A novel set-up combining the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring technique (QCM-D) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) under flow conditions was successfully used to follow supported lipid bilayer (SLB) formation on SiO(2). This study demonstrates the simultaneous detection, in real time, of both the electrical and the structural properties of the SLB. The combination of the two techniques provided novel insights regarding the mechanism of SLB formation: we found indications for an annealing process of the lipid alkyl chains after the mass corresponding to complete bilayer coverage had been deposited. Moreover, the interaction of the SLB with the pore-forming toxin, gramicidin D (grD) was studied for grD concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 40 mg L(-1). Membrane properties were altered depending on the toxin concentration. For low grD concentrations, the electrical properties of the SLB changed upon insertion of active ion channels. For higher concentrations, the QCM-D data showed dramatic changes in the viscoelastic properties of the membrane while the EIS spectra did not change. AFM confirmed significant structural changes of the membrane at higher grD concentrations. Thus, the application of combined QCM-D and EIS detection provides complementary information about the system under study. This information will be particularly important for the continued detailed investigation of interactions at model membrane surfaces.

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The use of adhesives for fracture fixation can revolutionize the surgical procedures toward more personalized bone repairs. However, there are still no commercially available adhesive solutions mainly due to the lack of biocompatibility, poor adhesive strength, or inadequate fixation protocols. Here, a surgically realizable adhesive system capitalizing on visible light thiol-ene coupling chemistry is presented. The adhesives are carefully designed and formulated from a novel class of chemical constituents influenced by dental resin composites and self-etch primers. Validation of the adhesive strength is conducted on wet bone substrates and accomplished via fiber-reinforced adhesive patch (FRAP) methodology. The results unravel, for the first time, on the promise of a thiol-ene adhesive with an unprecedented shear bond strength of 9.0 MPa and that surpasses, by 55%, the commercially available acrylate dental adhesive system Clearfil SE Bond of 5.8 MPa. Preclinical validation of FRAPs on rat femur fracture models details good adhesion to the bone throughout the healing process, and are found biocompatible not giving rise to any inflammatory response. Remarkably, the FRAPs are found to withstand loads up to 70 N for 1000 cycles on porcine metacarpal fractures outperforming clinically used K-wires and match metal plates and screw implants.

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Modern microfabrication and microfluidic technologies offer new opportunities in the design and fabrication of miniaturized cell culture systems for online monitoring of living cells. We used laser micromachining and thermal bonding to fabricate an optically transparent, low-cost polymeric chip for long-term online cell culture observation under controlled conditions. The chip incorporated a microfluidic flow equalization system, assuring uniform perfusion of the cell culture media throughout the cell culture chamber. The integrated indium-tin-oxide heater and miniature temperature probe linked to an electronic feedback system created steady and spatially uniform thermal conditions with minimal interference to the optical transparency of the chip. The fluidic and thermal performance of the chip was verified by finite element modeling and by operation tests under fluctuating ambient temperature conditions. HeLa cells were cultured for up to 2 weeks within the cell culture chip and monitored using a time-lapse video recording microscopy setup. Cell attachment and spreading was observed during the first 10-20 h (lag phase). After approximately 20 h, cell growth gained exponential character with an estimated doubling time of about 32 h, which is identical to the observed doubling time of cells grown in standard cell culture flasks in a CO2 incubator.