Hybrid Nanostructures and Devices

" Recent dramatic progress of nanotechnology and biological science allows us to combine soft materials (e.g. biomolecules, self-assembled monolayer etc.) with solid nanostructures (e.g. nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, electronic circuits etc.) to build a generation of new hybrid nanoscale devices such as molecular electronic circuits, nanoscale biological sensors, and protein motor-based nanomechanical systems. However, a major stumbling block for their industrial applications is a difficulty in high throughput assembly for device fabrication. One promising nano-manufacturing method for these hybrid devices is the surface-templated assembly process. In this strategy, direct deposition methods such as dip-pen nanolithography are utilized to functionalize the desired solid substrate area with organic molecules [1-3], and nanostructures (e.g. carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, proteins etc.) in the solution are specifically assembled onto the functionalized area via molecular recognition mechanism [4]. In this presentation, I will discuss about: 1) nano-manufacturing methods for hybrid nanoscale devices and 2) new scientific issues related with hybrid nanostructures. Future prospect and possible applications of hybrid devices also will be discussed. (References) 1. "A Nanoplotter with Both Parallel and Serial Writing Capabilities," S. Hong, C. A. Mirkin Science 288, 1808 (2000). 2. "Multiple Ink Nanolithography: Toward a Multiple-Pen Nano-Plotter," S. Hong, J. Zhu, C. A. Mirkin Science 286, 523 (1999). 3. "Dip-Pen Nanolithography," R. Piner, J. Zhu, F. Xu, S. Hong, C. A. Mirkin Science 283, 661 (1999). 4. "Nanotube Electronics: Large-scale assembly of carbon nanotubes," S. Rao, L. Huang, W. Setyawan, S. Hong, Nature 425, 36 (2003). "