With laser beams, molecules can be fixed at exactly the
right position in a three dimensional material. The new method developed at the
Vienna University of Technology can be used to grow biological tissue or to
create micro sensors.
There are many ways to create three dimensional objects on a
micrometer scale. But how can the chemical properties of a material be tuned at
micrometer precision? Scientists at the
Vienna University of Technology developed a method to attach molecules at
exactly the right place. When biological tissue is grown, this method can allow
the positioning of chemical signals, telling living cells where to attach. The
new technique also holds promise for sensor technology: A tiny three
dimensional “lab on a chip” could be created, in which accurately positioned
molecules react with substances from the environment.