Possible pathway to adjustable filters, surfaces with
variable mechanical response, or even new ways to deliver genes for biomedical
applications
Scientists seeking ways to engineer the assembly of tiny
particles measuring just billionths of a meter have achieved a new first—the
formation of a single layer of nanoparticles on a liquid surface where the
properties of the layer can be easily switched. Understanding the assembly of
such nanostructured thin films could lead to the design of new kinds of filters
or membranes with a variable mechanical response for a wide range of
applications. In addition, because the scientists used tiny synthetic strands
of DNA to hold the nanoparticles together, the study also offers insight into
the mechanism of interactions of nanoparticles and DNA molecules near a lipid
membrane. This understanding could inform the emerging use of nanoparticles as
vehicles for delivering genes across cellular membranes.