A novel device may prove beneficial during electrode and organ transplant procedures. The device uses gold nanowires to manipulate and sense characteristics of individual cells in medical procedures. The gold nanowires are less than 100 nm in diameter, about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair.
The size of the nanowires is what makes the device so unique. Red blood cells measure about 7 mm. Because the wire is so small, it can pierce a biological cell to stimulate the cell membrane and investigate its interior.
The nanowires are electrochemically grown, meaning they grow by accumulating particles from solution into a new wire, similar to the way a snowflake is assembled. The researchers developed sharp electrodes with an unconventional tool not found in many laboratories: a sewing machine.
The sewing machine oscillates the microelectrode up and down in a beaker of potassium chloride solution. Application of a voltage dissolves the tip of the microelectrode. The sharpened electrode allows the nanowire to grow.
