A molecular machine comprising a movement part (2) including a first molecular element (4), a second molecular element (5), and a linking element (6) for constraining a relative movement of the first molecular element (4) and the second molecular element (5), and a control part configured to generate an electrical field around the movement part (2), wherein the first molecular element (4) is fixed relative to the control part, wherein the second molecular element (5) is movable relative to the first molecular element (4) in at least one degree of freedom, and wherein the second molecular element (5) is electrically charged such that the second molecular element (5) aligns to said electrical field.

Provided is a fibrous carbon nanostructure dispersion liquid having excellent fibrous carbon nanostructure dispersibility. The fibrous carbon nanostructure dispersion liquid contains a solvent and one or more fibrous carbon nanostructures having a percentage mass loss of 3.0 mass % or less upon heating from 23° C. to 200° C. at a heating rate of 20° C./min in a nitrogen atmosphere as measured by thermogravimetric analysis.

Apparatus and methods for making metal-connected particle articles. A metal containing fluid is selectively applied to a layer of particles. The metal in the fluid is used to form metal connections between particles. The metal connections are formed at temperatures below the sintering temperature of the particles in the layer of particles.

Apparatus and methods for making metal-connected particle articles. A metal containing fluid is selectively applied to a layer of particles. The metal in the fluid is used to form metal connections between particles. The metal connections are formed at temperatures below the sintering temperature of the particles in the layer of particles.

A method for manufacturing an electromechanical actuator includes providing a primary stack of layers comprising a monocrystalline layer, providing a secondary stack of layers, and forming, in the etching layer, at least three pads. The method further includes encapsulating the three pads by a first encapsulation layer, assembling the primary stack of layers with the secondary stack of layers, removing the first substrate, and forming a movable electrode in the monocrystalline layer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide nanopore devices, such as nanopore sensors and/or other nanofluidic devices. In one or more embodiments, a nanopore device contains a substrate, an optional lower protective oxide layer disposed on the substrate, a membrane disposed on the lower protective oxide layer, and an optional upper protective oxide layer disposed on the membrane. The membrane has a pore and contains silicon nitride. The silicon nitride has a nitrogen to silicon ratio of about 0.98 to about 1.02 and the membrane has an intrinsic stress value of about −1,000 MPa to about 1,000 MPa. The nanopore device also contains a channel extending through at least the substrate, the lower protective oxide layer, the membrane, the upper protective oxide layer, and the upper protective silicon nitride layer.

The present invention relates to a prefunctionalized metallic nanoparticle (10) as a standardized basic building block of biofunctionalized nanoparticles (40), having a thiol-reactive metallic nanoparticle (12) that is prefunctionalized by a bifunctional molecule (20) that consists of an anchor component (22) and a short further-functionalization stub (24). Here, it is provided that the anchor component (22) comprises one or more dithiophosphate groups, and the short further-functionalization stub (24) is adapted for the attachment of a desired biofunctionalization (30) and is selected from the group consisting of i) an unmodified standardized oligonucleotide strand (26) having 2 to 18 bases for further-functionalization with biomolecules (30) having a terminal complementary strand (36) of the standardized oligonucleotide strand (26), and ii) a 2- to 18-base-long oligonucleotide strand (50; 60) that is modified with a terminal reactive group (52; 62) for biomolecules.

There is disclosed a microscale or nanoscale stepper motor in which one or more arrays of corresponding types of optically switchable molecular actuators are used to drive progressive motion between bodies of the motor.

A NEMS device structure and a method for forming the same are provided. The NEMS device structure includes a first dielectric layer formed over a substrate, and a first conductive layer formed in the first dielectric layer. The NEMS device structure includes a second dielectric layer formed over the first dielectric layer, and a first supporting electrode a second supporting electrode and a beam structure formed in the second dielectric layer. The beam structure is formed between the first supporting electrode and the second supporting electrode, and the beam structure has a T-shaped structure. The NEMS device structure includes a first through hole formed between the first supporting electrode and the beam structure, and a second through hole formed between the second supporting electrode and the beam structure.

3D nanochannel interleaved devices for molecular manipulation are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a device includes: forming a pattern on a substrate of alternating mandrels and spacers alongside the mandrels; selectively removing the mandrels from a front portion of the pattern forming gaps between the spacers; selectively removing the spacers from a back portion of the pattern forming gaps between the mandrels; filling i) the gaps between the spacers with a conductor to form first electrodes and ii) the gaps between the mandrels with the conductor to form second electrodes; and etching the mandrels and the spacers in a central portion of the pattern to form a channel (e.g., a nanochannel) between the first electrodes and the second electrodes, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are offset from one another across the channel, i.e., interleaved. A device formed by the method is also provided.