Devices, systems and techniques are described for producing and implementing articles and materials having nano-scale and microscale structures that exhibit superhydrophobic, superoleophobic or omniphobic surface properties and other enhanced properties. In one aspect, a surface nanostructure can be formed by adding a silicon-containing buffer layer such as silicon, silicon oxide or silicon nitride layer, followed by metal film deposition and heating to convert the metal film into balled-up, discrete islands to form an etch mask. The buffer layer can be etched using the etch mask to create an array of pillar structures underneath the etch mask, in which the pillar structures have a shape that includes cylinders, negatively tapered rods, or cones and are vertically aligned. In another aspect, a method of fabricating microscale or nanoscale polymer or metal structures on a substrate is made by photolithography and/or nano imprinting lithography.

A method for forming a functional part in a minute space includes the steps of: filling a minute space with a dispersion functional material in which a thermally-meltable functional powder is dispersed in a liquid dispersion medium; evaporating the liquid dispersion medium present in the minute space; and heating the functional powder and hardening it under pressure.

An example of a nanopore sensor device includes one or more cis wells; a cis electrode; a plurality of trans wells, each of the plurality of trans wells separated from the one or more cis wells by a lipid/solid-state membrane having a nanopore; a plurality of trans electrodes, each of the plurality of trans electrodes associated with one of the plurality of trans wells; a first concentration of an electrolyte within the one or more cis wells; and a second concentration of the electrolyte within the trans wells, wherein the first concentration is higher than the second concentration.

Provided are nanograting structures and methods of fabrication thereof that allow for stable, robust gratings and nanostructure embedded gratings that enhance electromagnetic field, fluorescence, and photothermal coupling through surface plasmon or, photonic resonance. The gratings produced exhibit long term stability of the grating structure and improved shelf life without degradation of the properties such as fluorescence enhancement. Embodiments of the invention build nanograting structures layer-by-layer to optimize structural and optical properties and to enhance durability.

The present invention provides a method to manufacture nanowires. In various embodiments, a method is provided for producing an oxidized metal layer as a heterogeneous seed layer on arbitrary substrate for controlled nanowire growth is disclosed which comprises depositing a metal layer on a substrate, oxidizing the metal layer in air ambient or in oxidizing agent, and growing nanowires at low temperatures on oxidized metal layers on virtually any substrate.

Processes for creating build sequences are described which use computational chemistry algorithms to simulate mechanosynthetic reactions, and which may use the mechanosynthesis process conditions or equipment limitations in these simulations, and which facilitate determining a set of mechanosynthetic reactions that will build an atomically-precise workpiece with a desired degree of reliability. Included are methods for error correction of pathological reactions or avoidance of pathological reactions. Libraries of reactions may be used to reduce simulation requirements.

An antenna system includes an elongated conductive plane and an elongated dielectric layer that is disposed on the conductive plane. An elongated graphene nanoribbon is disposed along an axis and is coupled to the dielectric layer at a graphene/dielectric interface. A feeding mechanism is coupled to the conductive plane. The feeding mechanism is configured to accept a signal that excites surface plasmon polariton waves at the graphene/dielectric interface. In a method of making a surface plasmon polariton wave antenna, an elongated conductive plane is formed. An elongated dielectric layer is applied on a surface of the conductive plane. An elongated graphene nanoribbon is applied to the dielectric layer. A signal source is coupled to the elongated conductive plane.

A process of fabricating a nanostructure is disclosed. The process is effected by growing the nanostructure in situ within a trench formed in a substrate and having therein a metal catalyst selected for catalyzing the nanostructure growth, under the conditions in which the growth is guided by the trench. Also disclosed are nanostructure systems comprising a nanostructure, devices containing such systems and uses thereof.

A method of assembling a chiral superstructure includes applying a quadrupole magnetic field to a plurality of magnetic nanostructures and configuring the plurality of magnetic nanostructures into a chiral superstructure by controlling a magnitude and a direction of the quadrupole magnetic field. A magnetic chiral superstructure includes a plurality of magnetic nanostructures assembled into a chiral superstructure by applying a quadrupole magnetic field to the plurality of magnetic nanostructures and configuring the plurality of magnetic nanostructures into a chiral superstructure by controlling a magnitude and a direction of the quadrupole magnetic field.

Polypeptide nanopores synthetically functionalized with positively charged species, and methods of making and using the same, are provided herein. In some examples, a polypeptide nanopore includes a first side, a second side, a channel extending through the first and second sides, and a mutated amino acid residue. The mutated amino acid residue may be synthetically functionalized with a positively charged species that inhibits translocation of cations through the channel.