Precursors for forming a plurality of multielement materials of different compositions can be deposited on different portions of a common substrate according to a combinatorial approach. The substrate can be subjected to a thermal shock, thereby converting the deposited precursors into separate multielement materials on the substrate. The thermal shock can be a temperature greater than or equal to 500° C. and a duration less than 60 seconds. In some embodiments, each multielement material can be tested with respect to an electrical property, a chemical property, or an optical property. Based on the results of the testing, a composition of a multielement material can be determined for use in a predetermined application, such as use as a catalyst, a plasmonic nanoparticle, an energy storage device, an optoelectronic device, a solid-state electrolyte, or an ion conductive membrane.

This disclosure provides methods and devices for the label-free detection of target molecules of interest. The principles of the disclosure are particularly applicable to the detection of biological molecules (e.g., DNA, RNA, and protein) using standard SiO.sub.2-based microarray technology.

The present invention relates to a substrate for nucleic acid amplification, and a method for manufacturing same, the substrate for rapid and accurate PCR analysis comprising: a transparent substrate; a micro-patterned metal layer formed on the transparent substrate; an N-heterocyclic carbene compound having one end annealed to the surface of the micro-patterned metal layer; and a primer immobilized on the other end of the N-heterocyclic carbene compound.

High surface area coatings are applied to solid substrates to increase the surface area available for solid-phase synthesis of polymers. The high surface area coatings use three-dimensional space to provide more area for functional groups to bind polymers than an untreated solid substrate. The polymers may be oligonucleotides, polypeptides, or another type of polymer. The solid substrate is a rigid supportive layer made from a material such as glass, a silicon material, a metal material, and plastic. The coating may be thin films, hydrogels, microparticles. The coating may be made from a metal oxide, a high-κ dielectric, a low-κ dielectric, an etched metal, a carbon material, or an organic polymer. The functional groups may be hydroxyl groups, amine groups, thiolate groups, alkenes, n-alkenes, alkalines, N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-activated esters, polyaniline, aminosilane groups, silanized oxides, oligothiophenes, and diazonium compounds. Techniques for applying coatings to solid substrates and attaching functional groups are also disclosed.

An apparatus and system for contacting a mobile elongate solid phase, e.g. a ribbon with a flowing fluid phase, and a method for using the same in, for example solid phase synthesis. A particular apparatus comprises (i) a conduit which is of circular or non-circular transverse cross section and which defines a lumen to contain both the flowing fluid phase and the mobile elongate solid phase; (ii) fluid phase ports in communication with the lumen to allow the fluid phase to enter the lumen, flow through it and exit it; and (iii) solid phase ports in communication with the lumen to allow the mobile solid phase to enter the lumen, move through it and exit it, the apparatus being adapted to prevent fluid egress from its interior through the solid phase ports.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to single molecule arrays. More particularly, the present disclosure provides materials and methods for generating single molecule arrays using bottom-up self-assembly processes. Materials and methods of the present disclosure can be used to generate single molecule arrays with nanoapertures (e.g., zero mode waveguides) and for carrying out rapid, point-of-care biomolecule detection and quantification.

Provided herein are biomolecular hybridization devices comprising a substrate with a permanently and covalently attached surface of functional groups and an adsorbed monolayer of unmodified, single-stranded oligonucleotides all of which are 10 to about 24 bases in length as a saturated film of constrained oligonucleotides on the surface via direct non-covalent phosphate-surface adsorptive contact of substantially all phosphate groups of each oligonucleotide. The constrained oligonucleotides are effective to dissociably hybridize to a complementary single-stranded nucleic acid with asymmetric, non-helical base pairing and without oligonucleotide dissociation from the surface of the device. Also, provided are methods for hybridizing solution-state target nucleic acids to probe nucleic acids and for identifying a nucleotide sequence to which a nucleotide-binding protein binds using the biomolecular hybridization devices.

Devices and methods for de novo synthesis of large and highly accurate libraries of oligonucleic acids are provided herein. Devices include structures having a main channel and microchannels, where the microchannels have a high surface area to volume ratio. Devices disclosed herein provide for de novo synthesis of oligonucleic acids having a low error rate.

De novo synthesized large libraries of nucleic acids are provided herein with low error rates. Further, devices for the manufacturing of high-quality building blocks, such as oligonucleotides, are described herein. Longer nucleic acids can be synthesized in parallel using microfluidic assemblies. Further, methods herein allow for the fast construction of large libraries of long, high-quality genes. Devices for the manufacturing of large libraries of long and high-quality nucleic acids are further described herein.

The present invention provides methods for increasing polymerase processivity. In some aspects the invention includes providing a polymerase-nucleic acid complex having a nucleic acid comprising a template strand, and the template strand is entrapped in the polymerase through anchors that are covalently connected to each other across the nucleic acid binding cleft of the polymerase. In some cases the anchors comprise cysteines.