Methods and systems for engineering a nanostructure are provided. An exemplary method includes creating at least one cytosine-cytosine and/or thymine-thymine mismatch in at least one oligonucleotide sequence, placing a metal ion into the mismatch of the oligonucleotide sequence to form an electronically functionalized nanostructure, and inducing self-assembly of the oligonucleotide sequence into a defined structure.

Devices, compositions, and methods are described which provide a tubular nanostructure or a composite tubular nanostructure targeted to a lipid bilayer membrane. The tubular nanostructure includes a hydrophobic surface region flanked by two hydrophilic surface regions. The tubular nanostructure is configured to interact with a lipid bilayer membrane and form a pore in the lipid bilayer membrane. The tubular nanostructure may be targeted by including at least one ligand configured to bind to one or more cognates on the lipid bilayer membrane of a target cell.

Devices, compositions, and methods are described which provide a tubular nanostructure or a composite tubular nanostructure targeted to a lipid bilayer membrane. The tubular nanostructure includes a hydrophobic surface region flanked by two hydrophilic surface regions. The tubular nanostructure is configured to interact with a lipid bilayer membrane and form a pore in the lipid bilayer membrane. The tubular nanostructure may be targeted by including at least one ligand configured to bind to one or more cognates on the lipid bilayer membrane of a target cell.

Disclosed are methods for decapping single wall carbon nanotubes and purifying the decapped single wall carbon nanotubes. The disclosed methods include the steps of oxidizing the single wall carbon nanotubes to remove the terminal end cap and subsequently acid washing the single wall carbon nanotubes to remove the catalyst particles. The resulting carbon nanotubes have improved BET surface area and pore volume.

A nanofiber yarn that includes a plurality of nanofibers twisted into a yarn along an alignment axis. The nanofibers of the plurality of nanofibers have a ratio of nanofiber length to nanofiber circumference of at least 50. The yarn has a helix angle measured relative to the alignment axis of from 5? to 30?. The yarn has tensile strength of at least 280 MPa. A nanofiber fabric that includes a first sheet of multiwalled nanotubes and a second sheet of multiwalled nanotubes on the first sheet of multiwalled nanotubes. The multiwalled nanotubes of the first sheet are aligned in a first direction. The multiwalled nanotubes of the second sheet are aligned in the first direction. The first sheet and the second sheet are aligned so that the multiwalled nanotubes of the first sheet and the second sheet are both aligned in the first direction.

A nanofiber forest on a substrate can be patterned to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers that can be drawn to form nanofiber sheets, ribbons, or yarns.

A method for connecting graphene and metal compound electrodes in a carbon nanotube device through carbon-carbon covalent bonds, the method including: 1) providing a substrate, designing and preparing pre-patterned metal membrane electrodes on the substrate; 2) mixing carbon nanotubes with a volatile organic solvent to yield a dispersed suspension solution, disposing the carbon nanotube between the pre-patterned metal membrane electrodes in the dispersed suspension to allow two ends of the carbon nanotube to connect to the metal membrane electrodes, to form a carbon nanotube device; 3) annealing the carbon nanotube device under a mixture of nitrogen and argon, etching, by metal atoms, a part of carbon atoms at two ends of the carbon nanotube connected to the metal membrane electrodes to form notches; and 4) using hydrocarbon gas as a carbon source, and performing a chemical vapor deposition process.

A process of producing a yarn, ribbon or sheet that includes nanofibers in which the process includes forming a yarn, ribbon or sheet comprising nanofibers, and applying an enhancing agent comprising a polymer to the yarn, ribbon or sheet.

Fabricating a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn by a continuous process that includes synthesizing a nanofiber forest in a forest growth region on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a parallel array of nanofibers, and further includes drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is a sheet, ribbon or yarn. The substrate continuously moves from the furnace growth region into a region where the nanofibers in the forest are drawn.

The present invention is directed to nanofiber yarns, ribbons, and sheets; to methods of making said yarns, ribbons, and sheets; and to applications of said yarns, ribbons, and sheets. In some embodiments, the nanotube yarns, ribbons, and sheets comprise carbon nanotubes. Particularly, such carbon nanotube yarns of the present invention provide unique properties and property combinations such as extreme toughness, resistance to failure at knots, high electrical and thermal conductivities, high absorption of energy that occurs reversibly, up to 13% strain-to-failure compared with the few percent strain-to-failure of other fibers with similar toughness, very high resistance to creep, retention of strength even when heated in air at 450 C. for one hour, and very high radiation and UV resistance, even when irradiated in air. Furthermore these nanotube yarns can be spun as one micron diameter yarns and plied at will to make two-fold, four-fold, and higher fold yarns. Additional embodiments provide for the spinning of nanofiber sheets having arbitrarily large widths. In still additional embodiments, the present invention is directed to applications and devices that utilize and/or comprise the nanofiber yarns, ribbons, and sheets of the present invention.