CH – Page 7 – TechConnect Briefs

Hollow Atomic Force Microscopy Probes for Nanoscale Dispensing of Liquids

Meister A., Przybylska J., Niedermann P., Santschi C., Heinzelmann H., CSEM SA, CH

The demand for specific tools intended for the deposition of small amount of material on a nanoscale at predefined location is continuously increasing. Several dispensing tools for liquid, such as ink-jet or pin-spotting heads have [...]

GRAVI-Chip: Automation of Microfluics Affinity Assay based on Magnetic Nanoparticle

Rossier J.S., Baranek S., Morier P., Vulliet F., Vollet C., Reymond F., DiagnoSwiss SA, CH

An automated nanoparticle based microfluidic platform called GRAVI™ will be presented here as a novel benchtop robotised system for fast and automated ELISA analysis in low volumes. This system can handle samples and reagents from [...]

Nano-gap high quality factor thin film SOI MEM resonators

Grogg D., Tekin C.H., Badila-Ciressan D.N., Tsamados D., Mazza M., Ionescu M.A., Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH

A 1.25 m thin SOI micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) resonator with a quality factor of 100’000 at 24.6 MHz is demonstrated. A nanogap fabrication process allows the fabrication of < 200 nm gaps, allowing for low polarization [...]

Influence of structural forces and contact hysteresis on flow-induced aggregation and breakage of polymer nanoparticles

Moussa A.S., Ehrl L., Soos M., Lattuada M., Morbidelli M., ETH Zürich, CH

Static light scattering was used on-line to monitor the flow-induced aggregation of surfactant-free polystyrene latexes in a stirred tank. Various latexes with primary particles diameters ranging between 100 and 300 nm, different charge groups, different [...]

Stimuli-Responsive Polymers in bioMEMS Devices

Montagne F., Popa A.M., Pugin R., Heinzelmann H., Swiss Center for Electronic and Microtechnic, CH

Due to their unique “switchable” properties, stimuli-responsive polymers have been attracting considerable attention in biotechnologies and successful applications have already been demonstrated in sensing, intelligent textiles, bio-separation and drug delivery systems. Development of responsive surfaces [...]

Towards nanosized particles in pharmaceutical industry

Bieri N.R., Meier U., Goncalves E., Zimmermann D., Juhnke M., Thakur R., Novartis Pharma AG, CH

The pharmaceutical industry is facing the problem of an increasing number of drug substances in development which are either poorly water soluble or show pH dependency of solubility. Drug targeting and tailored delivery poses additional [...]

Measurement of nanometric deformation of thin membranes under controlled mechanical loads

Jobin M., Sidorenko V., Foschia R., Ecole Ingenieurs Geneve, CH

The accurate mechanical characterisation of thin membranes is recognized of prime importance for the development of membrane-based MEMS. To address this issue, we have built a measurement system which uses a nanoindentor to apply a [...]

Towards Nanoscaled Systems: New Dispersing Technologies

Fischer L., Scheid S., Thomas C., Serendip AG, CH

The presentation will give an overview of state-of-the-art technologies and today’s possibilities as well as technical and regulatory limitations. The focus will be on the potential of a new generation of homogenizers, which allowfor the [...]

Scattering properties of dense clusters of nanoparticles

Lattuada M., Ehrl L., Soos M., Morbidelli M., ETH Zürich, CH

The use of light scattering or laser diffraction techniques to characterize dense clusters such as those generated in shear induced coagulations is highly desirable. However, a major obstacle in the effective utilization of this technique [...]

Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis from Highly Concentrated Solutions

Klein G., Meyer E.M., Si-Ahmed L., Metalor Technologies SA, CH

Silver nanoparticles are nowadays of great interest; either for their antibacterial properties or as a conductive filler in electronic applications. In both cases, silver nanoparticles have to be optimally dispersed in a polymeric matrix while [...]