Chemical Communications Blog

Microjet engines called microbots that can transport cells within a fluid to any desired location have been developed by scientists in Germany.

Manipulating nanomachines to transport biological matter in the body has been a challenge until now. Samuel Sanchez, from the Institute for Integrative Nanosciences in Dresden, and colleagues have shown that by using a magnet it is possible to navigate a microbot towards a specific cell within the body, pick it up from point A and transport it to point B.

The group made machines made up of hollow tubular structures containing a thin layer of platinum on the inside. They found that the machines moved independently in a peroxide solution when controlled externally by a small magnet manipulated with a joystick. The microbots can be directed towards suspended cells in solution, where they pick them up and transport them to the desired location. They released the cells from the tube by rapidly turning the magnet.

Sanchez and his team hope that in the future their microbots could perform visionary tasks within the body. “I would like to see our microbots swimming inside the bodies of animals, delivering drugs to required locations, for example, in the vicinity of cancer cells or replacing diseased cells with healthy ones,” he says.

For more information download Sanchez’s communication, where you can find videos of the swimming microbots in the ESI.

Chinese chemists have prepared graphene via carbonisation of microwave-synthesised metal phthalocyanine, followed by a rapid cooling process. They controlled the thickness of the graphene by using different coolants.

Download their ChemComm communication, free to access until 24th December, to find out more.

Chemists in Denmark have developed a procedure for modifying the surface of SU-8 microparticles and then using it for quantitative multi-step organic synthesis.

SU-8 is a novolac-epoxy resin used in the field of microfabrication and micropatterning. Thomas Nielsen, at Technical University of Denmark, and colleagues demonstrated how common linkers can be attached to the support surface and effectively used for solid-supported synthesis. 

They report transformations including reduction, oxidation, multi-step peptide synthesis and metal-catalysed cycloaddition and cross-coupling reactions in their ChemComm communication, free to download until 24th December.

Peptide–polymer nanotapes can be decorated with diverse functionalities thanks to a versatile strategy developed by scientists in Germany.

Hans Börner, at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, and colleagues modified self-assembled nanotapes of poly(ethylene oxide)–peptide conjugates by a simple amine–azide transfer to create azide-containing nanofibres. Using click chemistry, they then introduced different carboxyl-bearing entities to modulate the calcium binding properties of the nanotapes.

To find out more, download Börner’s communication, which is free to access until 9th December.

Also of interest: Anti-wrinkle creams aided by nanotapes

A team of scientists from Canada and Korea have developed a mutant glycosidase enzyme that can catalyse the synthesis of an O-linked sugar called isoprimeveroside in near quantitative yield.

Stephen Withers, at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and colleagues report their findings in their ChemComm communication, which is part of the ChemComm ‘Enzymes & Proteins’ web-based themed issue. The communication is free to access until 9th December 2010.

Simple aromatic compounds can self-assemble into low-dimensional aggregates with controlled architecture, according to US scientists.

Yi Liu, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and colleagues have shown that single molecule-thick two-dimensional nanosheets self-assemble from symmetric hexakis(alkoxy)triphenylene derivatives, and then further stack to give multilayered nanofibres.

Anisotropic nanostructures of organic semiconductors have good electronic and optical properties, making them suitable morphologies for advanced optoelectronic applications. But controlling the ordering of such materials at the molecular level remains a challenging task as it is affected by many structural and environmental aspects.

This simple solution process provides an attractive and convenient bottom-up path to hierarchical self-assembly nanostructures, Liu says.

For more information, read Liu’s ChemComm communication, free to access until 9th December.

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A new investigation into the self-assembly of a key anti-wrinkle cream component could lead to better skincare and regenerative medicine, according to the scientists who conducted the study.

Ian Hamley, at the University of Reading, UK, and colleagues looked at the suprastructures formed by a commercially available peptide amphiphile (PA) known as Matrixyl®. They found that it forms giant nanotapes with the peptide epitopes on the surface of the tapes, which they think is important in stimulating collagen production.

Find out more about in the group’s ChemComm communication.