Mechanical tweezer action by self-tightening knots in surfactant nanotubes

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 May 25;101(21):7949-53. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0401760101. Epub 2004 May 12.

Abstract

Entanglements and trefoil knots on surfactant nanotubes in the liquid phase were produced by a combination of network self-organization and micromanipulation. The resulting knots are self-tightening, and the tightening is driven by minimization of surface free energy of the surfactant membrane material. The formation of the knot and the steady-state knot at quasi-equilibrium can be directly followed and localized by using fluorescence microscopy. Knots on nanotubes can be used as nanoscale mechanical tweezers for trapping and manipulation of single nano- and micrometer-sized high-aspect ratio objects. Furthermore, we demonstrate that by controlling the surface tension, objects captured by a knot can be transported along given trajectories defined by the nanotube axes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Fluorescence
  • Glycine max
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation*
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry*
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Surface-Active Agents