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Title: Self-Assembling Biological Springs Force Transducers on the Micron Nanoscale

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1299203· OSTI ID:1299203
 [1];  [1]
  1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

In this project, we are developing a new system for measuring forces within and between nanoscale biological molecules based on mesoscopic springs made of cholesterol helical ribbons. These ribbons self-assemble in a wide variety of complex fluids containing sterol, a mixture of surfactants and water [1] and have spring constants in the range from 0.5 to 500 pN/nm [2-4]. By the end of this project, we have demonstrated that the cholesterol helical ribbons can be used for measuring forces between biological objects and for mapping the strain fields in hydrogels.

Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Chicago Operations Office (CO)
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-04ER46149
OSTI ID:
1299203
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English