Santilli

Dear MEMS Electronic Discussion Group,

Rob Santilli has been kind enough to share with us the replies he has
received to his "Impossible problem" posting. I have consoldated the eleven
forwarded messages into this single posting.

- W.C. Athas



********

FORWARDED MAIL -------
From: [email protected] (Sabeth Verpoorte)
Date: 10 Dec 97
Originally To: Rob Santilli 

Dear Rob,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The type of problem you describe
has been encountered by researchers wanting to do capillary electrophoresis
with electrochemical detection. In particular, Andrew Ewing at Penn. State
has published papers in which he and his coworkers position a carbon fiber
electrode (diameter 1 um) in a 2 um or 5 um inner diameter glass capillary.
As it happens, a good friend of mine worked in his group, and it seems to me
that they used microscopes and micropositioners to insert electrodes into
the capillaries. I guess that nm precision is also possible, as there
nanopositioners these days. Just how good they are, though, I couldn't tell
you. In any case, a good place to start as references go is Analytical
Chemistry, Vol. 62, (1990), p. 1872 - ? The authors are T.M. Olefirwicz and
A.G. Ewing.

Otherwise, the problem could perhaps also be solved using microtechnology, I
think. If you're interested in discussing this further, we could do so in
the framework of our (IMT's) role as European Competence Centre for
Bio-analytical Microsystems. If you didn't receive our leaflet describing
this program at Nanotech, and would like more information, let me know.

Best regards,

Sabeth Verpoorte



Rob Santilli wrote:

> A researcher into cancer was explaining to me his intracellular
> experiments with microtubules which are around 2 microns in
> diameter. He wants to test the electrical current across the length
> of a microtubule but needs to insert an electrode positionable
> within +/- 5nm !! Do you know if anything like this exists?? Can
> you help him out??
>
> Rob Santilli
>
> APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
> 68 MILTON PARK
> ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
> TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
> FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
> WWW: http://www.aml.co.uk
>
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Reply-To: Rob Santilli 
To: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 13:58:50
Subject: Re: Impossible problem (fwd)
From: [email protected] (Rob Santilli)


FORWARDED MAIL -------
From: [email protected] (Michael Frank)
Date: 07 Dec 97
Originally To: Rob Santilli 

Has he tried pushing his electrodes around using scanning probe microscope
tips?  These have sub-Angstrom precision.

-Mike Frank

Rob Santilli writes:
 >
 > A researcher into cancer was explaining to me his intracellular
 > experiments with microtubules which are around 2 microns in
 > diameter. He wants to test the electrical current across the length
 > of a microtubule but needs to insert an electrode positionable
 > within +/- 5nm !! Do you know if anything like this exists?? Can
 > you help him out??
 >
 > Rob Santilli
 >
 > APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
 > 68 MILTON PARK
 > ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
 > TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
 > FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
 > WWW: http://www.aml.co.uk
 >
 >

APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
68 MILTON PARK
ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
WWW: http://www.aml.co.uk

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Reply-To: Rob Santilli 
To: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 13:58:38
Subject: RE: Impossible problem (fwd)
From: [email protected] (Rob Santilli)


FORWARDED MAIL -------
From: [email protected] ("Robert Thomas")
Date: 08 Dec 97
Originally To: Rob Santilli 

The only people I know with equipment that might do this are the people
at Queensgate Instruments (an Imperial College, London spinoff I believe).
Queensgate is at Silwood Park, Ascot. The number which I have (could be
old) is 01990 872 387.

Regards,
Robert Thomas
SRI Consulting
[email protected]
tel: +44 181 256 1406
fax: +44 181 760 0635


santilli wrote:
>
>A researcher into cancer was explaining to me his intracellular
>experiments with microtubules which are around 2 microns in
>diameter. He wants to test the electrical current across the length
>of a microtubule but needs to insert an electrode positionable
>within +/- 5nm !! Do you know if anything like this exists?? Can
>you help him out??
>
>Rob Santilli
>
>APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
>68 MILTON PARK
>ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
>TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
>FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
>WWW: http://www.aml.co.uk
>
>
>
>RFC822 header
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>Reply-To: Rob Santilli 
>Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 18:48:15
>Subject: Impossible problem
>From: [email protected] (Rob Santilli)
>To: [email protected]
>X-URL: http://mems.isi.edu/mems.html
>


APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
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ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
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Reply-To: Rob Santilli 
To: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 13:58:27
Subject: Re: Impossible problem (fwd)
From: [email protected] (Rob Santilli)


FORWARDED MAIL -------
From: [email protected] ("Mikrostruktur-Initiative NRW")
Date: 09 Dec 97
Originally To: "Rob Santilli" 

Hello,

we have forwarded your request to Dr. Volker Klocke, c/o Klocke & Kleindiek
Nanotechnologie. The "Impossible problem" has already been solved by using
the so-called Nanomotor - as far as we know exactly for this kind of task.

Should Dr. Klocke not have contacted you meanwhile please let us know so
that we can send him a reminder.

Best regards,

Helge Bohlmann





Mikrostruktur-Initiative
c/o IVAM NRW e.V.
Emil-Figge-Str. 76
44 227 Dortmund

Germany

Tel.: +49 231 9742 168
Fax:  +49 231 9742 150
http://www.ivamnrw.com

----------
> Von: Rob Santilli 
> An: [email protected]
> Betreff: Impossible problem
> Datum: Mittwoch, 3. Dezember 1997 19:48
>
>
> A researcher into cancer was explaining to me his intracellular
> experiments with microtubules which are around 2 microns in
> diameter. He wants to test the electrical current across the length
> of a microtubule but needs to insert an electrode positionable
> within +/- 5nm !! Do you know if anything like this exists?? Can
> you help him out??
>
> Rob Santilli
>
> APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
> 68 MILTON PARK
> ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
> TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
> FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
> WWW: http://www.aml.co.uk
>
>

APPLIED MICROENGINEERING LTD
68 MILTON PARK
ABINGDON, OXON, OX14 4RX, UK
TEL: +44 (0)1235 833 934
FAX: +44 (O)1235 833 935
WWW: http://www.aml.co.uk

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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Reply-To: Rob Santilli 
To: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 13:59:50
Subject: Re: Impossible problem (fwd)
From: [email protected] (Rob Santilli)


FORWARDED MAIL -------
From: [email protected] ("John Alderman")
Date: 05 Dec 97
Originally To: "Rob Santilli" 

Hi Rob

Could make an interesting academic like problem ?

Get away with the two electrodes pre deposited / defined on a single probe
then manipulate this by say pizo pushers that have this sort of resolution
- as used on afm set ups etc.  Looks like a special afm tip to be made and
there are lots of options for that.  In situ electrochemical afm probe kits
are now becoming more common and could act as a base station.

Wearing an academic / R&D hat could be something for the nmrc to look at if
they have got either a long lead time and / or bit of cash for a joint
project.  Will he just take these idea's and run ?

I can talk to him if like.
John