Nanoscience expert Dr. Chad Mirkin delivered a presentation on March 6, 2012 at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) located in Arlington, Virginia, as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of AFOSR.
Professor Mirkin is recognized for his inventions that include nanoparticle-based biodetection systems, dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) and spherical nucleic acids, and for his contributions to nanooptics, nanoelectronics and supramolecular chemistry. He founded three nanotechnology-based companies and has authored more than 480 manuscripts. He owns more than 440 patents and applications.
In his presentation, Dr. Mirkin discussed the history and current efforts taking place in the ever-growing nanotechnology field. He praised AFOSR outreach efforts in the presentation and thanked for the financial support provided by AFOSR in making him realize his out-of-the box concepts. Dr. Mirkin has been receiving funds from AFOSR since 1997. He was pioneer in the DPN field, where nanoscale patterns and structures are created by drawing molecules straightaway onto a substrate using the tip of an atomic force microscope.
Dr. Mirkin has drastically advanced his DPN process since 1999, leading to the development of a new technique called the polymer pen lithography (PPN) technology, which enables a massively parallel DPN capability to perform a mask-free, high-output and high-resolution nanofabrication.
Dr. Mirkin discussed an ongoing program that focuses on programmable atoms, which use spherical nucleic acids to efficiently produce novel crystal structures. Spherical nucleic acids are coated spherical particles with a dense highly oriented DNA layer. Diagnostic tests based on these particles can screen biological and chemical markets and accurately read intercellular genetic content of living cells, in real time.
Dr. Mirkin also discussed the invention and advancement of on-wire lithography (OWL), a process of performing lithography over a nanowire. OWL can selectively generate disk architectures and gaps along the nanowire axis. The technique is useful for designing and producing innovative disk arrays with optimized Raman hot spots, for the taggant and labeling processes of biological systems, and for the development of catalytic nano-rotors.
Source: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFRL/afosr/