ELECTROCHEMBOTS · MAGNETOELECTRIC CHEMONANOROBOTICS FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

The ability to generate electric fields at small scales is becoming increasingly important in many fields of research including plasmonics-based sensing, micro- and nanofabrication, microfluidics and spintronics. The localized generation of electrical fields at extremely small scales has the potential to revolutionize conventional methods of electrically stimulating cells. The objective of this proposal is the development of miniaturized untethered devices capable of delivering electric currents to cells for the stimulation of their vital functions. To this end, we propose the construction of micro- and nanoscale magnetoelectric structures that can be triggered using external magnetic fields. These small devices will consist of composite hybrid structures containing piezoelectric and magnetostrictive layers. By applying an oscillating magnetic field in the presence of a DC bias field, the magnetostrictive element will deform, thereby generating stress in a piezoelectric shell, which in turn will become electrically polarized. Small devices capable of wirelessly generating electric fields offer an innovative way of studying the electrical and electrochemical stimulation of cells. For example, by concentrating electric fields at specific locations in a cell, the behavior of protein membrane components such as cell adhesion molecules or transport proteins can be altered to modulate the stiction of proliferating cells or ion channel gating kinetics.