A new three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) compliant parallel manipulator (CPM) has been proposed for 3-D nanomanipulation in this paper. The system is constructed by a proper selection of components, and analyzed via the established pseudo-rigid-body model, based upon which the kinematic modelings are performed, and the CPM workspace is determined in view of the physical constraints. One of the adv...

In tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) the highly nonlinear tip-sample interaction gives rise to a complicated dynamics of the microcantilever. Apart from the well-known bistability under typical imaging conditions the system exhibits a complex dynamics at small average tip-sample distances, which are typical operation conditions for mechanical dynamic nanomanipulation. In order to inves...

This paper presents the design and development of a high-voltage charge-feedback amplifier for controlling the displacement of piezoelectric devices to account for hysteresis. In particular, we discuss the details of the design and characterize the performance of the amplifier in terms of output power, bandwidth, and reduction of hysteresis for an experimental piezoactuator. We note that charge...

Direct in situ TEM evidence is presented for a mechanically-induced increase in sp bond content in the tribolayers formed on near-frictionless carbon (NFC) films. An in situ TEM nanomanipulation holder is used to perform sliding experiments between a nano-sized tungsten probe and electron transparent NFC samples. Electron energy loss spectra (EELS) were acquired between sliding events to show a...

During transcription initiation, RNA polymerase (RNAP) binds to promoter DNA, unwinds promoter DNA to form an RNAP-promoter open complex (RPo) containing a single-stranded 'transcription bubble,' and selects a transcription start site (TSS). TSS selection occurs at different positions within the promoter region, depending on promoter sequence and initiating-substrate concentration. Variability ...

Experimental results that provide new insights into nanomanipulation phenomena are presented. Reliable and accurate positioning of colloidal nanoparticles on a surface is achieved by pushing them with the tip of an atomic force microscope under control of software that compensates for instrument errors. Mechanical pushing operations can be monitored in real time by acquiring simultaneously the ...

In this paper, dynamic behavior of nanoparticle motion during nanoprobe-based manipulation is investigated. Pushing, pulling or picking manipulation of the particles results in different behavior of rolling, sliding, sticking, or rotation. For a given point of contact of the nanoprobe tip on the particle, nanoprobe load magnitude and direction and critical frictional forces are obtained in all ...

Gold is a noble metal that, in comparison with silver and copper, has the advantage of corrosion resistance. Despite its high conductivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility, gold exhibits high plasticity, which limits its applications in some nanodevices. Here, we report an experimental and theoretical study on how to attain enhanced mechanical stability of gold nanotips. The gold tips w...

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) has seen tremendous changes in the past decades. The dramatic increase in computing power and understanding of human communication channels has had a significant impact on traditional HCI fields such as virtual reality and computer vision. At the same time, new interaction paradigms have been developed. The need for a more interactive experience in interacting w...

The smallness of natural molecules and atoms with respect to the wavelength of light imposes severe limits on the nature of their optical response. For example, the well-known argument of Landau and Lifshitz and its recent extensions that include chiral molecules show that the electric dipole response dominates over the magneto-electric (bianisotropic) and an even smaller magnetic dipole optica...