Micro- and Nano-Transport of Biomolecules

Description

This e-book introduces the reader to biomolecules and describes the experimental and theoretical aspects of their micro- and nano-scale motion in water. Particular emphasis is given to their transport in engineered micro-environments where they are driven by externally imposed electric fields. Envisaged application technologies of this wide-ranging science involve healthcare, food provisioning, environmental services, etc. The e-book is generally intended for undergraduate students studying chemical, life, physical and engineering sciences, and also interdisciplinary researchers.

Preface

The micro- and nano- transport of biomolecules is of interest to a wide range of scientific and engineering communities. Application areas include miniaturized technology that will support and advance key sectors, including healthcare, food provisioning, environment services, etc. This ebook is generally intended for undergraduate students from chemical, life and physical sciences wanting to find out about the basic properties of biomolecules and how they can be transported in liquids on the micro- to nano-scale. The e-book tends to be oriented towards engineering aspects, especially with the transport of biomolecules in micro-devices powered electrically. It is hoped it will also be useful for interdisciplinary researchers surveying the field of biomolecule transport.

Much of the book can be read with no more than high school level of science and mathematics and selected areas that require engineering mathematics can be omitted if need be. Vector notation for example has been deliberately omitted until Chapter 4. At the same time the more mathematical sections in Chapter 4 are expected to be useful for researchers entering this area of science.

Content

1. Introduction
   1. Motivation: biomolecules in scientific context
   2. Length scale of transport
   3. Biomolecule transport example: engineered microdevices
   4. Structure of this e-book
2. Biomolecules and their electrical properties
   1. Biomolecules in cells
   2. Biomolecules: structure and function
   3. Biomolecules: electrical properties
   4. Concluding remarks
3. Moving biomolecules using electric fi elds
   1. Electrophoresis
   2. Dielectrophoresis (DEP)
   3. Micro-environments for biomolecule transport
   4. Concluding remarks
4. Basic micro- and nano-transport
   1. Inertial, friction and sedimentation forces on single biomolecules
   2. Electromagnetic forces acting on single biomolecules
   3. Thermal fl uctuations
   4. Combining forces for predicting single bioparticle trajectory
   5. Langevin equation for a single bioparticle (biomolecule)
   6. Langevin equation stochastic integration and the modifi ed diffusion equation (MDE)
   7. Concluding remarks
5. Observing, quantifying and simulating electrically driven biomolecule microtransport
   1. Micro-device and experimental arrangement
   2. Observations and quantitative measurements
   3. Simulations of electrically driven biomolecule micro-transport
   4. Brief discussion of experiments and theory
   5. Concluding remarks
6. References
   1. General – selected books
   2. Research articles and other reading