Spinning disk-remote focusing microscopy.

Fast confocal imaging was achieved by combining remote focusing with differential spinning disk optical sectioning to rapidly acquire images of live samples at cellular resolution. Axial and lateral full width half maxima less than 5 µm and 490 nm respectively are demonstrated over 130 µm axial range with a 256 × 128 µm field of view. A water-index calibration slide was used to achieve an alignment that minimises image volume distortion.

High yield growth of patterned vertically aligned carbon nanotubes using inkjet-printed catalyst.

This study reports on the fabrication of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes localized at specific sites on a growth substrate by deposition of a nanoparticle suspension using inkjet printing. Carbon nanotubes were grown with high yield as vertically aligned forests to a length of approximately 400 μm. The use of inkjet printing for catalyst fabrication considerably improves the production rate of vertically aligned patterned nanotube forests compared with conventional patterning techniques, for example, electron beam lithography or photolithography.

Mechanical tomography of human corneocytes with a nanoneedle.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can image biological samples and characterize their mechanical properties. However, the low aspect ratio of standard AFM probes typically limits these measurements to surface properties. Here, the intracellular mechanical behavior of human corneocytes is determined using "nanoneedle" AFM probes.