Control of Noise in Chemical and Biochemical Information Processing

We review models and approaches for error-control in order to prevent the buildup of noise when gates for digital chemical and biomolecular computing based on (bio)chemical reaction processes are utilized to realize stable, scalable networks for information processing. Solvable rate-equation models illustrate several recently developed methodologies for gate-function optimization. We also survey future challenges and possible new research avenues.Comment: 39 pages, 8 figures, PD

Electrochemistry: A basic and powerful tool for micro- and nanomotor fabrication and characterization

Electrochemistry, although an ancient field of knowledge, has become of paramount importance in the synthesis of materials at the nanoscale, with great interest not only for fundamental research but also for practical applications. One of the promising fields in which electrochemistry meets nanoscience and nanotechnology is micro/nanoscale motors. Micro/nano motors, which are devices able to perform complex tasks at the nanoscale, are commonly multifunctional nanostructures of different materials - metals, polymers, oxides- and shapes -spheres, wires, helices- with the ability to be propelled in fluids. Here, we first introduce the topic of micro/nanomotors and make a concise review of the field up to day. We have analyzed the field from different points of view (e.g. materials science and nanotechnology, physics, chemistry, engineering, biology or environmental science) to have a broader view of how the different disciplines have contributed to such exciting and impactful topic. After that, we focus our attention on describing what electrochemical technology is and how it can be successfully used to fabricate and characterize micro/nanostructures composed of different materials and showing complex shapes. Finally, we will review the micro and nanomotors fabricated using electrochemical techniques with applications in biomedicine and environmental remediation, the two main applications investigated so far in this field. Thus, different strategies have thus been shown capable of producing core-shell nanomaterials combining the properties of different materials, multisegmented nanostructures made of, for example, alternating metal and polymer segments to confer them with flexibility or helicoidal systems to favor propulsion. Moreover, further functionalization and interaction with other materials to form hybrid and more complex objects is also shown

Adaptive nanowire\u2013nanotube bioelectronic system for on-demand bioelectrocatalytic transformations

An integrated nanobioelectronic system, exploiting the distinct properties of nanowires and carbon-nanotubes, has been designed for triggering reversibly and on-demand bioelectrocatalytic transformations of alcohols

On-demand protection of electrochemical sensors based on adaptive nanowires

We report here on the use of adaptive nanowires for addressing the key surface fouling problem of electrochemical sensors. Effective resistance against surfactant fouling is obtained by switching magnetically the surface orientation of alkanethiol-coated gold nanowires (containing a short nickel segment) between horizontal and vertical positions to allow the transducer to perform the measurement and reset it to the protection mode between successive measurements. This leads to "opening" and "closing" of the surface and hence switching between active (sensing) and passive (protection) modes. Such on-demand protection and minimization of surface-fouling are indicated from prolonged series of stripping-voltammetric measurements of cadmium in the presence of gelatin, albumin, or Tween80. Factors influencing the protective action of the adaptive nanowires, including the length of the alkanethiol layer or of the gold/nickel segments were examined and optimized. Such on-demand protection capability should facilitate practical sensing applications of electrochemical devices