Single Molecule Cut & Paste

Bottom up assembly of functional molecular ensembles with novel properties emerging fromcomposition and arrangement of its constituents is a prime goal of nanotechnology. With the development of Single-Molecule Cut-and-Paste (SMC&P) we provided a platform technology for the assembly of biomolecules at surfaces.  It combines the Å-positioning precision of the AFM with the selectivity of DNA hybridization to pick individual molecules from a depot chip and allows to arrange them on a construction site one by one. Anchors and handles are typically composed of DNA, but alternatively a broad range ligand receptor systems may be employed.