Research Areas
He pioneered research on electrical contact with single atoms and molecules, light emission and molecular imaging using STM. His accomplishments include the first STM-manipulation of molecules at room temperature, the realization of molecular abacus using buckyballs (C60), the discovery of single molecule rotors and the development of nanomechanical sensors based on nanotechnology, which explore the ultimate limits of sensitivity and measurement.
Recently, he discovered a new method to synthesize carbon nanotubes more regular in diameter and length. His current interests within CNSI are in the Nanoarchitectonics of molecular systems and molecular and biomolecular machines, in particular those with quantum mechanical possibilities for information processing.
Recently, he has undertaken research in biophysics, which he calls sonocytology. With UCLA graduate student Andrew Pelling, Gimzewski published sonocytology's debut report in the August 2004 issue of Science magazine. In the sonocytology studies, a Bioscope AFM (atomic force microscope) was modified to be able to detect the vibrations of the cell wall of a living cell. These vibrations, once amplified using computer software, created audible sound, and it was discovered that cancerous cells emit a slightly different sound than healthy cells do. Gimzewski and Pelling hope that sonocytology may someday have applications in early cancer detection and diagnosis.
Read more about this topic: James Gimzewski
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