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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Aug 5.
Published in final edited form as: Wiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol. 2010 Mar-Apr;2(2):151–161. doi: 10.1002/wnan.76

FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1

Nanoknife for microscale axon cutting. (a) Schematic planar view of microsuspension and cutting shell microassembled into a nanoknife. Black arrow, serpentine flexures acting as compliant microsuspension. White arrow, 1-μm thick silicon nitride cutting shell. Footprint of entire structure is 1 mm2. (b) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) view of pyramidal shaped cutting shell with apex serving as cutting edge (scale = 20 μm). (c) SEM showing cutting edge with an ~20 nm radius of curvature (scale = 100 nm). (d) Image of assembled nanokife (scale = 200 μm). (e) Nanoknife mounted at an angle to a rod and held by a micromanipulator (not in view). For axon cutting in vitro, the nanoknife is positioned and angled, so that its planar footprint is parallel to the cell culture dish. The cutting stroke is executed as a downward movement delivered via the micromanipulator (scale = 500 μm). (f) Examples of cuts made by a nanoknife in an unmyelinated axon (arrow) and a myelinated axon (arrowhead) (scale = 25 μm).