This book focuses on recent advances in the rapidly evolving field of single molecule research. These advances are of importance for the investigation of biopolymers and cellular biochemical reactions, and are essential to the development of quantitative biology. Written by leading experts in the field, the articles cover a broad range of topics, including quantum photonics of organic dyes and inorganic nanoparticles and monitoring of single molecule (enzymatic) reactions.

This book focuses on recent advances in the rapidly evolving field of single molecule research. These advances are of importance for the investigation of biopolymers and cellular biochemical reactions, and are essential to the development of quantitative biology. Written by leading experts in the field, the articles cover a broad range of topics, including quantum photonics of organic dyes and inorganic nanoparticles and monitoring of single molecule (enzymatic) reactions.

Single-molecule studies constitute a distinguishable category of focused - search in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This book is dedicated to the - troduction of recent advances on single-molecule studies. It will be illustrated that studying single molecules is both intellectually and technologically ch- lenging, and also o?ers vast potential in opening up new scienti?c frontiers. We wish to present the readers with several di?erent techniques for studying single molecules, such as electron-tunneling methods, interaction-force m- surement techniques, optical spectroscopy, plus a number of directions where further progress could be pursued. We hope the work may assist the readers, especially graduate students and those who wish to explore single molecules, to become familiarized with the pace of the progress in this ?eld and the relevant primary techniques. Due to limitation of space, we are not able to elaborate on the technical details of all of the experimental methods that are vital in single molecule studies, so introductions to only selected experimental methods are touched in the context. Since the technical details and theoretical analysis of these techniqueshavealreadybeenthoroughlycoveredinmanyliteratures,weonly provide introductions to the basic principles of the detection techniques here, and focus on their experimental achievements in the area of single-molecule studies. These techniques have proven to be highly e?ective when indep- dently used. The combinationof those techniques could lead to further - vances in the detection capabilities.

This book provides an interesting snapshot of recent advances in the field of single molecule nanosensing. The ability to sense single molecules, and to precisely monitor and control their motion is crucial to build a microscopic understanding of key processes in nature, from protein folding to chemical reactions. Recently a range of new techniques have been developed that allow single molecule sensing and control without the use of fluorescent labels. This volume provides an overview of recent advances that take advantage of micro- and nanoscale sensing technologies and provide the prospect for rapid future progress. The book endeavors to provide basic introductions to key techniques, recent research highlights, and an outlook on big challenges in the field and where it will go in future. It is a valuable contribution to the field of single molecule nanosensing and it will be of great interest to graduates and researchers working in this topic.

An increasing number of technologies are being used to detect minute quantities of biomolecules and cells. However, it can be difficult to determine which technologies show the most promise for high-sensitivity and low-limit detection in different applications. Microfluidics and Nanotechnology: Biosensing to the Single Molecule Limit details proven approaches for the detection of single cells and even single molecules—approaches employed by the world’s foremost microfluidics and nanotechnology laboratories. While similar books concentrate only on microfluidics or nanotechnology, this book focuses on the combination of soft materials (elastomers and other polymers) with hard materials (semiconductors, metals, and glass) to form integrated detection systems for biological and chemical targets. It explores physical and chemical—as well as contact and noncontact—detection methods, using case studies to demonstrate system capabilities. Presenting a snapshot of the current state of the art, the text: Explains the theory behind different detection techniques, from mechanical resonators for detecting cell density to fiber-optic methods for detecting DNA hybridization, and beyond Examines microfluidic advances, including droplet microfluidics, digital microfluidics for manipulating droplets on the microscale, and more Highlights an array of technologies to allow for a comparison of the fundamental advantages and challenges of each, as well as an appreciation of the power of leveraging scalability and integration to achieve sensitivity at low cost Microfluidics and Nanotechnology: Biosensing to the Single Molecule Limit not only serves as a quick reference for the latest achievements in biochemical detection at the single-cell and single-molecule levels, but also provides researchers with inspiration for further innovation and expansion of the field.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the rapidly developing field of molecular electronics. It focuses on our present understanding of the electrical conduction in single-molecule circuits and provides a thorough introduction to the experimental techniques and theoretical concepts. It will also constitute as the first textbook-like introduction to both the experiment and theory of electronic transport through single atoms and molecules. In this sense, this publication will prove invaluable to both researchers and students interested in the field of nanoelectronics and nanoscience in general. Molecular Electronics is self-contained and unified in its presentation. It may be used as a textbook on nanoelectronics by graduate students and advanced undergraduates studying physics and chemistry. In addition, included are previously unpublished material that will help researchers gain a deeper understanding into the basic concepts involved in the field of molecular electronics.

Mechanical Properties of Single Molecules and Polymer Aggregates Rüdiger Berger, Kurt Binder, Gregor Diezemann, Jürgen Gauß, Mark Helm, Katharina Landfester, Wolfgang Paul (Halle), Peter Virnau. Optical Properties of Individual Molecular Aggregates and Nano Particles Thomas Basché, Hans-Jürgen Butt, Gregor Diezemann, Jürgen Gauß, Klaus Müllen, Harald Paulsen, Carsten Sönnichsen, Rudolf Zentel. Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks I: Self-assembly of Copolymers Kurt Binder, Holger Frey, Andreas Kilbinger (Univ. Fribourg), Ute Kolb, Michael Maskos (IMM Mainz), Wolfgang Paul (Univ. Halle), Hans Wolfgang Spiess. Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks II: Complex Polymer Architectures Kurt Binder, Hans Jürgen Butt, Angelika Kühnle, Klaus Müllen, Wolfgang Paul (Univ. Halle), Erwin Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Hans Wolfgang Spiess, Thomas Vilgis. Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks III: Polymer Complexes in Biological Applications Kurt Kremer, Heiko Luhmann, Christine Peter, Friederike Schmid, Erwin Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Eva Sinner (Univ. of Natural Resources, Vienna), Tanja Weil (Univ. Ulm).