2025 AIChE Annual Meeting

(151h) From Heterogeneous Ensembles to Molecular Precision: A Vision for Carbon Nanotube Engineering

Authors

Shoichi Nishitani - Presenter, University of California, Berkeley
Zirun Liang, University of California, Berkeley
Markita Landry, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) offer a unique opportunity to probe biological systems at the molecular level due to their near-infrared fluorescence and nanometer-scale dimensions. However, current applications rely on ensembles of chemically modified nanotubes with heterogeneous properties—such as variable lengths, chiralities, and functional group densities—imposing fundamental limitations on the performance, reproducibility, and interpretability of nanotube-based technologies. This inherent heterogeneity presents a major bottleneck across a wide range of applications, from sensing to imaging to therapeutics. My research aims to overcome this limitation by engineering SWCNTs at the level of individual particles, achieving molecular-scale uniformity in both structure and function.

In recent work, I established a stochastic adsorption model of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) onto SWCNTs and developed a bio-inspired magnetic separation strategy to isolate singly functionalized nanotubes at batch scale [1]. By precisely tuning the ratio of functionalized to unmodified ssDNA, I achieved a population of SWCNTs bearing exactly one molecular tag with up to 99% purity, as confirmed by fluorescence-based single-molecule quantification. This methodology enables molecular-level counting and establishes a foundation for the development of intracellular and in vivo single-molecule imaging technologies.

Looking forward, my research vision is to build advanced near-infrared molecular imaging probes through deterministic control of SWCNT chirality, length, and molecular functionalization. These precision-engineered nanomaterials will serve as a new generation of nano-optical platforms, enabling real-time, single-molecule imaging in complex biological environments. By transforming carbon nanotubes from statistical ensembles into fully defined optical nanodevices, I aim to advance molecular imaging toward a new paradigm of molecular precision.

Reference

[1] Nishitani et al., ChemRxiv. 2024.