Sculpted 3-D Microparticles Created

U.S. scientists have used ultraviolet light to sculpt 3-D microparticles, offering unprecedented control of size, shape and texture of the particles.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers said their new technique could have many applications in medical diagnostics and tissue engineering. For example, the particles could be designed to act as probes to detect certain molecules, such as DNA, or to release drugs or nutrients.

The scientists said the technique also allows researchers to design particles with specific chemical properties, such as porosity — a measure of the void space in a material that can affect how fast different molecules can diffuse through the particles.

With this method, you can rationally design particles, and precisely place chemical properties, said Associate Professor Patrick Doyle, one of the authors of the study.

The research is detailed in the journal Angewandte Chemie.