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  • Where bio meets nano: the many uses for nanoporous aluminum oxide in biotechnology.

Where bio meets nano: the many uses for nanoporous aluminum oxide in biotechnology.

Biotechnology advances (2011-08-23)
Colin J Ingham, Jurjen ter Maat, Willem M de Vos
ABSTRACT

Porous aluminum oxide (PAO) is a ceramic formed by an anodization process of pure aluminum that enables the controllable assembly of exceptionally dense and regular nanopores in a planar membrane. As a consequence, PAO has a high porosity, nanopores with high aspect ratio, biocompatibility and the potential for high sensitivity imaging and diverse surface modifications. These properties have made this unusual material attractive to a disparate set of applications. This review examines how the structure and properties of PAO connect with its present and potential uses within research and biotechnology. The role of PAO is covered in areas including microbiology, mammalian cell culture, sensitive detection methods, microarrays and other molecular assays, and in creating new nanostructures with further uses within biology.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
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