Magnetotaxis for nanofabrication

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), discovered in early 1970s contain single-domain crystals of magnetite (Fe
₃
O
₄
) or greigite (Fe
₃
S
₄
) called magnetosomes ranging from 35 to 120 nm in size. These crystals tend to form a chain like structure from the proximal to the distal pole along the long axis of the cell and align through an acidic protein mamJ to the bacterial cytoskeleton filament made out of actin-like protein mamK. The ability of these bacteria to sense the magnetic field, also called magnetotaxis, arises from the magnetic dipole moment of the entire chain of magnetosomes acting as a large magnet. Such organisms being facultatively anaerobic are able to sense the geomagnetic field and traverse the oxic-anoxic interface in aquatic habitats for optimal oxygen concentrations. Two aspects that are of particular interest are their phenomenal control of direction using magnetic field as well as the efficient displacement of selective nanoparticles. We aim to understand the efficacies of Magnetospirillum magneticum (AMB-1) in miniaturized semiconductor fabrication utilizing single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.