Nanofibers Protrude from a Polymer Surface, Image #2

This image, submitted by Julio M. D'Arcy, Erik C. Dreaden, and Paula T. Hammond at the Koch Institute, shows sea anemone-like nanofibers protruding out of a polymer surface.

"This image shows electrically conducting plastic nanofibers that can serve as a scaffold for probing cellular growth. These nanofibers can puncture a cell and can be used to inject them with a variety of chemicals that are capable of killing them. I collected this image in order to study the interaction between a porous polymeric nanofibrillar surface and human cancer breast cells. [It is] part of subset of experiments geared towards discovering biological applications for conducting polymer nanofibers."