Using their technique, the team imaged an array of
tiny gold dots with a resolution of 75 nanometers — not anywhere near the resolution of top - notch crystalline samples, which can be hundreds of times finer, but already better than the best optical microscopes.
By programming cells to produce different types of curli fibers under certain conditions, the researchers were able to control the biofilms» properties and create
gold nanowires, conducting biofilms, and films studded with quantum
dots, or
tiny crystals that exhibit quantum mechanical properties.