LLNL researchers have developed an approach to form silicon carbide (and diamond) nanoneedles using plasma etching that create micro pillars followed by chemical etching of the pillars in forming gas containing hydrogen and nitrogen. Combining these two etching processes allow for fabrication of micro- and nanoneedles that are thinner and sharper than conventionally fabricated needles.

LLNL’s high throughput method involves proteome-wide screening for linear B-cell epitopes using native proteomes isolated from a pathogen of interest and convalescent sera from immunized animals.