Temperature is a significant factor in determining and characterizing cellular metabolism and other biochemical activities. In this study, we provide a brief overview of two important technologies used to monitor the local temperatures of individual living cells: fluorescence nano-thermometry and an array of micro-/nano-sized thin-film thermocouples. We explain some key technical issues that must be addressed and optimised for further practical applications, such as in cell biology, drug selection, and novel antitumor therapy. We also offer a method for combining them into a hybrid measuring system.

An electrostatic potential well may be applied to trap and manipulate charged micro- and nanoparticles. An electrostatic potential well obtained from a certain charge distribution may be used to mimic the electrostatic interactions among biomolecules in live biosystems. In this study, we present a simulation study on the trapping performance of dipole clusters, which are arranged in 10 nm-sized, pentagon-shaped structures in a saline solution. The influence of electrostatic energy, entropy, and van der Waals interaction on the trapping performance of these nanostructures is then systematically calculated. The results show that the electrostatic potential well system demonstrated a moderate trapping capability, which could be enhanced using van der Waals interactions. The entropy significantly contributes to the trapping capability. This study offers some ideas for developing practical biomimetic electrostatic tweezers and nanorobots working in an ionic solution.