The first ever 3D “plasmon ruler” has been unveiled by researchers in the US, Germany and France. Until now such nanoscale measuring devices were limited to measuring distances in just 1D, which meant that they could not be used to monitor 3D processes in biological and soft matter. The new sensor could come in handy for monitoring structural changes in biological samples such as protein folding and DNA interactions.

http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/46293