Structure and Composition of Insulin Fibril Surfaces Probed by TERS

Amyloid fibrils associated with many neurodegenerative diseases are the most intriguing targets of modern structural biology. Significant knowledge has been accumulated about the morphology and fibril-core structure recently. However, no conventional methods could probe the fibril surface despite its significant role in the biological activity. Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) offers a unique opportunity to characterize the surface structure of an individual fibril due to a high depth and lateral spatial resolution of the method in the nanometer range. Herein, TERS is utilized for characterizing the secondary structure and amino acid residue composition of the surface of insulin fibrils. It was found that the surface is strongly heterogeneous and consists of clusters with various protein conformations. More than 30% of the fibril surface is dominated by β-sheet secondary structure, further developing Dobson's model of amyloid fibrils (Jimenez et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2002 , 99 , 9196 - 9201 ). The propensity of various amino acids to be on the fibril surface and specific surface secondary structure elements were evaluated. β-sheet areas are rich in cysteine and aromatic amino acids, such as phenylalanine and tyrosine, whereas proline was found only in α-helical and unordered protein clusters. In addition, we showed that carboxyl, amino, and imino groups are nearly equally distributed over β-sheet and α-helix/unordered regions. Overall, this study provides valuable new information about the structure and composition of the insulin fibril surface and demonstrates the power of TERS for fibril characterization.     

扫描探针显微技术在TiO2表面研究中的应用

对近年来扫描探针显微（SPM）技术（扫描隧道显微镜STM和原子力显微镜AFM）在TiO2表面的形貌、结构和物理化学性质研究中的应用进行了综述。     

Regulating the Interactions of Adsorbates on Surfaces by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Manipulation

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) manipulation has received wide attention in the surface science community since the pioneering work of Eigler to construct surface nanostructures in an atom by atom fashion. Lots of scientists have been inspired and devoted to study the surface issues with the help of STM manipulations and great achievements have been obtained. In this Minireview, we mainly describe the recent progress in applying STM manipulations to regulate the inter‐adsorbate and adsorbate–substrate interactions on solid surfaces. It was shown that this technique could not only differentiate intermolecular interactions but also construct molecular nanostructures by regulating different kinds of inter‐adsorbate interactions or adsorbate–substrate interactions.     

扫描探针显微镜在纳米加工中的应用

扫描探针显微镜不仅能对材料表面形貌进行原子级观测，还能够对单个的分子、原子及纳米粒子进行操纵。本文综述了扫描探针显微镜在纳米加工中对自组装单层膜的扫描探针刻蚀以及“蘸写笔”两方面的应用情况。     

液/固界面多肽分子组装精细结构的扫描隧道显微镜研究

介绍了与蛋白构象病相关的淀粉样多肽分子组装结构的研究进展.综述了在固体、溶液以及界面等不同状态下多肽分子组装结构的表征方法,对于扫描隧道显微技术(STM)在解析多肽分子界面组装结构方面的研究进展进行了重点评述,主要包括在液/固界面上的多肽分子组装结构的精细特征,界面诱导的多肽构象转变,调节分子、染料等与多肽组装结构的相互作用模式和位点识别等.     

Scanning Probe Microscopy and Spectroscopy of CVD Diamond Films

 The surface morphology and electronic properties of as-deposited CVD diamond films and the diamond films which have been subjected to boron ion implantation or hydrogen plasma etching have been systematically studied by high resolution scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. AFM and STM image observations have shown that (a) both the as-deposited CVD diamond films and the boron ion implanted films exhibit similar hillock morphologies on (100) crystal faces and these surface features are formed during the deposition process; (b) boron ion implantation does not cause a discernible increase in surface roughness; (c) atomic flatness can be achieved on crystal faces by hydrogen plasma etching of the film surface. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy analysis has indicated that (a) the as-deposited diamond films and the hydrogen plasma etched diamond films possess typical p-type semiconductor surface electronic properties; (b) the as-deposited diamond films subjected to boron implantation exhibit surface electronic properties which change from p-type semiconducting behaviour to metallic behaviour; (c) the damage in the boron implanted diamond films is restricted to the surface layers since the electronic properties revert to p-type on depth profiling.     

扫描探针纳米加工技术的现状与发展趋势

介绍了扫描探针纳米加工技术的基本原理、应用前景和最新进展 ,并讨论了该技术的发展趋势     

Fast Li-ion Storage and Dynamics in TiO2 Nanoparticle Clusters Probed by Smart Scanning Electrochemical Cell Microscopy

Anatase TiO₂ is a promising material for Li-ion (Li⁺) batteries with fast charging capability. However, Li⁺ (de)intercalation dynamics in TiO₂ remain elusive and reported diffusivities span many orders of magnitude. Here, we develop a smart protocol for scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) with in situ optical microscopy (OM) to enable the high-throughput charge/discharge analysis of single TiO₂ nanoparticle clusters. Directly probing active nanoparticles revealed that TiO₂ with a size of ≈50 nm can store over 30 % of the theoretical capacity at an extremely fast charge/discharge rate of ≈100 C. This finding of fast Li⁺ storage in TiO₂ particles strengthens its potential for fast-charging batteries. More generally, smart SECCM-OM should find wide applications for high-throughput electrochemical screening of nanostructured materials.     

Atomic-Scale Insights into Electrode Surface Dynamics by High-Speed Scanning Probe Microscopy

Atomic-scale processes at electrode surfaces in liquid electrolytes are central elemental steps of electrochemical reactions. Detailed insights into the structure of these interfaces can be obtained with in situ scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy. By increasing the time resolution of these methods into the millisecond range, highly dynamic processes at electrode surfaces become directly observable. This review gives an overview of in situ studies with video-rate scanning probe microscopy techniques. Firstly, quantitative investigations into the dynamic behaviour of individual adsorbed atoms and molecules are described. These reveal a complex dependence of adsorbate surface diffusion on potential and co-adsorbed species and provide data on adsorbate–adsorbate and adsorbate–substrate interactions in a liquid environment. Secondly, results on collective dynamic phenomena are discussed, such as molecular self-assembly, the dynamics of nanoscale structures, nucleation and growth, and surface restructuring due to phase-formation processes.     

扫描探针显微镜在导电聚合物研究中的应用

扫描探针显微镜在导电聚合物研究中的应用;扫描探针显微镜;导电聚合物;综述     

Aromatic Azide Transformation on the Ag(111) Surface Studied by Scanning Probe Microscopy

Chemical transformation of 9‐azidophenanthrene on the Ag(111) surface was studied by nc‐AFM in UHV. High‐resolution imaging supported by first‐principle calculations revealed the structure of the final products that originated from a common and elusive 9‐phenanthryl nitrenoid intermediate chemisorbed on the Ag(111) surface. A formal nitrene insertion into the C?H bond along with its dimerisation and hydrogenation were identified as main reaction channels. Thus, the ability of aryl azides to form covalent σ‐ and π‐bonds between their transformation products on a solid surface was demonstrated at a single‐molecule level.     

Stressed Corrosion of an Austenitic Stainless Steel Studied by Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

Under the ambient temperature (25°C) and pressure (one Standard Atmospheric Pressure) conditions, surface Volta potential of an austenitic stainless steel was measured using the Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM) to study its stressed-related corrosion behavior in a 0.5 M chloride solution. In an oxygen and water regulated environment (using a glovebox), the steel shows a map of Volta potentials with high contrasts among the different grains and grain boundaries, which was then linked to the actual corrosion potential (w.r.t. a saturated calomel electrode) based on a rigorous calibration procedure. Corrosion behavior of the steel under tensile stress was then compared to that of the same sample under no tensile stress in light of the measured Volta potential, which was found to be sensitive to the level of applied tensile stress, although the tested stainless steel in general is known for its high corrosion-resident capability. According to this study, surface Volta potential measured by SKPFM can be used as a high-accuracy indicator for localized corrosion of steels.     

扫描探针显微术在巯醇自组装单分子膜纳米刻蚀中的应用

介绍了近十年来扫描探针显微术(SPM)在巯醇自组装单分子膜纳米刻蚀中的应用. 依据扫描探针的工作原理, 依次讨论了扫描隧道显微镜、原子力显微镜和导电原子力显微镜的工作特点和适用范围. 同时也讨论了自组装单分子膜纳米刻蚀术在生物分子传感器、超高密度信息存储等领域的应用前景.     

Defect-induced Surface and Interface Reconstruction in Novel Two-dimensional Materials Revealed by Low Voltage Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

Two-dimensional(2 D) materials attracted substantial attention due to their extraordinary physical properties resulting from the unique atomic thickness. 2 D materials could be considered as material systems with flat surfaces at both sides, while the van der Waals gap is a natural out-of-plane interface between two monolayers. However, defects are inevitably presented and often cause significant surface and interface reconstruction, which modify the physical properties of the materials being investigated. In this review article, we reviewed the effort achieved in probing the defect structures and the reconstruction of surface and interface in novel 2 D materials through aberration corrected low voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy(LVSTEM). The LVSTEM technique enables us to unveil the intrinsic atomic structure of defects atom-by-atom, and even directly visualize the dynamical reconstruction process with single atom precision. The effort in understanding the defect structures and their contributions in the surface and interface reconstructions in 2 D materials shed light on the origin of their novel physical phenomenon, and also pave the way for defect engineering in future potential applications.     

Catalytic Activity of Alkali Metal Cations for the Chemical Oxygen Reduction Reaction in a Biphasic Liquid System Probed by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

Chemical reduction of dioxygen in organic solvents for the production of reactive oxygen species or the concomitant oxidation of organic substrates can be enhanced by the separation of products and educts in biphasic liquid systems. Here, the coupled electron and ion transfer processes is studied as well as reagent fluxes across the liquid|liquid interface for the chemical reduction of dioxygen by decamethylferrocene (DMFc) in a dichloroethane-based organic electrolyte forming an interface with an aqueous electrolyte containing alkali metal ions. This interface is stabilized at the orifice of a pipette, across which a Galvani potential difference is externally applied and precisely adjusted to enforce the transfer of different alkali metal ions from the aqueous to the organic electrolyte. The oxygen reduction is followed by H₂O₂ detection in the aqueous phase close to the interface by a microelectrode of a scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM). The results prove a strong catalytic effect of hydrated alkali metal ions on the formation rate of H₂O₂, which varies systematically with the acidity of the transferred alkali metal ions in the organic phase.     

基于扫描探针显微术的微区光电性质测试方法和装置

本文以一台常规的Aglient 5500型的扫描探针显微镜为基础,通过配置光源及聚焦系统、研制光强度自动控制部件、研制样品台等方法将太阳光模拟器发射的光引入样品的探针扫描区域,开发了利用扫描探针显微镜原位测试太阳能电池材料微区光电性质的功能。光电性质的测试过程可在手套箱内进行,解决了有机半导体容易吸收空气中的水和氧而失效的问题。     

罗丹明标记的磷脂分子聚集态的光谱与AFM研究

在不同表面压的ＬＢ膜上,应用光谱学和原子力显微镜学研究了由罗丹明标记的磷脂分子形成的多种聚集态．这些分子聚集态使光谱的峰值位移,谱带加宽．ＡＦＭ的形貌图进一步说明了膦脂单分子膜的不均一性．根据激子理论,以４５°取向角存在的罗丹明染料聚集体更符合－Ａ曲线．