Electrostatically Self-Assembled Multilayers of Chitosan and Xanthan Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy and Micro-Interferometry

The thickness and surface morphology of electrostatically self-assembled films of chitosan and xanthan (persistence length of ∼120nm) have been studied using dual-wavelength Reflection Interference Contrast Microscopy (DW-RICM) and tapping mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The multilayers were prepared at two ionic strengths (5mM and 150mM). When the multilayers were assembled at 150 mM a network like morphology was observed after one bilayer. This structure was found to be of large influence in the further growth of the multilayers, with the same kind of network structure being observed at all number of bilayers. A lack of swelling behaviour, as well as the network structure and the poresize of the network, is suggested to originate from the high chain stiffness of xanthan.     

Atomic Force Microscopy Studies of SnO2 Thin Film Microstruc tures Deposited by Atomic Layer Epitaxy

 ALE-grown, rutile-type SnO₂ thin films and gas sensor structures based thereupon were studied by AFM with main emphasis on cross-sectional investigations (X-AFM). On glass substrates the polycrystalline films showed a preferred orientation which depended on the film thickness and growth temperature while on single crystal sapphire () the growth was heteroepitaxial. For the X-AFM studies various sample preparation techniques were investigated but only ion beam etching gave satisfactory results and revealed substructures in the sensor structure consisting of Pt and SnO₂ layers on a silicon substrate.     

不同刺激条件下人外周血淋巴细胞超微结构与粘滞力的AFM分析

应用原子力显微镜（atomic force microscopy,AFM）探测了静息、脂多糖（LPS）或伴刀豆蛋白（ConA）活化的人外周血淋巴细胞的形态结构、超微结构及粘滞力特性。从AFM图像可知,经LPS或ConA刺激活化后的淋巴细胞比静息状态的淋巴细胞有所增大,并且表面分布着大小不一的颗粒状聚合物。利用AFM高空间分辨的力位移曲线测量系统,发现经LPS或ConA刺激活化后淋巴细胞的粘滞力是静息状态淋巴细胞的2~3倍。通过AFM探测淋巴细胞活化状态的可视化数据,可以更好地理解淋巴细胞的行为。     

ＧＳＨ-Ｃｄ（Ⅱ）、Ｃｕ（Ⅱ）配合物在硅片表面形貌的ＡＦＭ 分析

用原子力显微镜观察了谷胱甘肽-镉、铜配合物在硅片表面的形貌。低浓度时,谷胱甘肽-镉配合物主要以类球体颗粒无序地分散在基底表面,其表观高度和长度分别为(3.6±0.1) nm 和(60±10) nm 。随着浓度的增加,出现由小颗粒聚集而成的簇体。不同的缓冲溶液体系对谷胱甘肽-镉配合物的形貌无明显影响。谷胱甘肽-铜配合物首先由均匀的球体颗粒聚集成长链,然后岁链延伸方向的不同,形成类似于网状和线团状 2 种表面形貌,显示良好的方向性和均匀性。     

Interaction Forces Between Graphitic Carbon Black Surfaces Coated with Polymers Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Carbon black dispersions are stabilized using polymeric dispersants. The stabilization is provided by adsorbed polymer layers around surfaces through interaction forces. Therefore, it is valuable to measure the interaction forces between bare and polymer-coated surfaces using atomic force microscopy to predict the behavior of dispersions. Three polymeric dispersants (Hypermer LP1, Hypermer B246, and OLOA 11000) are used in the present work to disperse the graphitic carbon black particles in an organic solvent, decaline. Hypermer B246 and OLOA 11000 produced repulsive interactions and, hence, are effective stabilizers for carbon black surfaces. Hypermer LP1 produced attractive interactions, making it an ineffective stabilizer for carbon black. Attractive interactions were also observed in blank dispersions. The experimentally determined interaction curves are compared with theoretical curves, the Derjaguin approximation. The repulsive steric interactions are also analyzed quantitatively based on the Alexander and de Gennes scaling law.     

原子力显微镜在高分子领域的应用

原子力显微镜在其发现不久即应用于高分子领域,弥补了扫描隧显微镜不能观测非导电样品的缺欠,因而受到重视,应用范围也不断扩展。最近几年,原子力显微镜的应用已由对聚合物表面几何形貌的观测发展到深入研究高分子的米级结构和表面性能等新领域,并由此导出了若干新概念和新方法。本文仅对当前原子力显微镜应用于高分子和高分子材料研究的几个重要方面举例进行介绍。     

原子力显微镜在多糖结构研究中的进展

简述了原子力显微镜(AFM)的工作原理和特点,以及在多糖,特别是在淀粉结构研究中的进展。     

High-Yield Characterization of Single Molecule Interactions with DeepTipTM Atomic Force Microscopy Probes

Single molecule interactions between biotin and streptavidin were characterized with functionalized DeepTip^TM probes and used as a model system to develop a comprehensive methodology for the high-yield identification and analysis of single molecular events. The procedure comprises the covalent binding of the target molecule to a surface and of the sensing molecule to the DeepTip^TM probe, so that the interaction between both chemical species can be characterized by obtaining force–displacement curves in an atomic force microscope. It is shown that molecular resolution is consistently attained with a percentage of successful events higher than 90% of the total number of recorded curves, and a very low level of unspecific interactions. The combination of both features is a clear indication of the robustness and versatility of the proposed methodology.     

质膜微囊的分离及原子力显微镜研究

采用非去污剂在OptiPrep梯度中漂浮超声处理质膜的方法, 从鼠肺中分离质膜微囊, 在原子力显微镜下以不同条件进行了观察. 该非去污剂法能分离出完整的质膜微囊, 在去离子水稀释500倍的条件下得到了清晰的质膜微囊的原子力显微镜图片, 建立了一种新的快速分离完整质膜微囊的方法和用原子力显微镜观测质膜微囊结构的新方法.     

Single—Molecular Imaging of Anticoagulation Factor I From Snake Venom by Atomic Force Microscopy

ＡｎｔｉｃｏａｇｕｌａｔｉｏｎｆａｃｔｏｒＩ (ＡＣＦＩ)ｆｒｏｍｔｈｅｖｅｎｏｍｏｆＡｇｋｉ ｓｔｒｏｄｏｎａｃｕｔｕｓｉｓａｂｉｎｄｉｎｇｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｔｏａｃｔｉｖａｔｅｄｃｏａｇｕｌａｔｉｏｎｆａｃ ｔｏｒＸ (ＦＸａ)ａｎｄｐｏｓｓｅｓｓｅｓｍａｒｋｅｄａｎｔｉｃｏａｇｕｌａｎｔａｃｔｉｖｉｔｙ .Ｓｉｎ ｇｌｅＡＣＦＩｍｏｌｅｃｕｌｅｈａｓｂｅｅｎｓｕｃｃｅｓｓｆｕｌｌｙｉｍａｇｅｄｉｎａｉｒｂｙｔａｐ ｐｉｎｇｍｏｄｅａｔｏｍｉｃｆｏｒｃｅｍｉｃｒｏｓｃｏｐｙ (ＡＦＭ )ｗｉｔｈｈｉｇｈ ｒｅｓ…     

Scanning Force Microscopy as Applied to Conformational Studies in Macromolecular Research

The modern state of SFM research on polymer nano‐objects including single chains is discussed in comparison with other similar high‐resolution microscopy techniques. The range of problems to be solved preferentially by SFM is highlighted. Promising methodology to describe quantitatively the morphology of macromolecular objects is proposed. The main benefits of this algorithm seem to be the apparent mathematical correctness as well as the possibility to estimate errors and the confidence of the numbers obtained. Special attention is paid to the dynamic observations of conformational transitions on a substrate in real time regime. This approach allows one to realise direct control of the adsorbed macromolecules by means of exposure to different vapours. Driving forces of the vapour‐induced reorganisation are discussed.

     

A Study of the Probe Effect on the Apparent Image of Biological Atomic Force Microscopy

The atomic force microscopy (AFM) possesses high spatial resolution and it is compatible with liquid environments. AFM can provide possibility to study a wide range of biological problems at the molecular level and acquire topological information at nanometre resolution under physiological conditions1,2. However, a major problem for image reconstruction of biological specimens is that structures of most biological molecules are very soft and delicate, which could be easily deformed and dama…     

Real‐Time Scanning Force Microscopy of Macromolecular Conformational Transitions

Summary: Comb‐like macromolecules were adsorbed on mica and imaged by scanning force microscopy in real time as they underwent a transition from an extended worm‐like conformation to globuli and vice versa. The conformational transition was effected by coadsorption of ethanol and water molecules. Coadsorption of the small molecules allowed manipulation of the adherence and spreading of the macromolecules, thus effecting the reptation like stretching and collapse of the single molecules.

SFM images of three individual PMA‐g‐PnBuA brush molecules on mica 27 min (left, first collapse cycle) and 18 min (right, second collapse cycle) after injection of ethanol into the sample space.     

电化学原子力显微镜的应用

评述了电化学原子力显微镜的原理和技术及其在现场电化学和电分析化学领域的应用,如观察电镀、腐蚀和防腐的过程,电化学沉积膜的形成和特点,测定两表面间的静电力等,指出其存在的一些缺陷,并对经过改造后的电化学原子力显微镜进行了综述。     

Step Morphology of Liquid Phase Epitaxial GaAs Determined by Atomic Force Microscopy

Single, double and triple growth spirals were observed on liquid phase epitaxy(LPE) grown layers using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Spiral growth arises from the motion of growth steps in a spiral fashion. The LPE grown GaAs Layers show quite a different step morphology as compared with cleaved GaAs crystals. The step treads are atomically flat planes in the cleaved crystals. but are generally not atomically flat planes and rather bow upwards in the LPE layers. The mechanism arousing this difference is unclear.     

Understanding the Rhodopsin Worldview Through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM): Structure,Stability, and Activity Studies

Rhodopsin is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) present in the rod outer segment (ROS) of photoreceptor cells that initiates the phototransduction cascade required for scotopic vision. Due to the remarkable advancements in technological tools, the chemistry of rhodopsin has begun to unravel especially over the past few decades, but mostly at the ensemble scale. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a tool capable of providing critical information from a single-molecule point of view. In this regard, to bolster our understanding of rhodopsin at the nanoscale level, AFM-based imaging, force spectroscopy, and nano-indentation techniques were employed on ROS disc membranes containing rhodopsin, isolated from vertebrate species both in normal and diseased states. These AFM studies on samples from native retinal tissue have provided fundamental insights into the structure and function of rhodopsin under normal and dysfunctional states. We review here the findings from these AFM studies that provide important insights on the supramolecular organization of rhodopsin within the membrane and factors that contribute to this organization, the molecular interactions stabilizing the structure of the receptor and factors that can modify those interactions, and the mechanism underlying constitutive activity in the receptor that can cause disease.     

Langmuir-Blodgett膜超分子SM/DOPC/Chol三元脂系的原子力显微镜观察

用原子力显微镜研究了胆固醇(Chol)对鞘磷脂(SM)/1,2-二油酸甘油-3-磷脂酰胆碱(DOPC)二元脂系统结构的影响和神经酰胺对SM/DOPC/Chol三元脂系统结构的影响. 实验发现, 在SM/DOPC二元脂系统中, 胆固醇和带饱和脂肪酸链的磷脂发生相互作用形成微区结构, 随着胆固醇含量的增加, 微区的面积逐渐增大, 形成了稳定的片层结构. 当把神经酰胺加入到等摩尔配比的SM/DOPC/Chol三元脂系统中时, 随着神经酰胺比例的增加, 先形成紧密的聚集态结构, 然后逐渐演变成具有特定微区的网状结构. 研究结果表明, 微区的形成主要是由分子不同的官能团之间的相互作用所决定, 这可能在细胞信号传导等生理活动中起到重要的作用.     

基于原子力显微镜的高分子单分子力学研究

原子力显微镜(AFM)从根本上改变了人们对单个原子和分子的作用和认识方式。单分子力谱是基于原子力显微镜力的测量方法。概速了近年来利用基于原子力显微镜的单分子力谱研究单个高分子分子内及分子闻作用力的进展。     

Atomic Force Microscopy Characterization and Interpretation of Thin‐Film Poly(butylene adipate) Spherulites with Ring Bands

Atomic force microscopy characterization has been conducted to reveal the morphological difference between single‐ring bands in poly(butylene adipate) (PBA). Furthermore, morphological features of the ring‐less Maltese‐cross spherulites are compared to the ring‐band spherulites. Periodic changes in height seem to be common for either the ring‐band or ring‐less (Maltese‐cross) crystal domains; however, the steepness in height change is greater for the ring‐band crystal, while height change in the ring‐less crystal exhibits a terrace‐like layer pattern. In the ring‐band crystal region, the lamellar stalks, which taper off to pointed needle‐like stalks, monotonously protrude out of the layers of softer materials, with no signs of twisting, bending, or turning. In contrast, all lamellae in the ring‐less (Maltese‐cross) crystal region are uniform platelets arranged like flower petals in a layered pattern.

     

Investigation of Adsorption of Xanthan Gum on Enamel by Tapping Mode Atomic Force Microscopy

By using tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM), a polymer layer was found on the enamel surface after the exposure to xanthan gum solutions. The layer thickness is closely related to the exposure time and the concentration of xanthan gum solution. The thickness data were evaluated by a Kruskal-Wallis test and Box-Whisker Plot at a 95% confidence level (p＜0. 05), and a statistically significant difference among the thickness data groups was demonstrated. After the exposure to 1000, 400, 100 mg/L xanthan gum solutions, the mean of layer thickness at the adsorption equilibrium is in the ranges of 103.5--122.06,82.4--88.94 and 45. 27--55.55 nm, respectively. This phenomenon suggests that the viscosity modifying a-gents in the beverage might be adsorbed on the enamel surface during consumption, which may form a barrier that can protect the enamel from being attacked by acid and therefore reduce dental erosion.