Recoil spectrometry: Ion accelerator based elemental characterisation of surface layers

Recoil Spectrometry covers a group of techniques that are very similar to the well known Rutherford backscattering Spectrometry technique, but with the important difference that one measures the recoiling target atom rather than the projectile ion. This makes it possible to determine both the identity of the recoil and its depth of origin from its energy and velocity, using a suitable detector system. The incident ion is typically high-energy (30–100MeV)³⁵C1,⁸¹Br or¹²⁷I. Low concentrations of light elements such as C, O and N can be profiled in a heavy matrix such as Fe or GaAs. Here we present an overview of mass and energy dispersive recoil Spectrometry and illustrate its successful use in some typical applications.     

Effects of incorporation of modified silica nanoparticles on the mechanical and thermal properties of PMMA

Silica nanoparticles of various sizes have been incorporated by melt compounding in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix to enhance its thermal and mechanical properties. In order to improve nanoparticles dispersion, PMMA grafted particles have been prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from well-defined silica nanoparticles. This strategy was expected to ensure compatibility between both components of the PMMA nanocomposites. TEM analysis have been performed to evaluate the nanosilica dispersion whereas modified and non-modified silica/PMMA nanocomposites thermal stability and mechanical properties have been investigated by both thermogravimetric and dynamical mechanical analysis.     

A terminally anchored polymer chain in shear flow: Self-consistent velocity and segment density profiles

The behavior of a terminally anchored freely-jointed bead-rod chain, subjected to solvent shear flow, was investigated via Brownian dynamics simulations. Previous calculations have been improved by computing the segment density and fluid velocity profiles self-consistently. The segment density distributions, components of the radius of gyration, and chain attachment shear and normal stresses were found to be sensitive to low values of shear rate. Additionally, it was found that the thickness of a model polymer layer was a strong function of the shear rate, and that the functional dependence on shear rate changed dramatically as the chain length increased. For the longest chains studied, the thickness of the model polymer layer first increased as the shear rate increased, passed through a maximum, and then decreased at high shear rates, in accordance with experimental results in theta solvents. These results suggest that a dilute or semi-dilute layer model may explain hydrodynamic behavior previously thought to be due to the entanglements that occur in dense surface bound polymer layers.Nomenclature a _i acceleration of bead i - b radius of the beads - d length of the rods connecting the chain beads - d _i vector from bead i to bead i + 1 - F _i external force applied to bead i - F _i ^b external force on bead i due to Brownian motion of surrounding fluid - F _i ^h external force on bead i due to viscous drag - F _i ^s external force on bead i due to surface interactions - f Stokes drag coefficient - Boltzmann's constant - L _h effective hydrodynamic thickness - m _i mass of bead i - N number of beads on a model chain - n number of chains anchored to the surface per unit surface area - P segment density distribution P pressure - Q flow in a tube with no surface bound polymer layer - Q _a flow in a tube with a surface bound polymer layer - R _g vector representation of the radius of gyration - R tube radius - r radial coordinate in the tube geometry - S _ij pair hydrodynamic interaction tensor for beads i and j - T _i internal chain force in rod i connecting beads i and i + 1 - T _X component of the surface attachment force in the direction of the fluid flow - T _y component of the surface attachment force perpendicular to the surface - T temperature - v _i velocity of the center of mass of bead i - V _if average fluid velocity at the location of bead i - v _if ⁰ fluid velocity in the absence of a polymer chain - v _if perturbation to the fluid velocity due to hydrodynamic interactions - V _b bead volume = 4 b ³/3 - scalar fluid speed in the axial direction down the tube - x axial coordinate in the tube geometry Greek symbols _w apparent shear rate - fluid viscosity - polymer layer permeability - volume fraction of space occupied by chain beads - (_w)_a chain attachment stress perpendicular to the surface - (_w)_a chain attachment stress in the plane of the surface and in the direction of fluid flow     

Engineered-membranes: A novel concept for clustering of native lipid bilayers

A strategy for clustering of native lipid membranes is presented. It relies on the formation of complexes between hydrophobic chelators embedded within the lipid bilayer and metal cations in the aqueous phase, capable of binding two (or more) chelators simultaneously Fig. 1. We used this approach with purple membranes containing the light driven proton pump protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and showed that patches of purple membranes cluster into mm sized aggregates and that these are stable for months when incubated at 19 °C in the dark. The strategy may be general since four different hydrophobic chelators (1,10-phenanthroline, bathophenanthroline, Phen-C10, and 8-hydroxyquinoline) and various divalent cations (Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Cu²⁺) induced formation of membrane clusters. Moreover, the absolute requirement for a hydrophobic chelator and the appropriate metal cations was demonstrated with light and atomic force microscopy (AFM); the presence of the metal does not appear to affect the functional state of the protein. The potential utility of the approach as an alternative to assembled lipid bilayers is suggested.     

Network forming properties of various proteins adsorbed at the air/water interface in relation to foam stability

A series of proteins was studied with respect to their ability to form a network at the air/water interface and their suitability as foaming agents and foam stabilizers. Proteins were chosen with a range of structures from flexible to rigid/globular: beta-casein, beta-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin, and (soy) glycinin. Experiments were performed at neutral pH except for glycinin, which was studied at both pH 3 and pH 6.7. The adsorption process was followed with an automated drop tensiometer (ADT). Network forming properties were assessed in terms of surface dilational modulus (determined with the ADT), the critical falling film length (L(still)) and flow rate (Q(still)) below which a stagnant film exists (as measured with the overflowing cylinder technique), and the fracture stress and fracture strain measured in surface shear. It was found that glycinin (pH 3) can form an interfacial gel in a very short time, whereas beta-casein has very poor network-forming properties. Hardly any foam could be produced at the chosen conditions with glycinin (pH 6.7) and with ovalbumin, whereas beta-casein, beta-lactoglobulin, and glycinin (pH 3) were good foaming agents. It seems that adsorption and unfolding rate are most important for foam formation. Once the foam is formed, a rigid network might favor stabilizing the foam.     

Discovery of a novel synthetic phosphatase from a bead-bound combinatorial library

Using split/pool encoded synthesis and a colorimetric catalysis assay, a number of synthetic phosphatase catalysts were developed.