Fig 2 -

(a, b) SE images of water ice sample and indenter tip prior to experiments. Note image distortion generated by the electromagnetic interference of the Sm-Co magnet.</p

Equilibrium phase diagram showing stability conditions for water ice and vapour in a closed system (modified after Andreas, 2007 and Weikusat et al., 2011).

The equilibrium temperature for a chamber pressure of 1×10−6 hPa is approximately -112°C. The SEM chamber pressure and temperature for the current study’s experiments are shown with a star.</p

Optimised and corrected nanoindentation data on ice.

(XLSX)</p

Representative load versus indenter displacement curve of experiments performed on water ice sample with diamond Berkovich nanoindentation tip.

Representative load versus indenter displacement curve of experiments performed on water ice sample with diamond Berkovich nanoindentation tip.</p

Fig 1 -

Schematic diagram of the experimental setup for in situ instrumented nanoindentation experiments of water ice (a). Photographs of the Alemnis LTM-CRYO indentation device (supplied by Alemnis AG) (b) and sample holder (c).</p

Mechanical Characterization of Ultrasonically Synthesized Microbubble Shells by Flow Cytometry and AFM

The mechanical properties of the shell of ultrasonically synthesized lysozyme microbubbles, LSMBs, were evaluated by acoustic interrogation and nanoindentation techniques. The Young’s modulus of LSMBs was found to be 1.0 ± 0.3 MPa and 0.6 ± 0.1 MPa when analyzed by flow cytometry and AFM, respectively. The shell elasticity and Young’s modulus were not affected by the size of the microbubbles (MBs). The hydrogel-like protein shell of LSMBs offers a softer, more elastic and viscous interface compared to lipid-shelled MBs. We show that the acoustic interrogation technique is a real-time, fast, and high-throughput method to characterize the mechanical characteristics of air-filled microbubbles coated by a variety of materials

Coordination-Driven Multistep Assembly of Metal–Polyphenol Films and Capsules

We report the assembly of metal-polyphenol complex (MPC) films and capsules through the sequential deposition of iron­(III) ions (Fe^(III)) and a natural polyphenol, tannic acid (TA), driven by metal–ligand coordination. Stable Fe^(III)/TA films and capsules were formed, indicating lateral and longitudinal cross-linking of TA by Fe^(III) in the film structure. Quartz crystal microbalance, ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were carried out to quantitatively analyze the film growth. A comparison of the MPC capsules prepared through multistep assembly with those obtained through one-step deposition, as reported previously [Ejima et al., <i>Science</i> <b>2013</b>, <i>341</i>, 154–156], reveals substantial differences in the nature of complexation and in their physicochemical properties, including permeability, stiffness, and degradability. This study highlights the importance of engineering MPC films with different properties through implementing different assembly methods

Fundamental Studies of Hybrid Poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate)/Poly(<i>N</i>‑vinylpyrrolidone) Films and Capsules

Hybrid and multicompartment carriers are of significant interest for the development of next-generation therapeutic drug carriers. Herein, fundamental investigations on layer-by-layer (LbL) capsules consisting of two different polymers are presented. The hybrid systems were designed to have pH-responsive, charge-shifting poly­(2-(diisopropylamino)­ethyl methacrylate) (PDPA) inner layers and low-fouling poly­(<i>N</i>-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) outer layers. Planar hybrid films with different layer ratios were studied by quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The information obtained was translated to particulate templates to prepare hybrid capsules, which were stabilized by click chemistry. The charge-shifting behavior of PDPA improved the cargo encapsulation and initial retention of a model CpG cargo, while outer layers of PVPON improved biofouling properties compared to single-component PDPA capsules. The results demonstrate the need to understand and design multifunctional systems that can successfully embody different functionalities in a single, stable construct for the fabrication of next-generation drug and gene delivery carriers aimed at overcoming the challenges encountered in biological systems

Annealing-Based Electrical Tuning of Cobalt–Carbon Deposits Grown by Focused-Electron-Beam-Induced Deposition

An effective postgrowth electrical tuning, via an oxygen releasing method, to enhance the content of non-noble metals in deposits directly written with gas-assisted focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) is presented. It represents a novel and reproducible method for improving the electrical transport properties of Co–C deposits. The metal content and electrical properties of Co–C–O nanodeposits obtained by electron-induced dissociation of volatile Co2(CO)8 precursor adsorbate molecules were reproducibly tuned by applying postgrowth annealing processes at 100 °C, 200 °C, and 300 °C under high-vacuum for 10 min. Advanced thin film EDX analysis showed that during the annealing process predominantly oxygen is released from the Co–C–O deposits, yielding an atomic ratio of Co:C:O = 100:16:1 (85:14:1) with respect to the atomic composition of as-written Co:C:O = 100:21:28 (67:14:19). In-depth Raman analysis suggests that the amorphous carbon contained in the as-written deposit turns into graphite nanocrystals with size of about 22.4 nm with annealing temperature. Remarkably, these microstructural changes allow for tuning of the electrical resistivity of the deposits over 3 orders of magnitude from 26 mΩ cm down to 26 μΩ cm, achieving a residual resistivity of ρ2K/ρ300 K = 0.56, close to the value of 0.53 for pure Co films with similar dimensions, making it especially interesting and advantageous over the numerous works already published for applications such as advanced scanning-probe systems, magnetic memory, storage, and ferroelectric tunnel junction memristors, as the graphitic matrix protects the cobalt from being oxidized under an ambient atmosphere