44 research outputs found
Fabrication and electrical transport properties of embedded graphite microwires in a diamond matrix
Micrometer width and nanometer thick wires with different shapes were
produced \approx 3~\upmum below the surface of a diamond crystal using a
microbeam of He ions with 1.8~MeV energy. Initial samples are amorphous and
after annealing at ~K, the wires crystallized into a
graphite-like structures, according to confocal Raman spectroscopy
measurements. The electrical resistivity at room temperature is only one order
of magnitude larger than the in-plane resistivity of highly oriented pyrolytic
bulk graphite and shows a small resistivity ratio(). A small negative magnetoresistance below ~K was
measured and can be well understood taking spin-dependent scattering processes
into account. The used method provides the means to design and produce
millimeter to micrometer sized conducting circuits with arbitrary shape
embedded in a diamond matrix.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Journal of Physics D: Applied
Physics (Feb. 2017
Characterization of aluminum, aluminum oxide and titanium dioxide nanomaterials using a combination of methods for particle surface and size analysis
International audienceThe application of appropriate analytical techniques is essential for nanomaterial (NM) characterization. In this study, we compared different analytical techniques for NM analysis. Regarding possible adverse health effects, ionic and particulate NM effects have to be taken into account. As NMs behave quite differently in physiological media, special attention was paid to techniques which are able to determine the biosolubility and complexation behavior of NMs. Representative NMs of similar size were selected: aluminum (Al 0) and aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3), to compare the behavior of metal and metal oxides. In addition, titanium dioxide (TiO 2) was investigated. Characterization techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) were evaluated with respect to their suitability for fast characterization of nanoparticle dispersions regarding a particle's hydrodynamic diameter and size distribution. By application of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the single particle mode (SP-ICP-MS), individual nanoparticles were quantified and characterized regarding their size. SP-ICP-MS measurements were correlated with the information gained using other characterization techniques, i.e. transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The particle surface as an important descriptor of NMs was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). NM impurities and their co-localization with biomolecules were determined by ion beam microscopy (IBM) and confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). We conclude advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques applied and suggest options for their complementation. Thus, this paper may serve as a practical guide to particle characterization techniques
High throughput toxicity screening and intracellular detection of nanomaterials
EC FP7 NANoREG (Grant Agreement NMP4-LA-2013-310584)Free PMC Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5215403/With the growing numbers of nanomaterials (NMs), there is a great demand for
rapid and reliable ways of testing NM safety—preferably using in vitro
approaches, to avoid the ethical dilemmas associated with animal research. Data
are needed for developing intelligent testing strategies for risk assessment of
NMs, based on grouping and read-across approaches. The adoption of high
throughput screening (HTS) and high content analysis (HCA) for NM toxicity
testing allows the testing of numerous materials at different concentrations and
on different types of cells, reduces the effect of inter-experimental variation, and
makes substantial savings in time and cost.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine/phospholipase D interactions investigated with polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy.
The hydrolysis of 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) catalyzed by Streptomyces chromofuscus phospholipase D (PLD) has been investigated using monolayer techniques and polarization-modulated infrared absorption reflection spectroscopy. The spectroscopic analysis of the phosphate groups provides a quantitative estimation of the hydrolysis yield. The hydrolysis kinetics was investigated in dependence on the phase state of the lipid monolayer. It was found that PLD exhibits maximum activity in the liquid-expanded phase, whereas PLA2 has its activity maximum in the two-phase region. A lag phase was observed in all experiments indicating that small amounts of the hydrolysis product 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA) are needed for initiating the fast hydrolysis reaction. Higher concentrations of DPPA inhibit the hydrolysis. The critical inhibition concentration of DPPA is a function of the monolayer pressure