0000000000114509
AUTHOR
Jean-pierre Goudonnet
Invasive Observation by Atomic Force Microscope of a Langmuir-Blodgett Monolayer of Gramicidin
The properties of gramicidin, a linear antibiotic polypeptide of 15 amino acids, have been studied at the air-water interface. Analysis of the pressure-area isotherm is not able to conclude about the conformational behavior of gramicidin in the monolayer. Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of gramicidin layers onto a mica substrate has been developed for atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations. At high pressure of deposition, the gramicidin monolayer is composed of dimers perpendicular to the surface. The possibility of removing the half upper part of this dimer monolayer with the AFM tip is more in favor of a structure of single-stranded helical dimers.
Investigations of Surface Forces between Gypsum Microcrystals in Air Using Atomic Force Microscopy
This article introduces a new approach to the study of the interactions between gypsum faces in air. We have mounted a gypsum crystal on the end of a microcantilever to measure local forces (van der Waals, capillary forces, electrostatic) directly between two crystals. A systematic study with respect to the orientation of crystalline faces, relative humidity, and the duration of contact between crystals improves the understanding of the mechanism involved in the hardening of plaster in air. In dry air, a physicochemical process of matter transfer is added to the van der Waals forces to ensure the cohesion. Others force measurements were performed by varying the shape of the contact (interac…
Plasmon polaritons of metallic nanowires for controlling submicron propagation of light
Laboratoire de Physique, Optique Submicronique, Universite´de Bourgogne, BP 47870, F-21078 Dijon, France~Received 29 April 1999!We use the Green dyadic technique to study the propagation of a local excitation along metallic nanowiresof a subwavelength cross section. The metallic nanowires are elongated parallelepipeds deposited on a trans-parent substrate. A tightly focused plane wave illuminates one end of the nanowires. The localized surface-plasmon resonances of the nanowires propagate the local excitations over distances larger than the incidentwavelength. The properties of the electromagnetic eigenmodes of the nanowires are analyzed in terms of thelocal density of states. @S0163-1829~9…
Detection of the optical magnetic field by circular symmetry plasmons
We report on the influence of coating a sharpened optical fiber tip with Au when observing nanofabricated dielectric structures with a Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM) in constant-height mode. For well-defined incident wavelengths and coating thicknesses, we found that such tips detect the distribution of the magnetic field associated with the optical wave in the near-field zone. A simple tip model indicates that this phenomenon is related to the excitation of circular symmetry plasmons in Au coated tips.
La mesure directe des forces de liaison entre les hydrates appliquée à la prise de plâtre
Le phenomene de prise est un phenomene general, observable sur tous les liants mineraux, ciments siliceux, alumineux... et le plâtre. S'il existe des lois gouvernant la prise, elles doivent s'appliquer a tous ces liants. Aussi, il peut etre justifie de prendre tel ou tel liant pour modele si cela peut simplifier la premiere approche. Ici, l'objectif est de mesurer les forces entre les grains de silicate de calcium hydrate (phase C-S-H) qui est l'hydrate le plus caracteristique des ciments courants. Ces grains sont extremement petits et il a ete choisi de mettre au point les methodes travaillant sur le plâtre qui s'hydrate sous forme de gypse en formant des cristaux de 10 a 100 fois plus gro…
Influence des contraintes sur les propriétés élastiques de surface du gypse sondées par microscopie à force atomique
Resume La modulation de force en microscopie a force atomique (AFM) permet de cartographier les inhomogeneites des proprietes elastiques de surface. L'influence des contraintes laterales sur l'elasticite de surface a pu etre mise en evidence par modulation de force. L'etude a porte sur la face (010) du gypse. Au niveau atomique, les images topographiques different de celles sondant l'elasticite de surface. Au niveau microscopique, les images d'elasticite dependent des contraintes exercees sur le cristal. Sans contrainte, la surface presente une elasticite uniforme. Cependant, les contraintes laterales revelent des phenomenes de glissement, de cisaillement et de nœuds d'elasticite.
Simultaneous imaging of the surface and the submembraneous cytoskeleton in living cells by tapping mode atomic force microscopy
Contact and tapping mode atomic force microscopy have been used to visualize the surface of cultured CV-1 kidney cells in aqueous medium. The height images obtained from living cells were comparable when using contact and tapping modes. In contrast, the corresponding, and simultaneously acquired, deflection images differed markedly. Whereas, as expected, deflection images enhanced the surface features in the contact mode, they revealed the presence of a filamentous network when using the tapping mode. This network became disorganized upon addition of cytochalasin, which strongly suggests that it corresponded to the submembraneous cytoskeleton. Examination of fixed cells further supported th…
Correlation between surface forces and surface reactivity in the setting of plaster by atomic force microscopy
Abstract The setting of mineral binders (cement, plaster, etc.) arises as a direct consequence of surface reactivity by a process of dissociation and rehydration. This transformation induces a complete change of surface forces, of which the nature remains still unknown. The general process of the setting has been studied by means of plaster (CaSO 4 ·0.5H 2 O) crystals, chosen for an experimental convenience. The surface alteration (growth, dissolution, atomic resolution) of the plaster crystal with respect to the introduction of the calcium sulfate solution has been followed by using atomic force microscopy (AFM. Alternatively, this apparatus has been adapted by gluing a plaster microcrysta…
Reactivity of gypsum faces according to the relative humidity by scanning force microscopy
Abstract This article reports the experimental observation of the stability of the different faces of calcium sulphate dihydrate (gypsum CaSO 4 .2H 2 O) according to the relative humidity. Scanning Force Microscopy experiments were carried out with a view to discerning the topography of the surfaces, the chemical compositional domains, and in an attempt to evaluate the friction and viscoelastic properties of the surface. Our results indicate that the (010) face of gypsum is hydrophilic and very reactive contrary to the less hydrophilic (120) and (101) faces which remain stable depending on the relative humidity. It is clear from our results that a precipitation like process can be induced b…
Local detection of the optical magnetic field in the near zone of dielectric samples
International audience; We present a study of the influence of the probe composition on the formation of constant-height photon scanning tunneling microscope images when observing a dielectric sample. Dramatic effects due to the metallization of the tip are presented and discussed in detail. We show how the recorded images can look quite different when the probe is dielectric or coated with gold. Comparison with numerical calculations indicate that the experimental signals are of electric or magnetic nature depending on the composition of the tip. For well-defined conditions, gold-coated tips provide images of the distribution of the magnetic field intensity associated with the optical near…
Atomic-force microscopy imaging of plasma membranes purified from spinach leaves
Summary: Plasma membranes purified from spinach leaves by aqueous two-phase partitioning were examined by atomic-force microscopy (AFM) in phosphate buffer, and details on their structure were reported at nanometric scale. Examination of the fresh membrane preparation deposited on mica revealed a complex organization of the surface. It appeared composed of a first layer of material, about 8 nm in thickness, that practically covered all the mica surface and on which stand structures highly heterogeneous in shape and size. High-resolution imaging showed that the surface of the first layer appeared relatively smooth in some regions, whereas different characteristic features were observed in ot…
Light field propagation by metal micro- and nanostructures
The ability to sustain plasmon oscillations gives rise to unique properties of metal nanostructures, which can be exploited for the controlled manipulation of light fields on the nanoscale. In this context we investigate electromagnetic coupling effects within lithographically produced ensembles of gold nanoparticles with a photon scanning tunnelling microscope. To provide an interface between these nano-optical devices and classical far-field optics, we investigate surface plasmon propagation on microstructured metal thin films.
Observation of Light Confinement Effects with a Near-Field Optical Microscope.
This Letter reports the experimental observation of light confinement effects by near-field optical microscopy. Depolarization effects giving rise to light confinement close to nanoscopic objects have been unambiguously observed in near-field optical images of subwavelength dielectric pads etched on a flat glass substrate. According to the incident polarization, this phenomenon leads to reverse contrasts in the near-field optical image of the same subwavelength objects.
Correlating surface forces with surface reactivity of gypsum crystals by atomic force microscopy. Comparison with rheological properties of plaster
Abstract Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to image the surface reactivity as well as to characterize quantitatively the surface forces between two gypsum (CaSO 4 , 2H 2 O) crystals. Measurements on different crystal faces, which vary in morphology, structure, hydrophilicity, surface charge, were performed in both air and ionic solutions. In ionic solutions, varying the experimental parameters, the ionic nature and the concentration as well as the duration of the contact leads to the conclusion that the adhesion occurs whatever the orientation of faces. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the adhesion of a physical nature (Van der Waals and ionic correlation) depends on the surface charge d…