0000000000501310
AUTHOR
Michael Marek Koza
The protein dynamical transition does not require the protein polypeptide chain
We give experimental evidence that the main features of protein dynamics revealed by neutron scattering, i.e., the “protein dynamical transition” and the “boson peak”, do not need the protein polypeptide chain. We show that a rapid increase of hydrogen atoms fluctuations at about 220 K, analogous to the one observed in hydrated myoglobin powders, is also observed in a hydrated amino acids mixture with the chemical composition of myoglobin but lacking the polypeptide chain; in agreement with the protein behavior, the transition is abolished in the dry mixture. Further, an excess of low-frequency vibrational modes around 3 meV, typically observed in protein powders, is also observed in our mi…
Amorphous polymorphis in ice investigated by inelastic neutron scattering
Abstract High-density Ilda and low-density Ilda amorphous have been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) with emphasis on the energy window from 0.5 to 20 meV. At variance with earlier measurements the spectra in the Ilda phase show a simple ω2 behaviour in the acoustic region and the temperature dependence is found to be harmonic. Ilda converts with a strongly temperature-dependent rate towards Ilda ice. We have investigated in detail the time evolution of both the static and dynamic response functions at several temperatures. Elastic small-angle signals indicate the presence of strong heterogeneties at the early stages of the conversion process. At least two different time s…
Observation of a superfluid component within solid helium.
We demonstrate by neutron scattering that a localized superfluid component exists at high pressures within solid helium in aerogel. Its existence is deduced from the observation of two sharp phonon-roton spectra which are clearly distinguishable from modes in bulk superfluid helium. These roton excitations exhibit different roton gap parameters than the roton observed in the bulk fluid at freezing pressure. One of the roton modes disappears after annealing the samples. Comparison with theoretical calculations suggests that the model that reproduces the observed data best is that of superfluid double layers within the solid and at the helium-substrate interface.
The Boson Peak of Amyloid Fibrils: Probing the Softness of Protein Aggregates by Inelastic Neutron Scattering
Proteins and polypeptides are characterized by low-frequency vibrations in the terahertz regime responsible for the so-called "boson peak". The shape and position of this peak are related to the mechanical properties of peptide chains. Amyloid fibrils are ordered macromolecular assemblies, spontaneously formed in nature, characterized by unique biological and nanomechanical properties. In this work, we investigate the effects of the amyloid state and its polymorphism on the boson peak. We used inelastic neutron scattering to probe low-frequency vibrations of the glucagon polypeptide in the native state and in two different amyloid morphologies in both dry and hydrated sample states. The dat…
From crystal to glass-like thermal conductivity in crystalline minerals
Équipe 103 : Composés intermétalliques et matériaux hybrides; International audience; The ability of some materials with a perfectly ordered crystal structure to mimic the heat conduction of amorphous solids is a remarkable physical property that finds applications in numerous areas of materials science, for example, in the search for more efficient thermoelectric materials that enable to directly convert heat into electricity. Here, we unveil the mechanism in which glass-like thermal conductivity emerges in tetrahedrites, a family of natural minerals extensively studied in geology and, more recently, in thermoelectricity. By investigating the lattice dynamics of two tetrahedrites of very c…