Search results for "ELECTRON MICROSCOPY"
showing 10 items of 706 documents
Multifunctional polymer-derivatized γ-Fe2O3 nanocrystals as a methodology for the biomagnetic separation of recombinant His-tagged proteins
2008
Abstract Multifunctional polymer-derivatized superparamagnetic iron oxide (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were prepared for biomagnetic separation of histidine-tagged recombinant proteins building up a faster and efficient method for protein separation by making use of their intrinsic magnetic properties. Using polymer bound γ-Fe2O3 nanocrystals, a 6× histidine-tagged recombinant protein (silicatein) with a molecular weight of 24 kDa has been isolated and purified. The supermagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), SQUID and Mossbauer and the polymer functionalization of the γ-Fe2O3 nanocrystals was monitored by UV–vi…
Progress in polymeric material for hydrogen storage application in middle conditions
2014
Hydrogen sorption using a manganese oxide anchored to PEEK (Poly(ether-ether-keton)) matrix was studied. The functionalization process and the obtained results on hydrogen storage capability of the synthesized polymer are reported. The functionalised polymer was characterised by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Volumetric Hydrogen sorption measurements. Different synthesis conditions in terms of precursor concentration and reaction time were used and the direct correlation between manganese oxide percentage and hydrogen storage capability was confirmed. In this way different powders were synthesised. It is assumed that the sample with 78 …
Growth of fibrous aggregates of silica nanoparticles: Fibre growth by mimicking the biogenic silica patterning processes
2009
We describe the self-assembly of discrete SiO2 nanofibers via grafting of silicatein side chains to a polymer backbone. The covalent binding of silicatein to the backbone of the polymer is based on the affinity of the nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) side chain, which serves as a ligand for the immobilization of His-tagged silicatein. The surface charge and the bulkiness of the protein moieties prevent the entropically favoured coil formation of the polymer and force it to adopt an open chain structure after hydrolysis of the silica precursors. The probes were characterized by scanning force microscopy (SFM) and optical light microscopy. Surface complexation of the resulting silica nanoparticles…
Enzyme-Mediated Deposition of a TiO2Coating onto Biofunctionalized WS2 Chalcogenide Nanotubes
2009
A chemically specific and facile method for the biofunctionalization of WS2 nanotubes (NT-WS2) is reported. The covalent modification strategy is based on the affinity of the nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) side chain, which serves as a ligand for the surface binding to NT-WS2 and simultaneously as an anchor group for the binding of His-tagged proteins to the polymer backbone. The polymer functionalized WS2 nanotubes can be solubilized either in water or organic solvents; they are stable for at least one week. The probes were characterized by FT-IR and UV-vis spectroscopy. The immobilization of silicatein, a hydrolytic protein encountered in marine sponges, was visualized by scanning force micr…
Towards completely miscible PMMA nanocomposites reinforced by shear-stiff, nano-mica
2014
Abstract Optimizing the reinforcement of polymers with nanoplatelets requires optimization of the aspect ratio and the moduli of the filler while providing a complete stress transfer. Employing a novel shear-stiff, nano-mica with large aspect ratio, we focus on maximizing the interfacial interaction between filler and matrix. External surfaces of the nano-mica were selectively modified by a polycationic macro-initiator and two PMMA-polymer brushes of length below and above critical entanglement length, respectively, and the mechanical properties of the three PMMA nanocomposites were measured. The multiple electrostatic anchoring groups of the macro-initiator not only provide reliable adhesi…
Strategy for good dispersion of well-defined tetrapods in semiconducting polymer matrices.
2014
The morphology or dispersion control in inorganic/organic hybrid systems is studied, which consist of monodisperse CdSe tetrapods (TPs) with grafted semiconducting block copolymers with excess polymers of the same type. Tetrapod arm-length and amount of polymer loading are varied in order to find the ideal morphology for hybrid solar cells. Additionally, polymers without anchor groups are mixed with the TPs to study the effect of such anchor groups on the hybrid morphology. A numerical model is developed and Monte Carlo simulations to study the basis of compatibility or dispersibility of TPs in polymer matrices are performed. The simulations show that bare TPs tend to form clusters in the m…
Functional templates for hybrid materials with orthogonal functionality.
2009
We demonstrate an integrated approach to prepare a nanostructured, multifunctional material with mutually exclusive, orthogonal properties. The hybrid material was obtained within a single step via self-assembly in solution. It consists of TiO(2) as a functional metal oxide and an amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(triphenylamine) (PEO-PTPA). Within the materials' synthesis, the block copolymer not only acts as a templating agent but also adds an electronic functionality to the resulting hybrid material. During the synthesis, a variety of self-assembled morphologies, ranging from spheres to wires, can be created. The obtained morphology depends on the weight fraction o…
Distribution of molecularly imprinted polymer layers on macroporous silica gel particles by STEM and EDX
2005
Abstract Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in parallel and scanning mode (STEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) the distribution of molecularly imprinted polymer layers covalently grafted on the inner and outer surface of macroporous silica gel particles was observed. The grafting was achieved using a special initiator system ( iniferter ) and applied on a well known model system producing molecularly imprinted layers with l -phenyl alanine analide ( l -PA) as template. By staining the sample with RuO 4 before its embedment in epoxy resin and cutting ultra thin slices it was possible to identify the stained grafted polymer on the silica matrix by EDX. Bas…
Use of transmission electron microscopy to obtain quantitative information about polymers
2005
In the polymer field the electron microscope is frequently used as a tool for obtaining purely qualitative data, but only rarely to obtain quantitative information. In order to discuss the potential of this instrument for the latter purpose it is convenient to separate the discussion into the following sub-sections.
Differential localization of two acid proteinases in germinating barley (Hordeum vulgare) seed
1995
A cathepsin D-like aspartic proteinase (EC 3.4.23) is abundant in ungerminated barley (Hordeum vulgare) seed while a 30 kDa cysteine endoproteinase (EC 3.4.22) is one of the proteinases synthesized de novo in the germinating seed. In this work, the localization of these two acid proteinases was studied at both the tissue and subcellular levels by immunomicroscopy. The results confirm that they have completely different functions. The aspartic proteinase was present in the ungerminated seed and, during germination, it appeared in all the living tissues of the grain, including the shoot and root. Contrary to previous suggestions, it was not observed in the starchy endosperm. By immunoblotting…