Search results for "Microscope"
showing 10 items of 1412 documents
Tuning of biodegradation rate of PLLA scaffolds via blending with PLA
2009
Blends of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) with Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA) in different proportions (95/5, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 and 60/40) were utilized in order to realize biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds for soft tissue engineering applications. The scaffolds were produced via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) starting from ternary systems where dioxane was the solvent and water the non-solvent. Morphology was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (average pore size and interconnection). Foams’ apparent density was also evaluated (porosity ranges from 87% to 92%). Moreover an in vitro biodegradation test of scaffolds was set-up in order to verify the rate of degradation of the va…
Polymeric gegenions induced variability and mobility of amphiphilic supramolecular structures on solid substrates
1992
Abstract The micromorphological variations of amphiphilic L -glutamate derivatives at air-substrate interfaces due to an adjacent mobile polymer matrix have been investigated via fluorescence microscopy. Adjusted monolayers of the L -glutamate derivatives have been transferred by LB technique out of different aggregation states onto various substrates. The substrates have been prepared by successive polymer preadsorption to the solid support. The influence of the adjacent polymer layers on the domain morphology as a function of water content and temperature has been examined intensively. Moreover, reversible domain changes induced by temperature variation of the transferred films have been …
Biopolymer based nanocomposites reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets
2016
In this work, biopolymer based nanocomposites filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) were prepared by melt compounding in a batch mixer. The polymer used as matrix was a commercial biodegradable polymer-blend of PLA and a copolyester (BioFlex®). The prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rheological and mechanical measurements. Moreover, the effect of the GnP amount on the investigated properties was evaluated. The results indicated that the incorporation of GnP increased the stiffness of the biopolymeric matrix.
Structure and elastic properties of smectic liquid crystalline elastomer films
2001
Mechanical measurements, x-ray investigations, and optical microscopy are employed to characterize the interplay of chemical composition, network topology, and elastic response of smectic liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) in various mesophases. Macroscopically ordered elastomer films of submicrometer thicknesses were prepared by cross linking freely suspended smectic polymer films. The cross-linked material preserves the mesomorphism and phase transitions of the precursor polymer. The elastic response of the smectic LCE is entropic, and the corresponding elastic moduli are of the order of MPa. In the tilted ferroelectric smectic-C* phase, the network structure plays an important role. Du…
Two-Dimensional Assembly Formation of Hydrophobic Helical Peptides at the Air/Water Interface: Fluorescence Microscopic Study
1995
Monolayer formation of hydrophobic α-helical peptides, X-(Ala-Aib) 8 -Y (X=Boc-, HOOCCH 2 CH 2 CO-, biotinyl, biotinyl-(Sar) 3 -; Y=OMe, OBzl, OH), at the air/water interface was studied by the fluorescence microscopic method. Some peptides showed a mound in the π-A isotherm. When the monolayer containing a small amount of FITC-labeled peptide was held at the surface pressure corresponding to the top of the mound, bright and dark domains were observed by fluorescence microscopy. Domain formation was also observed by the addition of a cationic dye (DiIC 1 ) into the subphase underneath the peptide monolayer. The mound in the π-A isotherm is, therefore, ascribed to the phase transition from a…
Surface plasmon near-field imaging of very thin microstructured polymer layers.
2004
We report on the near-field imaging of microstructured polymer layers deposited on an homogeneous metal thin film on which a surface plasmon mode is excited. The microstructures in the polymer layers are designed by electron beam lithography, and the near-field imaging is performed with a photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM). We show that, despite their very small height, the microstructures can be conveniently imaged with a PSTM thanks to the field enhancement at the surface of the metal thin film supporting the surface plasmon. The influence of the illumination conditions on the contrast of the PSTM images is discussed. In particular, we show that both the field enhancement and the…
Synthesis and characterization of water-swellable?,?-polyasparthydrazide derivatives
1995
α, β-polyasparthydrazide (PAHy) was crosslinked by glutaraldehyde to form water-swellable materials possessing a three-dimensional molecular network. Different crosslinking degrees were prepared varying glutaraldehyde/PAHy ratio and samples containing 5-fluorouracil were obtained by incorporating the drug into the polymer networks during the crosslinking reaction. All samples were characterized by swelling tests, thermal, x-ray and SEM analysis. Their microstructure was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, for samples containing the anticancer drug,in vitro release studies were performed in pH 7.4 buffer solution.
Epifluorescence microscopy studies of fatty acid monolayers: Domain formation induced by polymeric gegenions
1991
The monolayer behavior of long-chain fatty acids at the air/water interface on a poly(ethyleneimine) containing subphase was investigated. The interaction of the polymeric gegenions in the subphase leads to expanded states and permits the visualization of the aggregation behavior of different long-chain fatty acids via fluorescence microscopy. The monolayer morphologies and their variability were intensively studied by fluorescence microscopy. In addition, the transfer of the complexed fatty acid monolayers to solid substrates has been investigated.
3D Conformations of Thick Synthetic Polymer Chains Observed by Cryogenic Electron Microscopy.
2019
The backbone conformations of individual, unperturbed synthetic macromolecules have so far not been observed directly in spite of their fundamental importance to polymer physics. Here we report the dilute solution conformations of two types of linear dendronized polymers, obtained by cryogenic transmission electron stereography and tomography. The three-dimensional trajectories show that the wormlike chain model fails to adequately describe the scaling of these thick macromolecules already beyond a few nanometers in chain length, in spite of large apparent persistence lengths and long before a signature of self-avoidance appears. This insight is essential for understanding the limitations o…
Intravital fluorescence microscopy for the study of leukocyte interaction with platelets and endothelial cells
1999
Publisher Summary This chapter introduces the techniques of intravital microscopy as a tool to study the microcirculation in intact animals under conditions of oxidative stress. Intravital fluorescence microscopy can be performed with almost all types of epiillumination microscopes available. The introduction of fluorescent dyes and refined epiillumination techniques has significantly advanced the possibilities of intravital microscopic studies of the liver microcirculation, including quantitative analyses of both circulatory parameters and cellular mechanisms. Using appropriate dyes, intravital microscopy allows the study of (1) microvascular perfusion, (2) leukocyte-endothelial cell inter…