Search results for "force microscopy"
showing 10 items of 247 documents
Dating archeological lead artifacts from measurement of the corrosion content using the voltammetry of microparticles.
2011
A methodology for dating archeological lead artifacts based on the voltammetry of microparticles is described. This methodology is based on the comparison of the height of speci¿c voltammetric features from PbO2 and PbO corrosion products formed under long-term alteration conditions. Calibration of the method was performed with the help of a series of well-documented lead pieces from the funds of di¿erent museums of the Comunitat Valenciana (Spain) covering from the ¿fth century B.C. to present day. The variation of peak currents with the time of corrosion can be¿tted to the same potential rate law as that found by Reich (R = 0.070 ( 0.005), using measurements on the Meissner fraction in th…
Entrapment of A Beta 1-40 peptide in unstructured aggregates
2012
Recognizing the complexity of the fibrillogenesis process provides a solid ground for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing or inhibiting protein-protein aggregation. Under this perspective, it is meaningful to identify the possible aggregation pathways and their relative products. We found that Aβ-peptide dissolved in a pH 7.4 solution at small peptide concentration and low ionic strength forms globular aggregates without typical amyloid β-conformation. ThT binding kinetics was used to monitor aggregate formation. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, AFM imaging, static and dynamic light scattering were used for structural and morphological characterization of the aggre…
Amyloid fibrils formation and amorphous aggregation in Concanavalin A
2007
We here report an experimental study on the thermal aggregation process of concanavalin A, a protein belonging to the legume lectins family. The aggregation process and the involved conformational changes of the protein molecules were followed by means of fluorescence techniques, light scattering, circular dichroism, zeta potential measurements and atomic force microscopy. Our results show that the aggregation process of concanavalin A may evolve through two distinct pathways leading, respectively, to the formation of amyloids or amorphous aggregates. The relative extent of the two pathways is determined by pH, as amyloid aggregation is favored at high pH values ( approximately 9), while th…
New advances in the 3D characterization of mineral coating layers on paper
2008
Summary The surface characteristics of a large set of commercial lightweight coated paper grades are explored. The quantification of the 3D structure is revealed by atomic force microscopy, laser profilometry and X-ray microtomography. This comprehensive study demonstrates the suitability of different and modern methods for assessing critical coating layer properties, thus identifying the right tools for specific structural analyses. Based on the assessment of the top and bottom surfaces of 25 commercial lightweight coated samples, three main conclusions can be drawn: (1) the facet orientation polar angle is a function of roughness, (2) skewness did not describe the surface details affectin…
Direct atomic layer deposition of ultrathin aluminium oxide on monolayer $MoS_2$ exfoliated on gold: the role of the substrate
2021
In this paper we demonstrated the thermal Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) growth at 250 {\deg}C of highly homogeneous and ultra-thin ($\approx$ 3.6 nm) $Al_2O_3$ films with excellent insulating properties directly onto a monolayer (1L) $MoS_2$ membrane exfoliated on gold. Differently than in the case of 1L $MoS_2$ supported by a common insulating substrate ($Al_2O_3/Si$), a better nucleation process of the high-k film was observed on the 1L $MoS_2/Au$ system since the ALD early stages. Atomic force microscopy analyses showed a $\approx 50\%$ $Al_2O_3$ surface coverage just after 10 ALD cycles, its increasing up to $>90\%$ (after 40 cycles), and an uniform $\approx$ 3.6 nm film, after 80 cycle…
Strain, doping and electronic transport of large area monolayer MoS2 exfoliated on gold and transferred to an insulating substrate
2021
Gold-assisted mechanical exfoliation currently represents a promising method to separate ultra-large (cm-scale) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) monolayers (1L) with excellent electronic and optical properties from the parent van der Waals (vdW) crystals. The strong interaction between $Au$ and chalcogen atoms is the key to achieve this nearly perfect 1L exfoliation yield. On the other hand, it may affect significantly the doping and strain of 1L TMDs in contact with Au. In this paper, we systematically investigated the morphology, strain, doping, and electrical properties of large area 1L $MoS_{2}$ exfoliated on ultra-flat $Au$ films ($0.16-0.21 nm$ roughness) and finally transferre…
Direct measurement of forces between particles and bubbles
1999
One of the elementary stages of the flotation process is the formation of an aggregate between the particle and a bubble. This aggregate formation is governed by hydrodynamic, capillary and interparticle forces. During the last four years, techniques have been developed to measure directly the force between a colloidal particle and a bubble. These techniques are closely related to the development of atomic force microscopy. Advantages and possibilities, as well as limits and drawbacks are described.
Towards the origin of the shear force in near-field microscopy
2001
The shear force from a gold or a graphite sample acting on an approaching near-field optical probe is studied in detail. The adiabatic and dissipative contributions to the force are clearly distinguished by monitoring the amplitude as well as the phase of the tip vibration when the tip approaches the surfaces. We also take into account that not only the damping and the resonance frequency but also the mass of the system changes when the tip approaches the surface. The relative strength of the contributions to the force varies differently but characteristically with the distance of the two samples, starting at a much larger distance in the case of graphite. The adiabatic contribution is lar…
Metal/Semiconductor Barrier Properties of Non-Recessed Ti/Al/Ti and Ta/Al/Ta Ohmic Contacts on AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures
2019
This paper compares the metal/semiconductor barrier height properties of non-recessed Ti/Al/Ti and Ta/Al/Ta contacts on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. Both contacts exhibited a rectifying behavior after deposition and after annealing at temperatures up to 550 °
Protective Effects of L- and D-Carnosine on R-Crystallin Amyloid Fibril Formation: Implications for Cataract Disease
2009
Mildly denaturing conditions induce bovine ?-crystallin, the major structural lens protein, to self-assemble into fibrillar structures in vitro. The natural dipeptide L-carnosine has been shown to have potential protective and therapeutic significance in many diseases. Carnosine derivatives have been proposed as potent agents for ophthalmic therapies of senile cataracts and diabetic ocular complications. Here we report the inhibitory effect induced by the peptide (L- and D-enantiomeric form) on ?-crystallin fibrillation and the almost complete restoration of the chaperone activity lost after denaturant and/or heat stress. Scanning force microscopy (SFM), thioflavin T, and a turbidimetry ass…