Search results for "interfaces"
showing 10 items of 1258 documents
Effect of Cholesterol on Electrostatics in Lipid−Protein Films of a Pulmonary Surfactant
2010
We report the changes in the electrical properties of the lipid-protein film of pulmonary surfactant produced by excess cholesterol. Pulmonary surfactant (PS) is a complex lipid-protein mixture that forms a molecular film at the interface of the lung's epithelia. The defined molecular arrangement of the lipids and proteins of the surfactant film gives rise to the locally highly variable electrical surface potential of the interface, which becomes considerably altered in the presence of cholesterol. With frequency modulation Kelvin probe force microscopy (FM-KPFM) and force measurements, complemented by theoretical analysis, we showed that excess cholesterol significantly changes the electri…
A static SIMS study of superficial reactions (O2, (CN)2) on silver
1998
Abstract The exposure of silver surfaces to oxygen under about 10 −6 mbar at room temperature was studied mainly by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) used in a static mode. No reactivity of oxygen appeared under these exposure conditions in accordance with previous works. No modifications in the AES spectra, but an unexpected and huge increase in the intensities of secondary ions such as CN − , CNO − , Ag(CN) − 2 , Ag 2 CN + were observed. Different experiments were performed in order to specify the origin of this unexpected reaction in presence of pure oxygen. Moreover, exposures to pure (CN) 2 and to a mixture of cyanogen and oxygen were performed in order to compare the reactivity o…
Comparative optical reflection and mass spectrometry analysis of thermodesorption of Langmuir-Blodgett films
1992
Abstract Thermodesorption of cadmium arachidate multilayers is studied by optical surface analysis and by mass spectrometry measurements. The optical reflection technique has been improved to discriminate signal contributions from desorption and light scattering. The scattering arises from film heterogeneities that are also observed by Nomarsky microscopy. The assessment of these heterogeneities is important to understand mass spectrometry data. Both the optical technique and mass spectrometry are sensitive to observing the multilayer phase transition at 110 °C and the desorption near 200 °C (at the heating rate applied). The mass spectrometry analysis yields detailed information on the des…
Multivariate nonparametric estimation of the Pickands dependence function using Bernstein polynomials
2017
Abstract Many applications in risk analysis require the estimation of the dependence among multivariate maxima, especially in environmental sciences. Such dependence can be described by the Pickands dependence function of the underlying extreme-value copula. Here, a nonparametric estimator is constructed as the sample equivalent of a multivariate extension of the madogram. Shape constraints on the family of Pickands dependence functions are taken into account by means of a representation in terms of Bernstein polynomials. The large-sample theory of the estimator is developed and its finite-sample performance is evaluated with a simulation study. The approach is illustrated with a dataset of…
Fluorescence quenching by trapped charge carriers in N,N-dimethylaminobenzylidene 1,3-indandione films
2010
Effects caused by the applied voltage on the steady state and time-resolved fluorescence of vacuum evaporated N,N-dimethylaminobenzylidene 1,3-indandione films sandwiched between gold and aluminium electrodes were investigated and discussed. Fluorescence enhancement and quenching as well as the fluorescence band narrowing depending on the applied voltage have been observed. Fluorescence decay and recovery take place on a time scale of tens of seconds after voltage is switched on and off. Similar fluorescence decay also takes place after switching on the excitation light. These fluorescence changes are attributed to the exciton quenching by trapped charge carriers.
Chemically driven phase separation in black lipid membranes and its coupling to membrane functions
1992
Abstract We analysed the single-channel current fluctuations of gramicidin in bimolecular lipid membranes in order to demonstrate (i) the influence of protein binding to the lateral organisation of a mixed membrane, and (ii) how this couples to the function of the ionophore. Examples of phase separations induced by synthetic polyelectrolytes, as models for peripheral membrane proteins, and specific ligand-receptor interactions are presented and discussed in view of the important lateral order-function relationship in biomembranes.
Oxo-Vanadium(IV) Dihydrogen Phosphate: Preparation, Magnetic Study, and Heterogeneous Catalytic Epoxidation
2008
A layered oxo-vanadium(IV) dihydrogen phosphate, {VO(H2PO 4)2} n has been synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by several physicochemical methods. Single-crystal X-ray analysis (crystal system, tetragonal; space group, P4/ ncc; unit cell dimensions, a = b = 8.9632(4), c = 7.9768(32) A) of {VO(H2PO4) 2} n reveals that the compound has an extended two-dimensional structure. The VO2+ moieties are connected through bridging H 2PO4 (-) ions, and this type of connection propagates parallel to the crystallographic ab plane which gives rise to a layered structure. The layers are staked parallel to the crystallographic c axis with a separation between the layers of ca. 4.0 A. Magnetic suscep…
Studies of Molecular Orientation and Order in Self-Assembled Semifluorinated n-Alkanethiols: Single and Dual Component Mixtures
1997
The structure, orientation and morphology of self-assembled monolayers of a semifluorinated n-alkanethiol, F(CF2)8(CH2)11SH (F8H11SH), have been investigated by polarized IR, angular dependent XPS, ToF-SIMS, contact angle, and ellipsometric measurements. The orientation of the all trans hydrocarbon segment was found to be tilted much less from the surface normal than the 30° tilt found for octadecanethiol. This has been attributed to the steric constraints imposed by the larger cross section fluorocarbon helices that subsequently are tilted from the surface normal. In addition, studies of dual component mixtures of F8H11SH/F8SH and F8SH/F8H2SH have revealed that competitive adsorption occur…
Tuning the Self-Assembly of Rectangular Amphiphilic Cruciforms
2014
The self-assembly of a series of nonionic amphiphilic cruciforms based on the 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(phenylethynyl)benzene (TPEB) skeleton, in which the peripheral substituents have been modified to modulate the morphology of the supramolecular structures, is reported. The presence of linear paraffinic and hydrophilic chains in TPEBs 1 and 2 gives rise to two-dimensional structures of high aspect ratio. In contrast, the incorporation of dendronized hydrophilic chains results in the formation of twisted ribbons in amphiphile 3 and impedes the organized self-assembly of TPEB 4. Theoretical calculations show that the self-assembly of these amphiphiles might be initiated with the formation of π-stack…
Molecular Recognition via Hydrogen Bonding at the Air−Water Interface: An Isotherm and Fourier Transform Infrared Reflection Spectroscopy Study
1997
Molecular recognition in Langmuir monolayers at the air−water interface as a function of headgroup orientation and substrate using isotherms and in-situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) reflection spectroscopy has been investigated. Isotherm measurements show that urea and 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) are specifically bound to barbituric acid lipid monolayers. As expected, TAP causes a larger shift in the limiting area of the isotherms than urea due to steric requirements. The peak positions of the CH stretching vibrations of the barbituric acid lipids indicate that the alkyl chains of barbituric acid lipids 1−3 are in a close-packed all-trans conformation both before and after the reco…