Submicronic-Scale Mechanochemical Characterization of Oxygen-Enriched Materials.

Conventional techniques that measure the concentration of light elements in metallic materials lack high-resolution performance due to their intrinsic limitation of sensitivity. In that context, scanning microwave microscopy has the potential to significantly enhance the quantification of element distribution due to its ability to perform a tomographic investigation of the sample. Scanning microwave microscopy associates the local electromagnetic measurement and the nanoscale resolution of an atomic force microscope.

Infrared nanospectroscopic imaging of DNA molecules on mica surface.

Significant efforts have been done in last two decades to develop nanoscale spectroscopy techniques owning to their great potential for single-molecule structural detection and in addition, to resolve open questions in heterogeneous biological systems, such as protein-DNA complexes. Applying IR-AFM technique has become a powerful leverage for obtaining simultaneous absorption spectra with a nanoscale spatial resolution for studied proteins, however the AFM-IR investigation of DNA molecules on surface, as a benchmark for a nucleoprotein complexes nanocharacterization, has remained elusive. Herein, we demonstrate methodological approach for acquisition of AFM-IR mapping modalities with corresponding absorption spectra based on two different DNA deposition protocols on spermidine and Ni pretreated mica surface.

Core-shell polygalacturonate magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, and functionalities.

This work aims to synthesize polygalacturonate-based magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (INP-polyGalA). The synthesis consists of the diffusion of both Fe and Fe at a molar ratio of 1:2 through polyGalA solution followed by the addition of an alkaline solution. To form individual nanoparticle materials, the polyGalA concentration needs to be below its overlapping concentration (C*).

Large-extended 2D supramolecular network of dipoles with parallel arrangement on a Si(111)-B surface.

We have investigated the self-assembly of a strong dipolar molecule (LDipCC) on the semiconducting Si(111)-B surface with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), density functional theory (DFT) calculations and STM simulations. Although the formation of an extended two-dimensional network was clearly revealed by STM under ultra-high vacuum, the assignment of a specific STM signature to the different terminal groups from the LDipCC molecular unit required a complete analysis by numerical simulations. The overall observed assembly is explained in terms of STM contrasts associated with the molecular structure of LDipCC and the molecule-surface interactions.

Stable self-assembly of dipolar molecules on an Au(111) surface under UHV and an inert-atmosphere.

The growth of an extended supramolecular network using dipolar molecules as the building blocks is of great technological interest. We investigated the self-assembly of a dipolar molecule on an Au(111) surface. The formation of an extended two-dimensional network was demonstrated by scanning tunnelling microscopy under ultra-high vacuum and explained in terms of molecule-molecule interactions.