How strong is a covalent bond?

The rupture force of single covalent bonds under an external load was measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Single polysaccharide molecules were covalently anchored between a surface and an AFM tip and then stretched until they became detached. By using different surface chemistries for the attachment, it was found that the silicon-carbon bond ruptured at 2.0 +/- 0.3 nanonewtons, whereas the sulfur-gold anchor ruptured at 1.4 +/- 0.3 nanonewtons at force-loading rates of 10 nanonewtons per second. Bond rupture probability calculations that were based on density functional theory corroborate the measured values.     

DNA imaging. Getting a feel for genetic variations

A team of researchers has come up with a novel atomic imaging microscope that may dramatically speed the task of linking genetic variants to diseases. The microscope is a modification of the popular atomic force microscope (AFM), which uses an ultrasharp tip to map surfaces of everything from computer chips to DNA at the atomic level. By using this molecule-sized tip, the researchers were able get their AFM to march down a strand of DNA and identify uniquely shaped reporter molecules engineered to tag the genetic variations.     

"Dip-Pen" nanolithography

A direct-write "dip-pen" nanolithography (DPN) has been developed to deliver collections of molecules in a positive printing mode. An atomic force microscope (AFM) tip is used to write alkanethiols with 30-nanometer linewidth resolution on a gold thin film in a manner analogous to that of a dip pen. Molecules are delivered from the AFM tip to a solid substrate of interest via capillary transport, making DPN a potentially useful tool for creating and functionalizing nanoscale devices.     

Machining oxide thin films with an atomic force microscope: pattern and object formation on the nanometer scale

An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used to machine complex patterns and to form free structural objects in thin layers of MoO(3) grown on the surface of MoS(2). The AFM tip can pattern lines with 相似文献   

Application of Atomic Force Microscopy in the Study of Polysaccharide

This paper gives a brief introduction to basic principle and working mode of atomic force microscope （AFM）. Sample preparation methods and factors that affect the AFM imaging of polysaccharide are described in detail. Advance in using AFM for morphological observation and quantitative study on polysaccharide molecules are reviewed. Research on single molecule force spectroscopy of polysaccharide and determination and adjustment of conformational change of sugar residue are introduced. Perspective on further application of AFM in polysaccharide investigation is presented.     

Orientational ordering of polymers by atomic force microscope tip-surface interaction

Results of studies on the interaction between the tip of an atomic force microscope and polystyrene molecules in a film spread on a surface are reported. The tip produces a persistent deformation on the film; some of the polymer molecules are eventually pulled up by the tip. Nanometer-size structures are induced, resulting in a pattern that is periodic and is oriented perpendicular to the scan direction.     

Single-molecule cut-and-paste surface assembly

We introduce a method for the bottom-up assembly of biomolecular structures that combines the precision of the atomic force microscope (AFM) with the selectivity of DNA hybridization. Functional units coupled to DNA oligomers were picked up from a depot area by means of a complementary DNA strand bound to an AFM tip. These units were transferred to and deposited on a target area to create basic geometrical structures, assembled from units with different functions. Each of these cut-and-paste events was characterized by single-molecule force spectroscopy and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Transport and deposition of more than 5000 units were achieved, with less than 10% loss in transfer efficiency.     

Formation of nanometer-scale grooves in silicon with a scanning tunneling microscope

Grooves a few nanometers wide can be formed on a Si(111) surface with a scanning tunneling microscope when the tip is above a critical voltage. This may provide a promising approach to nanodevice fabrication. The dependence of the critical voltage on tunneling current, tip polarity, and tip material was studied with silver, gold, platinum, and tungsten tips. The results are consistent with field emission of positive and negative silicon ions. The variation of critical voltage with current is explained quantitatively by a simple tunneling equation that includes the effect of the contact potential between tip and sample.     

A bond-fluctuation mechanism for stochastic switching in wired molecules

Stochastic on-off conductivity switching observed in phenylene-ethynylene oligomers has been explained in terms of changes in ring conformations, or electron localization, or both. We report the observation of stochastic on-off switching in the simplest of wired molecules: octanedithiol, decanedithiol, and dodecanedithiol bonded on an Au(111) surface. Stochastic switching was observed even when a top gold contact was pressed on by a conducting atomic force microscope tip at constant force. The rate of switching increased substantially at 60 degrees C, a temperature at which these films are commonly annealed. Because such switching in alkanethiols is unlikely to be caused by internal molecular electronic changes and cannot be fully accounted for by breaking of the top contact, we argue that the cause is the well-known mobility of molecules tethered to gold via a thiol linkage.     

Atomic force microscopy of atomic-scale ledges and etch pits formed during dissolution of quartz

The processes involved in the dissolution and growth of crystals are closely related. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of faceted pits (called negative crystals) formed during quartz dissolution reveals subtle details of these underlying physical mechanisms for silicates. In imaging these surfaces, the AFM detected ledges <1 nanometer (nm) high that were spaced 10 to 90 nm apart. A dislocation pit, invisible to optical and scanning electron microscopy measurements and serving as a ledge source, was also imaged. These observations confirm the applicability of ledge-motion models to dissolution and growth of silicates; coupled with measurements of dissolution rate on facets, these methods provide a powerful tool for probing mineral surface kinetics.     

Structure of langmuir-blodgett films of disk-shaped molecules determined by atomic force microscopy

Monolayer Langmuir-Blodgett films of a discotic mesogen have been studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM). These measurements confirm the "edge on" arrangement for the disk-shaped molecules suggested by surface pressure-area isotherms and show that the molecules form columns that are separated by 17.7 angstroms +/- 10 percent. Column alignment is found to be predominantly along the film deposition direction, with an angular spread of 35 degrees . The AFM images also show that the mean disk separation within the columns is 5.1 +/- 1.3 angstroms, in good agreement with x-ray diffraction (XRD) results. Roomtemperature XRD measurements on bulk samples of the same material indicate a disordered-hexagonal liquid crystalline mesophase, with a column-to-column spacing of 19.9 +/- 0.2 angstroms.     

Imaging crystals, polymers, and processes in water with the atomic force microscope

The atomic force microscope (AFM) can be used to image the surface of both conductors and nonconductors even if they are covered with water or aqueous solutions. An AFM was used that combines microfabricated cantilevers with a previously described optical lever system to monitor deflection. Images of mica demonstrate that atomic resolution is possible on rigid materials, thus opening the possibility of atomic-scale corrosion experiments on nonconductors. Images of polyalanine, an amino acid polymer, show the potential of the AFM for revealing the structure of molecules important in biology and medicine. Finally, a series of ten images of the polymerization of fibrin, the basic component of blood clots, illustrate the potential of the AFM for revealing subtle details of biological processes as they occur in real time.     

The force needed to move an atom on a surface

Manipulation of individual atoms and molecules by scanning probe microscopy offers the ability of controlled assembly at the single-atom scale. However, the driving forces behind atomic manipulation have not yet been measured. We used an atomic force microscope to measure the vertical and lateral forces exerted on individual adsorbed atoms or molecules by the probe tip. We found that the force that it takes to move an atom depends strongly on the adsorbate and the surface. Our results indicate that for moving metal atoms on metal surfaces, the lateral force component plays the dominant role. Furthermore, measuring spatial maps of the forces during manipulation yielded the full potential energy landscape of the tip-sample interaction.     

镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐和铵的去除性能

采用镧氢氧化物对天然沸石进行改性,通过实验研究了该镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐和铵的去除性能,并探讨了相关的去除机制,结果表明,镧改性沸石对水中的磷酸盐和铵具有很好的去除能力。准二级动力学模型适合描述镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐和铵的吸附过程。镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐的吸附平衡数据较好地满足了Langmuir等温吸附模型。镧改性沸石对水中铵的吸附平衡数据较好地满足了Langmuir、Freundlich和Dubinin-Radushkevich等温吸附模型。镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐和铵的去除过程属于自发的、吸热的及熵增加的过程。当pH由3逐渐增加到10时,镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐的去除能力逐渐下降;当pH由10增加到12时,对磷酸盐的去除能力明显下降。当pH位于3～7时,镧改性沸石对水中铵的去除能力较高;当pH由7逐渐增加到12时,对铵的去除能力逐渐下降。镧改性沸石对水中磷酸盐的去除能力不受离子强度的影响,亦不受共存的Cl-、HCO3-和SO42-等阴离子的影响。镧改性沸石对水中铵的去除能力不受共存的Mg2+的影响,而受共存的Ca2+、Na+和K+的影响较大。镧改性沸石对磷酸盐的吸附机制包括静电吸引作用、配位体交换和路易斯酸碱反应。镧改性沸石去除水中铵的主要机制为阳离子交换作用。     

天然沸石对猪场厌氧发酵液中氨氮吸附作用的试验研究

为达到利用人工湿地处理高氨氮污水的目的,采用天然沸石作为人工湿地基质,对比研究了天然沸石对NH4Cl溶液和猪场厌氧发酵液中氨氮的等温吸附特征、吸附动力学过程,考察了吸附时间、氨氮初始浓度、沸石用量对沸石吸附氨氮的影响。结果表明,Freundlich方程较Langmuir方程能更为准确地描述天然沸石对两种水质中氨氮的等温吸附特征;在两种水质中,单分子层饱和吸附量分别为16.20mg·g-1和3.85mg·g-1。天然沸石对氨氮的吸附作用受吸附时间、氨氮初始浓度及沸石用量影响较大,在两种水质中,沸石对氨氮的吸附过程在0～8h内均随时间显著上升,到48h时达到吸附平衡;当采用NH4Cl溶液时,初始氨氮的浓度由10mg·L-1增加到500mg·L-1时,平衡吸附量由0.19mg·g-1增加到5.91mg·g-1;当采用猪场厌氧发酵液时,初始氨氮的浓度由39.4mg·L-1增加到502.9mg·L-1时,平衡吸附量由0.63mg·g-1增加到3.20mg·g-1;增加沸石用量,可以提高氨氮的去除率,但单位质量沸石的氨氮吸附量随之降低。准二级动力学可以很好地描述天然沸石吸附两种水质中氨氮的动力学过程;由模型得出的天然沸石...     

Atomic force microscopy and dissection of gap junctions

An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to study the structure of isolated hepatic gap junctions in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The thickness of these gap junctions appears to be 14.4 nanometers, close to the dimensions reported by electron microscopy (EM). When an increasing force is applied to the microscope tip, the top membrane of the gap junction can be "dissected" away, leaving the extracellular domains of the bottom membrane exposed. When such "force dissection" is performed on samples both trypsinized and fixed with glutaraldehyde, the hexagonal array of gap junction hemichannels is revealed, with a center-to-center spacing of 9.1 nanometers.     

Crystal growth inhibitors for the prevention of L-cystine kidney stones through molecular design

Crystallization of L-cystine is a critical step in the pathogenesis of cystine kidney stones. Treatments for this disease are somewhat effective but often lead to adverse side effects. Real-time in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that L-cystine dimethylester (L-CDME) and L-cystine methylester (L-CME) dramatically reduce the growth velocity of the six symmetry-equivalent {100} steps because of specific binding at the crystal surface, which frustrates the attachment of L-cystine molecules. L-CDME and L-CME produce l-cystine crystals with different habits that reveal distinct binding modes at the crystal surfaces. The AFM observations are mirrored by reduced crystal yield and crystal size in the presence of L-CDME and L-CME, collectively suggesting a new pathway to the prevention of L-cystine stones by rational design of crystal growth inhibitors.     

Molecular rulers for scaling down nanostructures

A method of constructing <30-nanometer structures in close proximity with precise spacings is presented that uses the step-by-step application of organic molecules and metal ions as size-controlled resists on predetermined patterns, such as those formed by electron-beam lithography. The organic molecules serve as a ruler for scaling down a larger "parent" structure. After metal deposition and lift-off of the organic multilayer resist, an isolated smaller structure remains on the surface. This approach is used to form thin parallel wires (15 to 70 nanometers in width and 1 micrometer long) of controlled thickness and spacing. The structures obtained were imaged with field emission scanning electron microscopy. A variety of nanostructures could be scaled down, including structures with hollow patterns.     

保水剂与氮肥的相互影响及节水保肥效果

 【目的】研究保水剂在吸水的同时,对不同氮肥的吸持作用以及不同氮肥对保水剂吸水性能的影响;保水剂和不同氮肥配合施用下的节水保肥效果。【方法】采用茶袋法测定保水剂在尿素、碳酸氢铵、硫酸铵、氯化铵溶液中的吸水倍率,差减法计算保水剂对氮素养分的吸持量;盆栽条件下以玉米为供试作物,研究保水剂与这些氮肥配合施用的节水保肥效果。【结果】保水剂在不同氮肥溶液中的吸水倍率随肥料浓度的增加而下降;不同氮肥对保水剂吸水倍率的影响按尿素、碳酸氢铵、硫酸铵、氯化铵的顺序递增;保水剂在大量吸水的同时,也对溶于水中的尿素分子或者NH4+有吸持作用,吸持量均随肥料浓度的增加而增加;除尿素外,保水剂对氮素的吸持率随肥料浓度的增加而呈降低趋势。保水剂和尿素、碳酸氢铵配合施用能显著地提高玉米生物学产量、根系干重和水肥利用效率,增加叶片净光合速率、蒸腾速率和气孔导度。【结论】保水剂在吸水的同时,还能吸持溶解在水中氮素养分,氮肥能显著降低保水剂的吸水倍率;尿素对保水剂吸水性能影响最小,保水剂与尿素配合施用,水肥调控效果最好。     

Atomistic mechanisms and dynamics of adhesion, nanoindentation, and fracture

Molecular dynamics simulations and atomic force microscopy are used to investigate the atomistic mechanisms of adhesion, contact formation, nanoindentation, separation, and fracture that occur when a nickel tip interacts with a gold surface. The theoretically predicted and experimentally measured hysteresis in the force versus tip-to-sample distance relationship, found upon approach and subsequent separation of the tip from the sample, is related to inelastic deformation of the sample surface characterized by adhesion of gold atoms to the nickel tip and formation of a connective neck of atoms. At small tipsample distances, mechanical instability causes the tip and surface to jump-to-contact, which in turn leads to adhesion-induced wetting of the nickel tip by gold atoms. Subsequent indentation of the substrate results in the onset of plastic deformation of the gold surface. The atomic-scale mechanisms underlying the formation and elongation of a connective neck, which forms upon separation, consist of structural transformations involving elastic and yielding stages.