Latest News

Probing Mid-Infrared Phonon PolaritonsTue Jun 09 2020

Nanoparticle characterizationThu May 28 2020

Observation of a gel of quantum vortices in a superconductor at very low magnetic fieldsWed May 13 2020

A gel consists of a network of particles or molecules formed for example using the sol-gel process, by which a solution transforms into a porous solid. Particles or molecules in a gel are mainly organized on a scaffold that makes up a porous system. Quantized vortices in type-II superconductors mostly form spatially homogeneous ordered or amorphous solids. In the article “Observation of a gel of quantum vortices in a superconductor at very low magnetic fields” José Benito Llorens, Lior Embon, Alexandre Correa, Jesús David González, Edwin Herrera, Isabel Guillamón, Roberto F. Luccas, Jon Azpeitia, Federico J. Mompeán, Mar García-Hernández, Carmen Munuera, Jazmín Aragón Sánchez, Yanina Fasano, Milorad V. Milošević, Hermann Suderow and Yonathan Anahory present high-resolution imaging of the vortex lattice displaying dense vortex clusters separated by sparse or entirely vortex-free regions in β−Bi2Pd superconductor. The authors find that the intervortex distance diverges upon decreasing the magnetic field and that vortex lattice images follow a multifractal behavior. These properties, characteristic of gels, establish the presence of a novel vortex distribution, distinctly different from the well-studied disordered and glassy phases observed in high-temperature and conventional superconductors. The observed behavior is caused by a scaffold of one-dimensional structural defects with enhanced stress close to the defects. The vortex gel might often occur in type-II superconductors at low magnetic fields. Such vortex distributions should allow to considerably simplify control over vortex positions and manipulation of quantum vortex states. The results presented in the article show that vortices are nearly independent to each other at very low magnetic fields and that their position is locked to the defect structure in the sample. This suggests that vortices in this field range are also highly manipulable, much more than in usual hexagonal or disordered vortex lattices. The magnetic force microscopy (MFM) measurements described in the article were performed in a commercial Low-Temperature SPM equipment working in the 300–1.8 K temperature range using NANOSENSORS magnetic AFM probes of the type PPP-MFMR that were magnetized prior to the measurement by applying a magnetic field of 1500 G at 10 K. https://www.nanosensors.com/pointprobe-plus-magnetic-force-… Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.#condensedmatterphysics #superconductors #电磁力显微镜 #AFMprobes

Cryopreservation of DNA Origami NanostructuresFri May 08 2020

Although DNA origami nanostructures have found their way into numerous fields of fundamental and applied research, they often suffer from rather limited stability when subjected to environments that differ from the employed assembly conditions, that is, suspended in Mg2+-containing buffer at moderate temperatures.* In the article “Cryopreservation of DNA Origami Nanostructures” Yang Xin, Charlotte Kielar, Siqi Zhu, Christoph Sikeler, Xiaodan Xu, Christin Möser, Guido Grundmeier, Tim Liedl, Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, David M. Smith and Adrian Keller investigate means for efficient cryopreservation of 2D and 3D DNA origami nanostructures and, in particular, the effect of repeated freezing and thawing. It is found that, while the 2D DNA origami nanostructures maintain their structural integrity over at least 32 freeze–thaw cycles, ice crystal formation makes the DNA origami gradually more sensitive toward harsh sample treatment conditions. * The cryoprotectants glycerol and trehalose are found to efficiently protect the DNA origami nanostructures against freeze damage at concentrations between 0.2 × 10−3and 200 × 10−3m and without any negative effects on DNA origami shape. This work thus provides a basis for the long-term storage of DNA origami nanostructures, which is an important prerequisite for various technological and medical applications. * NanoWorld Ultra-Short Cantilevers for High-Speed AFM USC-F0.3-k0.3 were used for the AFM imaging in liquid of the DNA origami sample described in this article. https://www.nanoworld.com/Ultra-Short-Cantilevers-USC-F0.3-… #cryoprotectants #biology #AFM探针 #原子間力顕微鏡 #ScanningProbeMicroscopy #DNAnanostructures

How to choose your AFM probe | Interview by NanoAndMoreTue May 05 2020

New to #AtomicForceMicroscopy ? Then don't forget to check out our video on how to choose the right #AFMprobe in the NanoAndMore Youtube channel. https://youtu.be/TcepH6fi5uk

Novel Pulsed Force KPFM techniqueMon May 04 2020

Novel Pulsed Force KPFM technique demonstrated using MikroMasch HQ:NSC15/Pt AFM probes

https://www.spmtips.com/afm-tip-hq-nsc15-pt https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021

Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron...Tue Apr 28 2020

Published new post (Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron acceptor in PTB7:PC71BM-based organic photovoltaic cells) on NANOSENSORS Blog
Iron disulfide ( FeS2 ) is a natural earth-abundant and nontoxic material with possible applications in lithium batteries, transistors or photovoltaic (PV) devices. According to the analysis carried out by Wadia et al., among 23 semiconducting materials, FeS2 is the best candidate for the development of large-scale solar cells at low cost (<2 × 10−6 ¢/W). Furthermore, FeS2 exhibits excellent optoelectronic properties such as a band gap of 0.8 to 1.38 eV, a high optical absorption coefficient (2 × 105 cm−1), high carrier mobility (2 to 80 cm2/Vs) and a large charge carrier lifetime (200 ps). Therefore, FeS2 nanoparticles (NPs) can be a good alternative for PV applications.*

In “Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron acceptor in PTB7:PC71BM-based organic photovoltaic cells “ Olivia Amargós-Reyes, José-Luis Maldonado, Omar Martínez-Alvarez, María-Elena Nicho, José Santos-Cruz, Juan Nicasio-Collazo, Irving Caballero-Quintana and Concepción Arenas-Arrocena report the synthesis of nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide ( FeS2 ) nanocrystals (NCs) using a two-pot method. Moreover, they study the influence of these NCs incorporated into the PTB7:PC71BM active layer of bulk-heterojunction ternary organic photovoltaic ( OPV ) cells.*

The AFM roughness images presented in this article were acquired in dynamic force mode using NANOSENSORS™ PointProbe® Plus PPP-NCLAu AFM probes. https://www.nanosensors.com/pointprobe-plus-non-contact-tap…

Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.

#FeS2 #OPV #PTB7 #原子力显微镜探针 #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMカンチレバー

BudgetSensonsors AFM Calibration NanogridMon Apr 27 2020

Need a reliable calibration standard for lateral and vertical AFM calibration? Learn more about BudgetSensors CS-20NG nanogrid in our screencast! #AFMProbes #AtomicForceMicroscopy #CalibrationStandard #AFMCalibration https://youtu.be/j7T-IBJ82Mc

Discover how the wear behavior of nanotools high densitiy carbon CDR50-EBD AFM probesThu Apr 23 2020

Pectin Interaction with Immune Receptors is Modulated by Ripening Process in PapayasMon Apr 20 2020

Dietary fibers have been shown to exert immune effects via interaction with pattern recognition receptors (PRR) such as toll-like receptors (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors. Pectin is a dietary fiber that interacts with PRR depending on its chemical structure. Papaya pectin retains different chemical structures at different ripening stages. How this influences PRR signalling is unknown.* The aim of the article “Pectin Interaction with Immune Receptors is Modulated by Ripening Process in Papayas” by Samira B. R. Prado, Martin Beukema, Eva Jermendi, Henk A. Schols, Paul de Vos and João Paulo Fabi was to determine how ripening influences pectin structures and their ability to interact with TLR2, 3, 4, 5 and 9, and NOD1 and 2.* Papaya ripening is an enzymatic, biochemically driven process that occurs over a short period of time (five days) and involves the mobilization of pectin and the alteration of its chemical composition. The authors evaluated the interaction of the water-soluble fractions rich in pectin extracted from unripe to ripe papayas. The pectin extracted from ripe papayas activated all the TLR and, to a lesser extent, the NOD receptors. The pectin extracted from unripe papayas also activated TLR2, 4 and 5 but inhibited the activation of TLR3 and 9.* During papaya ripening, profound changes in pectin structures lead to differences in the biological effects. The data presented in the paper show that papaya pectin extracted from fruit pulp at different ripening points differently interacted with PRR in a ripening-dependent way. The longer chains of HG from unripe papayas pectin, which were less methyl-esterified, inhibited the activation of TLR3 and 9 and activated TLR2 and 4, in contrast to the ripe papaya’s pectin, which have smaller HG chains with medium methyl esterification thus activating TLR2, 3, 4, 5 and 9.* This variation may represent new biological features of papaya pectin structures in addition to anticancer activities, possibly creating new and cost-effective approaches to extracting papaya pectin with desirable structural and biological features.* These findings might lead to selection of ripening stages for tailored modulation of PRR to support or attenuate immunity in consumers.* The changes in Molecular weight ( Mw ) can also be visualized by Atomic Force Microscopy (see Fig. 1C in the paper.) The AFM images presented in the paper were acquired in tapping mode using an NanoWorld Pointprobe® NCHR AFM probe with a typical spring constant of 42 N/m and typically 320 kHz resonance frequency. The scan speed and scanning resolution were 0.5 Hz and 512 × 512 points, respectively.* https://www.nanoworld.com/pointprobe-tapping-mode-reflex-co… Please have a look at the NanoWorld blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article. #glycobiology #AFMプローブ #AFMカンチレバー #AFMprobes

Mechanical properties measured by atomic force microscopy define health biomarkers in ageing C. ElegansTue Apr 14 2020

Genetic and environmental factors are key drivers regulating organismal lifespan but how these impact healthspan is less well understood. Techniques capturing biomechanical properties of tissues on a nano-scale level are providing new insights into disease mechanisms.* In the article “ Mechanical properties measured by atomic force microscopy define health biomarkers in ageing C. Elegans “ Clara L. Essmann, Daniel Martinez-Martinez, Rosina Pryor, Kit-Yi Leung, Kalaivani Bala Krishnan, Prudence Pokway Lui, Nicholas D.E. Greene, André E.X. Brown, Vijay M. Pawar, Mandayam A. Srinivasan and Filipe Cabreiro apply Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to quantitatively measure the change in biomechanical properties associated with ageing Caenorhabditis elegans in addition to capturing high-resolution topographical images of cuticle senescence.* The authors show that distinct dietary restriction regimes and genetic pathways that increase lifespan lead to radically different healthspan outcomes. Hence, their data support the view that prolonged lifespan does not always coincide with extended healthspan. Importantly, they identify the insulin signalling pathway in C. elegans and interventions altering bacterial physiology as increasing both lifespan and healthspan.* Overall, AFM provides a highly sensitive technique to measure organismal biomechanical fitness and delivers an approach to screen for health-improving conditions, an essential step towards healthy ageing.* The topographical images shown in this article were acquired using NANOSENSORS™ uniqprobe qp-CONT AFM probes. These AFM probes have very soft cantilevers designed for imaging of biological samples ( k = 0.1 N/m ). https://www.nanosensors.com/uniqprobe-uniform-quality-conta… Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.#biology #AtomicForceMicroscopy #BiomechanicalProperties #走査型走査型プローブ顕微鏡 #AFMカンチレバー #SPMプローブ

3D‐Printed Scanning‐Probe MicroscopesMon Apr 13 2020

The Microscope That Uses Quantum Physics to Trace AtomsFri Apr 10 2020

SciShow, one of our favorite pop-science YouTube channels recently posted a video about the daddy of the Atomic Force Microscope - the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. For those of you who missed it, here it is. Enjoy! #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMProbes #STM #ScanningTunnelingMicroscopy

KPFM surface photovoltage measurement and numerical simulationThu Apr 09 2020

New Post - KPFM surface photovoltage measurement and numerical simulation (https://www.nanoworld.com/…/kpfm-surface-photovoltage-meas…/) has been published on NanoWorld Blog. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ( KPFM ) is a scanning probe microscopy technique. It is a combination of the Kelvin probe and of Atomic Force Microscopy methods. The technique consists in evaluating the difference in work function between two conducting materials, by using a nanometer scale tip ( the “KPFMtip”), and placing it close to the material to be characterised, where a difference in work function leads to an electrostatic force developing between the two, which is translated as an oscillation of the tip’s cantilever. A bia sapplied via an external circuit is varied until the force and hence the electrostatic field between sample and KPFM tip is cancelled.* In the article “KPFM surface photovoltage measurement and numerical simulation” Clément Marchat, James P. Connolly, Jean-Paul Kleider, José Alvarez, Lejo J. Koduvelikulathu and Jean Baptiste Puel present a method for the analysis of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) characterization of semiconductor devices. It enables evaluation of the influence of defective surface layers. The model is validated by analysing experimental KPFM measurements on crystalline silicon samples of contact potential difference (VCPD) in the dark and under illumination, and hence the surface photovoltage (SPV). It is shown that the model phenomenologically explains the observed KPFM measurements. It reproduces the magnitude of SPV characterization as a function of incident light power in terms of a defect density assuming Gaussian defect distribution in the semiconductor bandgap. This allows an estimation of defect densities in surface layers of semiconductors and therefore increased exploitation of KPFM data.* The KPFM measurements were performed using NanoWorld ARROW-EFM conductive AFM tips with a PtIr coating. The tip work function didn’t require calibration because only SPV measurement were performed and studied. Measurements were performed in the KPFM amplitude modulation (AM)mode rather than the frequency modulation (FM) one. The AM mode was chosen because lateral resolution was not a problem on the homogeneous bulk samples studied, allowing focus on the superior surface potential resolution that can be achieved with the AM mode.* https://www.nanoworld.com/electrostatic-force-microscopy-af… Please have a look at the NanoWorld blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article #surfacevoltage #photovoltaics #KelvinProbeForceMicroscopy #AFMプローブ

DNA looping by two 5-methylcytosine-binding proteins quantified...Mon Mar 30 2020

MeCP2 and MBD2 are members of a family of proteins that possess a domain that selectively binds 5-methylcytosine in a CpG context. Members of the family interact with other proteins to modulate DNA packing. Stretching of DNA–protein complexes in nanofluidic channels with a cross-section of a few persistence lengths allows us to probe the degree of compaction by proteins.* In the article “DNA looping by two 5-methylcytosine-binding proteins quantified using nanofluidic devices” Ming Liu, Saeid Movahed, Saroj Dangi, Hai Pan, Parminder Kaur, Stephanie M. Bilinovich, Edgar M. Faison, Gage O. Leighton, Hong Wang, David C. Williams Jr. and Robert Riehn demonstrate DNA compaction by MeCP2 while MBD2 does not affect DNA configuration. By using atomic force microscopy (AFM), they determined that the mechanism for compaction by MeCP2 is the formation of bridges between distant DNA stretches and the formation of loops.* Despite sharing a similar specific DNA-binding domain, the impact of full-length 5-methylcytosine-binding proteins can vary drastically between strong compaction of DNA and no discernible large-scale impact of protein binding. The authors of the article demonstrate that ATTO 565-labeled MBD2 is a good candidate as a staining agent for epigenetic mapping.* For atomic force microscopy (AFM), the authors used a 7,163-bp linear DNA substrate which contains a 1,697-bp methylated CpG-rich region that is flanked by 2,742-bp and 2,724-bp CpG-free regions. For MeCP2, the DNA substrate and the protein were diluted in AFM imaging buffer (HEPES 20 mM, Mg(OAc)210mM, NaCl 100mM, pH 7.5), mixed together and deposited on freshly peeled mica. For MBD2FLsc, the authors describe how they first mixed the protein and DNA and then diluted the sample in AFM buffer before deposition. The final MeCP2 concentration deposited on mica was 7.5nM, and the MBD2FLsc concentration was 14nM. The mica samples were then washed with filtered deionized water and dried with nitrogen.* NANOSENSORS™ PointProbe® Plus PPP-FMR AFM probes ( ≈2.8N/m) were used to image the sample at a scan resolution of 5.9nm and a scan rate of 3μm/s.* https://www.nanosensors.com/pointprobe-plus-force-modulatio… Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article. #MeCP2 #DNA #走査型走査型プローブ顕微鏡 #SPMプローブ #AtomicForceMicroscopy #lifescience

Consistent AFM tip shape leading to reproducible results – NANOSENSORS PointProbe® Plus Screencast passes 1000 views markThu Mar 26 2020

The screencast held by Head of R&D Thomas Sulzbach on the NANOSENSORS PointProbe® Plus Silicon AFM probe series with a consistent tip shape leading to more reproducible results has just passed the 1000 views mark. Congratulations Thomas! https://youtu.be/oo-NFxKOko8 Screencasts on the PointProbe® Plus are also available in Japanese https://youtu.be/DczwdZQllD8 https://youtu.be/4eiL8lpQ3fE and in Chinese: https://youtu.be/_o9f_wS7Hj0 also on youku #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMプローブ #SPM探针

Self-assembly of small molecules at hydrophobic interfaces using group effectTue Mar 24 2020

Although common in nature, the self-assembly of small molecules at sold–liquid interfaces is difficult to control in artificial systems. The high mobility of dissolved small molecules limits their residence at the interface, typically restricting the self-assembly to systems under confinement or with mobile tethers between the molecules and the surface. Small hydrogen-bonding molecules can overcome these issues by exploiting group-effect stabilization to achieve non-tethered self-assembly at hydrophobic interfaces. Significantly, the weak molecular interactions with the solid makes it possible to influence the interfacial hydrogen bond network, potentially creating a wide variety of supramolecular structures.* In the paper “Self-assembly of small molecules at hydrophobic interfaces using group effect” William Foster, Keisuke Miyazawa, Takeshi Fukuma, Halim Kusumaatmaja and Kislon Voϊtchovsky investigate the nanoscale details of water and alcohols mixtures self-assembling at the interface with graphite through group-effect. They explore the interplay between inter-molecular and surface interactions by adding small amounts of foreign molecules able to interfere with the hydrogen bond network and systematically varying the length of the alcohol hydrocarbon chain. The resulting supramolecular structures forming at room temperature are then examined using atomic force microscopy with insights from computer simulations.* The authors show that the group-based self-assembly approach investigated in the paper is general and can be reproduced on other substrates such as molybdenum disulphide and graphene oxide, potentially making it relevant for a wide variety of systems.* NanoWorld Arrow UHF-AuD ultra high frequency cantilevers for High Speed AFM were used for the amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy described in this paper. https://www.nanoworld.com/ultra-high-frequency-afm-tip-arro… Please have a look at the NanoWorld blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article. #MolecularSelfAssembly #nanotechnology #FrequencyModulationAtomicForceMicroscopy #ScanningProbeMicroscopy #SelfAssemblyofMolecules #AFMプローブ

MikroMasch® HQ:NSC36 series AFM probesMon Mar 23 2020

Current measurements in the intermittent-contact mode of atomic force microscopy using the Fourier method: a feasibility analysisThu Mar 19 2020

Method for electric current measurements in tapping mode using the ElectriMulti75-G AFM probes based on Fourier analysis https://www.beilstein-journals.org/bjnano/articles/11/37 #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMProbes

Highly efficient fullerene and non-fullerene based ternary organic solar cells incorporating a new tetrathiocin-cored semiconductorMon Mar 16 2020

Published new post (Highly efficient fullerene and non-fullerene based ternary organic solar cells incorporating a new tetrathiocin-cored semiconductor) on NANOSENSORS Blog Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices based on nanocomposites of π-conjugated semiconductors are a prospective solar cell technology and have attracted considerable attention due to unprecedented attributes such as printability, foldability, portability, wearability, semi-transparency and amenability to cost-effective large area fabrication. Extensive and focussed research to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells have led to the development of highly efficient bulk heterojunction (BHJ) single and multijunction organic solar cells with PCEs > 15%.* In the paper “Highly efficient fullerene and non-fullerene based ternary organic solar cells incorporating a new tetrathiocin-cored semiconductor” Lethy Krishnan Jagadamma, Rupert G. D. Taylor, Alexander L. Kanibolotsky, Muhammad Tariq Sajjad, Iain A. Wright, Peter N. Horton, Simon J. Coles, Ifor D. W. Samuel and Peter J. Skabara present a dual-chain oligothiophene-based organic semiconductor, EH-5T-TTC.* Detailed characterisation of the ternary blend systems as presented in the paper implies that the ternary small molecule EH-5T-TTC functions differently in polymer: fullerene and polymer: non-fullerene blends and has dual functions of morphology modification and complementary spectral absorption.* To understand the differences in recombination dynamics of the blends containing EH-5T-TTC and fullerene/non-fullerene acceptors, detailed morphological characterisation was performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM).* NANOSENSORS™ PointProbe® Plus PPP-NCSTR silicon AFM probes with typical force constant of 7.4 Nm−1 were used for the AFM height images presented in the paper. https://www.nanosensors.com/pointprobe-plus-non-contact-sof… Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full paper #photovoltaics #Fullerene #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMプローブ