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Designer gradients speed surface science experiments
June 09, 2006Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an elegantly simple technique for synthesizing a wide variety of complex surfaces that vary in a controlled fashion across a test strip. The new technique is so flexible that it can be applied to surface science experiments ranging from developing better paints to exploring the bonding of proteins to cell membranes.
So-called "gradient composition surfaces"—their chemical composition changes gradually across the surface—have been shown to be powerful research tools for rapid, high-throughput testing of complicated surface properties, but they can be tricky to build. The new NIST technique described in a recent paper in Advanced Materials* coats a silicon wafer with a brush-like copolymer surface, varying the relative concentration of two components, or monomers, of the polymer along the length of the substrate. The dense polymer brush provides a controlled interaction surface at the top while effectively masking the underlying substrate.
The heart of the NIST technique is a combined microfluidic mixer and reaction chamber. The two components are injected into the mixer with gradually changing flow rates and mix thoroughly before filling a thin reaction chamber holding the silicon wafer substrate. Once the solution leaves the mixing region, the narrow dimensions of the reaction chamber inhibit further mixing, so the varying composition ratios through the chamber remain stable while the solution polymerizes on the substrate.
Because it keeps the fluid mixture concentrations stable for long periods, the new technique is unique in its ability to accommodate a wide variety of materials, potentially producing test surfaces for studying surface phenomena ranging from nanoscale interactions of biomolecules—critical for improving the performance of tissue-engineered medical products or for identifying the fundamental mechanisms key to cell/surface adhesion—to the performance of new products like paints or adhesives. The specific polymer used in these proof-of-concept experiments, for example, is typical of a temperature- or acidity-sensitive polymer that might be used in a drug delivery system.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Because it keeps the fluid mixture concentrations stable for long periods, the new technique is unique in its ability to accommodate a wide variety of materials, potentially producing test surfaces for studying surface phenomena ranging from nanoscale interactions of biomolecules—critical for improving the performance of tissue-engineered medical products or for identifying the fundamental mechanisms key to cell/surface adhesion—to the performance of new products like paints or adhesives. The specific polymer used in these proof-of-concept experiments, for example, is typical of a temperature- or acidity-sensitive polymer that might be used in a drug delivery system.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Surface Current Events and Surface News RSSWhy nice guys usually get the girls
Female water striders often reject their most persistent and aggressive suitors and prefer the males who aren't so grabby, according to new research. Water striders are insects commonly seen skittering across the surface of streams.
German high-school students involved in an astronomical research project
This week, Astronomy & Astrophysics publishes a somewhat unusual research article because it is co-authored by German high-school students.
First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia
For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.
Are the Alps growing or shrinking?
The Alps are growing just as quickly in height, as they are shrinking. This paradoxical result could be proven by a group of German and Swiss geoscientists.
Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat
Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade.
History in 3-D
If you don't have the time to travel to Florence, you can still see Michelangelo's statue of David on the Internet, revolving in true-to-life 3D around its own axis.
Organic weed control options for highbush blueberry
Research scientists at Nova Scotia Agricultural College have been working steadily to find effective organic methods to control weeds in cultivated blueberry crops.
Study uses satellite imagery to identify active magma systems in East Africa's Rift Valley
A team from the University of Miami, University of El Paso and University of Rochester have employed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images compiled over a decade to study volcanic activity in the African Rift. The study, published in the November issue of Geology, studies the section of the rift in Kenya.
Carbon atmosphere discovered on neutron star
Evidence for a thin veil of carbon has been found on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. This discovery, made with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, resolves a ten-year mystery surrounding this object.
Great wines come from great soils
The world's greatest wines are the result of a threefold synergy among grape variety, human input, and something called the "terroir" -- a term often defined as the vineyard site, soil, and climate.
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