| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Boyd, Hannah, 1994-, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison between the structures of reconstituted salivary pellicles and oral mucin (MUC5B) films.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 584, s. 660-668
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- HYPOTHESIS: Salivary pellicles i.e., thin films formed upon selective adsorption of saliva, protect oral surfaces against chemical and mechanical insults. Pellicles are also excellent aqueous lubricants. It is generally accepted that reconstituted pellicles have a two-layer structure, where the outer layer is mainly composed of MUC5B mucins. We hypothesized that by comparing the effect of ionic strength on reconstituted pellicles and MUC5B films we could gain further insight into the pellicle structure.EXPERIMENTS: Salivary pellicles and MUC5B films reconstituted on solid surfaces were investigated at different ionic strengths by Force Spectroscopy, Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation, Null Ellipsometry and Neutron Reflectometry.FINDINGS: Our results support the two-layer structure for reconstituted salivary pellicles. The outer layer swelled when ionic strength decreased, indicating a weak polyelectrolyte behavior. While initially the MUC5B films exhibited a similar tendency, this was followed by a drastic collapse indicating an interaction between exposed hydrophobic domains. This suggests that mucins in the pellicle outer layer form complexes with other salivary components that prevent this interaction. Lowering ionic strength below physiological values also led to a partial removal of the pellicle inner layer. Overall, our results highlight the importance that the interactions of mucins with other pellicle components play on their structure.
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| 3. |
- Boyd, Hannah, 1994-, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of nonionic and amphoteric surfactants on salivary pellicles reconstituted in vitro
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surfactants are important components of oral care products. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is the most common because of its foaming properties, taste and low cost. However, the use of ionic surfactants, especially SDS, is related to several oral mucosa conditions. Thus, there is a high interest in using non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants as they are less irritant. To better understand the performance of these surfactants in oral care products, we investigated their interaction with salivary pellicles i.e., the proteinaceous films that cover surfaces exposed to saliva. Specifically, we focused on pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E5) and cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) as model nonionic and amphoteric surfactants respectively, and investigated their interaction with reconstituted salivary pellicles with various surface techniques: Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation, Ellipsometry, Force Spectroscopy and Neutron Reflectometry. Both C12E5 and CAPB were gentler on pellicles than SDS, removing a lower amount. However, their interaction with pellicles differed. Our work indicates that CAPB would mainly interact with the mucin components of pellicles, leading to collapse and dehydration. In contrast, exposure to C12E5 had a minimal effect on the pellicles, mainly resulting in the replacement/solubilisation of some of the components anchoring pellicles to their substrate.
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| 4. |
- Busch, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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A mobile setup for simultaneous and in situ neutron reflectivity, infrared spectroscopy, and ellipsometry studies
- 2022
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : American Institute of Physics. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 93:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron reflectivity at the solid/liquid interface offers unique opportunities for resolving the structure–function relationships of interfacial layers in soft matter science. It is a non-destructive technique for detailed analysis of layered structures on molecular length scales, providing thickness, density, roughness, and composition of individual layers or components of adsorbed films. However, there are also some well-known limitations of this method, such as the lack of chemical information, the difficulties in determining large layer thicknesses, and the limited time resolution. We have addressed these shortcomings by designing and implementing a portable sample environment for in situ characterization at neutron reflectometry beamlines, integrating infrared spectroscopy under attenuated total reflection for determination of molecular entities and their conformation, and spectroscopic ellipsometry for rapid and independent measurement of layer thicknesses and refractive indices. The utility of this combined setup is demonstrated by two projects investigating (a) pH-dependent swelling of polyelectrolyte layers and (b) the impact of nanoparticles on lipid membranes to identify potential mechanisms of nanotoxicity.
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| 5. |
- Dennison, Andrew J. C., et al.
(författare)
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Graphite intercalation compound (GIC) crystal monochromators for cold neutron instruments : Characterization of KC24 by time-of-flight neutron diffraction
- 2021
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 92:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) are a group of layered materials that are suitable as monochromators for cold neutrons. KC24 is a particularly interesting compound in this regard as it features a large c-axis lattice spacing of 8.74 angstrom, high reflectivity, and the possibility to produce large crystals with mosaicity that matches the beam divergence of cold neutron guides. GICs can be synthesized with different levels of intercalation, known as the stage of the compounds. Each stage displays a specific d-spacing. Impure GIC-monochromators containing multiple stages produce mixing of neutron wavelengths, which complicates data analysis on neutron reflectometers. We discuss the implications of GIC crystal purity and stage contamination for neutron reflectometry and show how GIC crystals can be characterized by time-of-flight neutron diffraction providing an efficient and quantifiable measure of the reflected wavelength spectrum. This allows taking into account multiple wavelength contaminations and ascertains the robustness of reflectometry measurements.
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| 6. |
- Gonzalez-Martinez, Juan F, et al.
(författare)
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MUC5B mucin films under mechanical confinement : A combined neutron reflectometry and atomic force microscopy study.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 614, s. 120-129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- HYPOTHESIS: Among other functions, mucins hydrate and protect biological interfaces from mechanical challenges. Mucins also attract interest as biocompatible coatings with excellent lubrication performance. Therefore, it is of high interest to understand the structural response of mucin films to mechanical challenges. We hypothesized that this could be done with Neutron Reflectometry using a novel sample environment where mechanical confinement is achieved by inflating a membrane against the films.EXPERIMENTS: Oral MUC5B mucin films were investigated by Force Microscopy/Spectroscopy and Neutron Reflectometry both at solid-liquid interfaces and under mechanical confinement.FINDINGS: NR indicated that MUC5B films were almost completely compressed and dehydrated when confined at 1 bar. This was supported by Force Microscopy/Spectroscopy investigations. Force Spectroscopy also indicated that MUC5B films could withstand mechanical confinement by means of steric interactions for pressures lower than ∼ 0.5 bar i.e., mucins could protect interfaces from mechanical challenges of this magnitude while keeping them hydrated. To investigate mucin films under these pressures by means of the employed sample environment for NR, further technological developments are needed. The most critical would be identifying or developing more flexible membranes that would still meet certain requirements like chemical homogeneity and very low roughness.
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| 7. |
- Gutfreund, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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Depletion at solid/liquid interfaces : Flowing hexadecane on functionalized surfaces
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 134:6, s. 064711-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a neutron reflectivity study on interfaces in contact with flowing hexadecane, which is known to exhibit surface slip on functionalized solid surfaces. The single crystalline silicon substrates were either chemically cleaned Si(100) or Si(100) coated by octadecyl-trichlorosilane (OTS), which resulted in different interfacial energies. The liquid was sheared in situ and changes in reflectivity profiles were compared to the static case. For the OTS surface, the temperature dependence was also recorded. For both types of interfaces, density depletion of the liquid at the interface was observed. In the case of the bare Si substrate, shear load altered the structure of the depletion layer, whereas for the OTS covered surface no effect of shear was observed. Possible links between the depletion layer and surface slip are discussed. The results show that, in contrast to water, for hexadecane the enhancement of the depletion layer with temperature and interfacial energy reduces the amount of slip. Thus a density depletion cannot be the origin of surface slip in this system.
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| 8. |
- Gutfreund, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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The Search for Nanobubbles by Using Specular and Off-Specular Neutron Reflectometry
- 2016
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 32:35, s. 9091-9096
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We apply specular and off-specular neutron reflection at the hydrophobic silicon/water interface to check for evidence of nanoscopic air bubbles whose presence is claimed after an ad hoc procedure of solvent exchange. Nanobubbles and/or a depletion layer at the hydrophobic/water interface have long been discussed and generated a plethora of controversial scientific results. By combining neutron reflectometry (NR), off-specular reflectometry (OSS), and grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering (GISANS), we studied the interface between hydrophobized silicon and heavy water before and after saturation with nitrogen gas. Our specular reflectometry results can be interpreted by assuming a submolecular sized depletion layer and the off-specular measurements show no change with nitrogen super saturated water. This picture is consistent with the assumption that, following the solvent exchange, no additional nanobubbles are introduced at significant concentrations (if present at all). Furthermore, we discuss the results in terms of the maximum surface coverage of nanobubbles that could be present on the hydrophobic surface compatibly with the sensitivity limit of these techniques.
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| 9. |
- Gvaramia, Manuchar, et al.
(författare)
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Neutron spin echo spectroscopy with a moving sample
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron spin echo spectroscopy is a high resolution inelastic neutron scattering method probing nanosecond dynamics. It is well suited to study the atomistic motion in polymer systems and contributes to our understanding of viscoelasticity. However, for samples under shear, or moving samples in general, Doppler scattering has to be considered. We compare the measured phase shift and depolarisation due to Doppler scattering from a rotating graphite disk to numerical and analytical calculations and find excellent agreement. This allows to take into account Doppler scattering during the data processing and makes longer Fourier times as well as higher shear rates and Q ranges possible with neutron spin echo spectroscopy, enabling for example the study of polymers under high shear.
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| 10. |
- Kamata, Yohei, et al.
(författare)
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Hydration and Ordering of Lamellar Block Copolymer Films under Controlled Water Vapor
- 2014
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 47:24, s. 8682-8690
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amphiphilic block copolymers within a range of volume fraction spontaneously form vesicles in aqueous solution, where a water core is enclosed by a polymer bilayer. Thin-film rehydration is a method used to produce vesicles routinely; a thin film is immersed in water, the film swells, and vesicles are formed which bleb off from the film surface. We have studied the early stages of hydration for PEOPBO block copolymer thin films under controlled water vapor conditions to understand this formation mechanism and so enable more efficient ways to encapsulate molecules using this method. Neutron and X-ray measurements show that the initial film exhibits weakly ordered structure with isotropic parallel and vertical orientation; the films initially swell and maintain the same orientation. At a critical point the layer swells rapidly and makes highly ordered lamellae structure at the same time. The lamellae are almost exclusively oriented parallel to the substrate and swell with increasing water absorption.
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| 11. |
- Kawecki, Maciej, et al.
(författare)
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Direct measurement of topological interactions in polymers under shear using neutron spin echo spectroscopy
- 2019
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present in-situ neutron spin echo measurements on an entangled polydimethylsiloxane melt under shear and demonstrate the ability to monitor nano-scale dynamics in flowing liquids. We report no changes in the topological interactions of the chains for shear rates approaching the inverse longest relaxation time. Further experiments following along this line will allow to systematically test the predictions of theories, like e.g. convective constraint release.
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| 12. |
- Korolkovas, Airidas, et al.
(författare)
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Dynamical structure of entangled polymers simulated under shear flow
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AMER INST PHYSICS. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 149:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The non-linear response of entangled polymers to shear flow is complicated. Its current understanding is framed mainly as a rheological description in terms of the complex viscosity. However, the full picture requires an assessment of the dynamical structure of individual polymer chains which give rise to the macroscopic observables. Here we shed new light on this problem, using a computer simulation based on a blob model, extended to describe shear flow in polymer melts and semi-dilute solutions. We examine the diffusion and the intermediate scattering spectra during a steady shear flow. The relaxation dynamics are found to speed up along the flow direction, but slow down along the shear gradient direction. The third axis, vorticity, shows a slowdown at the short scale of a tube, but reaches a net speedup at the large scale of the chain radius of gyration.
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| 13. |
- Korolkovas, Airidas, et al.
(författare)
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Polymer Brush Collapse under Shear Flow
- 2017
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 50:3, s. 1215-1224
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shear responsive surfaces offer potential advances in a number of applications. Surface functionalization using polymer brushes is one route to such properties, particularly in the case of entangled polymers. We report on neutron reflectometry measurements of polymer brushes in entangled polymer solutions performed under controlled shear as well as coarse-grained computer simulations corresponding to these interfaces. Here we show a reversible and reproducible collapse of the brushes, increasing with the shear rate. Using two brushes of greatly different chain lengths and grafting densities, we demonstrate that the dynamics responsible for the structural change of the brush are governed by the free chains in solution rather than the brush itself, within the range of parameters examined. The phenomenon of the brush collapse could find applications in the tailoring of nanosensors and as a way to dynamically control surface friction and adhesion.
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| 14. |
- Korolkovas, Airidas, et al.
(författare)
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Shear deformation of low-density polymer brushes in a good solvent
- 2018
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Ingår i: Physical review. E. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2470-0045 .- 2470-0053. ; 98:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-consistent field approach is used to model a single end-tethered polymer chain on a substrate subject to various forces in three dimensions. Starting from a continuous Gaussian chain model, the following perturbations are considered: (i) hydrodynamic interaction with an externally imposed shear flow for which an alternative theoretical framework is formulated; (ii) excluded volume effect in a good solvent, treated in a mean field approximation; (iii) monomer-substrate repulsion. While the chain stretches along the flow, the change of the density profile perpendicular to the substrate is negligible for any reasonable simulation parameters. This null effect is in agreement with multiple neutron scattering studies.
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| 15. |
- Korolkovas, Airidas, et al.
(författare)
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The viscoelastic signature underpinning polymer deformation under shear flow
- 2019
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-683X .- 1744-6848. ; 15:3, s. 371-380
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Entangled polymers are deformed by a strong shear flow. The shape of the polymer, called the form factor, is measured by small angle neutron scattering. However, the real-space molecular structure is not directly available from the reciprocal-space data, due to the phase problem. Instead, the data has to be fitted with a theoretical model of the molecule. We approximate the unknown structure using piecewise straight segments, from which we derive an analytical form factor. We fit it to our data on a semi-dilute entangled polystyrene solution under in situ shear flow. The character of the deformation is shown to lie between that of a single ideal chain (viscous) and a cross-linked network (elastic rubber). Furthermore, we use the fitted structure to estimate the mechanical stress, and find a fairly good agreement with rheology literature.
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| 16. |
- Mazzei, Laura, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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Structure and Conductivity of Epitaxial Thin Films of In-Doped BaZrO3-Based Proton Conductors
- 2016
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 120:50, s. 28415-28422
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Epitaxial thin films of the proton-conducting perovskite BaZr0.53In0.47O3-delta H0.47-2 delta, grown by pulsed laser deposition, were investigated in their hydrated and dehydrated conditions through a multitechniqu approach with the aim to study the structure and proton concentration depth profile and their relationship to proton conductivity. The techniques used were X-ray diffraction, X-ray and neutron reflectivity, nuclear reaction analysis, and Rutherford backscattering, together with impedance spectroscopy. The obtained proton conductivity and activation energy are comparable to literature values for the bulk conductivity of similar materials, thus showing that grain-boundary conductivity is negligible due to the high crystallinity of the film. The results reveal an uneven proton concentration depth profile, with the presence of a 3-4 nm thick, proton-rich layer with altered composition, likely characterized by cationic deficiency. While this surface layer either retains or reobtains protons after desorption and cooling to room temperature, the bulk of the film absorbs and desorbs protons in the expected mariner. It is suggested that the protons in the near-surface, proton rich region are located in proton sites characterized by relatively strong O-H bonds due to weak hydrogen-bond interactions to neighboring oxygen atoms and that the mobility of protons in these sites is generally lower than in proton sites associated with stronger hydrogen bonds. It follows that strongly hydrogen-bonding configurations are important for high proton mobility.
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| 17. |
- Nouhi, Shirin, et al.
(författare)
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Comparative study of flocculation and adsorption behaviour of water treatment proteins from Moringa peregrina and Moringa oleifera seeds
- 2019
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Trees of Moringa oleifera are the most widely exploited species of Moringa and proteins extracted from its seeds have been identified as the most efficient natural coagulant for water purification. Largely for climatic reasons, other Moringa species are more accessible in some regions and this paper presents a comparative study of the adsorption to different materials of the proteins extracted from seeds of Moringa peregrina and Moringa oleifera to explore their use as flocculating agents in regions where each is more readily accessible. Results showed that Moringa peregrina seed proteins had higher adsorption to alumina compared to silica, in contrast to opposite behavior for Moringa oleifera. Both species provide cationic proteins that can act as effective coagulants for the various impurities with different surface potential. Despite the considerable similarity of the amino acid composition, the seed proteins have significantly different adsorption and this presents the opportunity to improve processes by choosing the optimal species or combination of species depending on the type of impurity or possible development of separation processes.
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| 18. |
- Nouhi, Shirin, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions of perfluoroalkyl substances with a phospholipid bilayer studied by neutron reflectometry
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 511, s. 474-481
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interactions between perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and a phospholipid bilayer (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) were investigated at the molecular level using neutron reflectometry. Representative PFASs with different chain length and functional groups were selected in this study including: perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA). All PFASs were found to interact with the bilayer by incorporation, indicating PFAS ability to accumulate once ingested or taken up by organisms. The interactions were observed to increase with chain length and vary with the functional group as SO2NH2" role="presentation">(FOSA) > SO2O−" role="presentation">(PFOS) > COO−(PFNA). The PFAS hydrophobicity, which is strongly correlated with perfluorocarbon chain length, was found to strongly influence the interactions. Longer chain PFASs showed higher tendency to penetrate into the bilayer compared to the short-chain compounds. The incorporated PFASs could for all substances but one (PFNA) be removed from the lipid membrane by gentle rinsing with water (2 mL min−1). Although short-chain PFASs have been suggested to be the potentially less bioaccumulative alternative, we found that in high enough concentrations they can also disturb the bilayer. The roughness and disorder of the bilayer was observed to increase as the concentration of PFASs increased (in particular for the high concentrations of short-chain substances i.e. PFHxA and PFBS), which can be an indication of aggregation of PFASs in the bilayer.
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| 19. |
- Paracini, Nicolò, et al.
(författare)
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Structural Characterization of Nanoparticle-Supported Lipid Bilayer Arrays by Grazing Incidence X-ray and Neutron Scattering
- 2023
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 15:3, s. 3772-3780
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arrays of nanoparticle-supported lipid bilayers (nanoSLB) are lipid-coated nanopatterned interfaces that provide a platform to study curved model biological membranes using surface-sensitive techniques. We combined scattering techniques with direct imaging, to gain access to sub-nanometer scale structural information on stable nanoparticle monolayers assembled on silicon crystals in a noncovalent manner using a Langmuir-Schaefer deposition. The structure of supported lipid bilayers formed on the nanoparticle arrays via vesicle fusion was investigated using a combination of grazing incidence X-ray and neutron scattering techniques complemented by fluorescence microscopy imaging. Ordered nanoparticle assemblies were shown to be suitable and stable substrates for the formation of curved and fluid lipid bilayers that retained lateral mobility, as shown by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and quartz crystal microbalance measurements. Neutron reflectometry revealed the formation of high-coverage lipid bilayers around the spherical particles together with a flat lipid bilayer on the substrate below the nanoparticles. The presence of coexisting flat and curved supported lipid bilayers on the same substrate, combined with the sub-nanometer accuracy and isotopic sensitivity of grazing incidence neutron scattering, provides a promising novel approach to investigate curvature-dependent membrane phenomena on supported lipid bilayers.
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| 20. |
- Saerbeck, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Recent upgrades of the neutron reflectometer D17 at ILL
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Crystallography. - 0021-8898. ; 51:2, s. 249-256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vertical sample-plane reflectometer D17 at the Institut Laue–Langevin in Grenoble, France, has undergone several major upgrades since its commissioning, which are summarized in this article. The three major improvements are (i) a new focusing guide, increasing the usable flux on the sample by a factor of 2.5; (ii) a new beam polarizer and new spin flippers, allowing for the use of polarized neutrons in time-of-flight mode; and (iii) a new detector with a particularly uniform response under homogeneous exposure, improved stability and state-of-the-art detector electronics. The combination of these factors has paved the road to new possibilities in fast kinetic measurements, magnetism and off-specular scattering. Examples and scientific references for the new capabilities are presented.
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| 21. |
- Theis-Broehl, Katharina, et al.
(författare)
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Self assembly of magnetic nanoparticles at silicon surfaces
- 2015
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-683X .- 1744-6848. ; 11:23, s. 4695-4704
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron reflectometry was used to study the assembly of magnetite nanoparticles in a water-based ferrofluid close to a silicon surface. Under three conditions, static, under shear and with a magnetic field, the depth profile is extracted. The particles have an average diameter of 11 nm and a volume density of 5% in a D2O-H2O mixture. They are surrounded by a 4 nm thick bilayer of carboxylic acid for steric repulsion. The reflectivity data were fitted to a model using a least square routine based on the Parratt formalism. From the scattering length density depth profiles the following behavior is concluded: the fits indicate that excess carboxylic acid covers the silicon surface and almost eliminates the water in the densely packed wetting layer that forms close to the silicon surface. Under constant shear the wetting layer persists but a depletion layer forms between the wetting layer and the moving ferrofluid. Once the flow is stopped, the wetting layer becomes more pronounced with dense packing and is accompanied by a looser packed second layer. In the case of an applied magnetic field the prolate particles experience a torque and align with their long axes along the silicon surface which leads to a higher particle density.
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| 22. |
- Urbina, Antonio, et al.
(författare)
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Neutron reflectometry and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the vertical segregation of PCBM in organic solar cells
- 2019
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Ingår i: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. - : Elsevier. - 0927-0248 .- 1879-3398. ; 191, s. 62-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The composition of the active layer of a benchmark functional glass/ITO/[P3HT:PCBM][1.1:1]/Al organic solar cell has been studied by neutron reflectometry (NR) and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES). Thermal annealing was performed in several steps and NR and HAXPES were recorded for every temperature. By fitting the NR results to a model composed of several layers, the scattering length density (SLD) distribution through the sample was obtained, and from this SLD profile, the evolution of the composition of the active layer as a function of temperature was established. For the outer layers, HAXPES results confirm the composition evolution. The results show that PCBM tends to segregate reducing the initial concentration of PCBM in the central part of the active layer and increasing its concentration towards both interfaces. The effect of the Al electrode as studied by HAXPES on the nearest zone of the active layer (up to 50 nm) is to stabilize the P3HT depletion in this area, an effect which is not affected by thermal annealing.
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| 23. |
- Wolff, Max, et al.
(författare)
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Grazing incidence neutron scattering for the study of solid–liquid interfaces
- 2023
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Ingår i: Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering. - : Elsevier.
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutrons are characterized by a low absorption in many engineering materials. At the same time the scattering cross section of light elements, such as hydrogen and deuterium, may be large. These properties make neutron scattering experiments performed under grazing incidence geometry an excellent tool for the study of solid–liquid interfaces. In this review we describe the basic concepts of neutron reflection and grazing incidence scattering experiments as well as experimental procedures and sample cells. The full power of the method is exemplified on a range of science areas, including polymers, bio- and ionic liquid lubricants, electrolytes as well as bio-membranes or magnetic liquids.
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| 24. |
- Wolff, Max, et al.
(författare)
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Grazing incidence neutron scattering for the study of solid–liquid interfaces
- 2023
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Ingår i: Encyclopedia of Solid-Liquid Interfaces. - : Elsevier. ; , s. 1-1
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Neutrons are characterized by a low absorption in many engineering materials. At the same time the scattering cross section of light elements, such as hydrogen and deuterium, may be large. These properties make neutron scattering experiments performed under grazing incidence geometry an excellent tool for the study of solid–liquid interfaces. In this review we describe the basic concepts of neutron reflection and grazing incidence scattering experiments as well as experimental procedures and sample cells. The full power of the method is exemplified on a range of science areas, including polymers, bio- and ionic liquid lubricants, electrolytes as well as bio-membranes or magnetic liquids.
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| 25. |
- Wolff, Max, et al.
(författare)
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Nanoscale discontinuities at the boundary of flowing liquids : a look into structure
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-8984 .- 1361-648X. ; 23:18, s. 184102-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When downsizing technology, confinement and interface effects become enormously important. Shear imposes additional anisotropy on a liquid. This may induce inhomogeneities, which may have their origin close to the solid interface. For advancing the understanding of flow, information on structures on all length scales and in particular close to the solid interface is indispensable. Neutron scattering offers an excellent tool to contribute in this context. In this work, surface sensitive scattering techniques were used to resolve the structure of liquids under flow in the vicinity of a solid interface. Our results are summarized as follows. First, for a Newtonian liquid we report a depletion distance on the order of nanometers which is far too small to explain the amount of surface slip, on the order of micrometers, found by complementary techniques. Second, for a grafted polymer brush we find no entanglement-disentanglement transition under shear but the grafted film gets ripped off the surface. Third, by evaluating the local structure factor of a micellar solution close to the solid interface it turns out that the degree of order and local relaxation depends critically on the surface energy of the solid surface.
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| 26. |
- Wolff, Nicole, et al.
(författare)
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Temperature dependent cubic and hexagonal close packing in micellar structures
- 2014
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-683X .- 1744-6848. ; 10:42, s. 8420-8426
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interfacial structure and phase diagram of a micellar solution formed by the three block copolymer ( EO20-PO70-EO20) also known as P123 solved in deuterated water close to a solid boundary is investigated with respect to temperature. We find a hysteretic behavior of the d-spacing of the micellar crystal and a spontaneous change in the lateral correlation length going hand in hand with a structural reorganization between cubic and hexagonal. The phase transitions may be initiated by a change in the shape of the micelles from spherical to elongated together with a minimization of the polymer water interface.
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