Characterization of high density monolayers of the biofilm bacteriumCaulobacter crescentus: Evaluating prospects for developing immobilized cell bioreactors

2000 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Smit ◽  
Christopher S Sherwood ◽  
Robin FB Turner
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Phase Contrast ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
High Density ◽  
Immobilized Cell ◽  
Natural Flora ◽  
Vital Stains ◽  
Forming Characteristics

Caulobacters are biofilm-forming members of the natural flora of soil and aquatic environments, which exhibit several characteristics that make them attractive for development of high surface area microbial bioreactors or biosensors. Although caulobacters are well characterized genetically, little is known about their biofilm-forming characteristics as a monoculture, or their tolerance of bioreactor-like conditions. Here we investigated the ability of caulobacters to spontaneously form high-density monolayers on artificial surfaces under a variety of environmental conditions, using phase contrast image analysis to assess biofilm density, and epifluorescence with the vital stain DiBAC(tm) to assess viability. With adequate nutrition, extremely dense monolayers formed within 24-48 h, and maintained near 100% viability in experiments ranging up to 22 days. When areas were abraded to remove cells, repopulation occurred rapidly with characteristics similar to the population of a clean surface. When established monolayers were starved for nutrients, a significant fraction of the cells detached from the surface, and cells remaining on the surface no longer tested as viable. Within 4-6 h of nutrient restoration, however, cells in the monolayer again appeared normal and tested as 100% viable. This is the first demonstration that Caulobacter crescentus is stable and amenable to high density monolayer growth and resists starvation, though some cells may express a programmed response to detach from the surface under severe nutrient limitation.Key words: Caulobacter crescentus, biofilm characterization, image analysis, phase contrast, epifluorescence, vital stains.

scholarly journals Automated Nanofiber Diameter Measurement in SEM Images Using a Robust Image Analysis Method

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ertan Öznergiz ◽  
Yasar Emre Kiyak ◽  
Mustafa E. Kamasak ◽  
Isa Yildirim
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Fiber Diameter ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Average Fiber Diameter ◽  
Diameter Measurement ◽  
Sem Images ◽  
Human Errors ◽  
Nanofiber Diameter

Due to the high surface area, porosity, and rigidity, applications of nanofibers and nanosurfaces have developed in recent years. Nanofibers and nanosurfaces are typically produced by electrospinning method. In the production process, determination of average fiber diameter is crucial for quality assessment. Average fiber diameter is determined by manually measuring the diameters of randomly selected fibers on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. However, as the number of the images increases, manual fiber diameter determination becomes a tedious and time consuming task as well as being sensitive to human errors. Therefore, an automated fiber diameter measurement system is desired. In the literature, this task is achieved by using image analysis algorithms. Typically, these methods first isolate each fiber in the image and measure the diameter of each isolated fiber. Fiber isolation is an error-prone process. In this study, automated calculation of nanofiber diameter is achieved without fiber isolation using image processing and analysis algorithms. Performance of the proposed method was tested on real data. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by comparing automatically and manually measured nanofiber diameter values.

Three-dimensional characterization of electrodeposited lithium microstructures using synchrotron X-ray phase contrast imaging

2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Eastwood ◽  
Paul M. Bayley ◽  
Hee Jung Chang ◽  
Oluwadamilola O. Taiwo ◽  
Joan Vila-Comamala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Phase Contrast ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Phase Contrast Imaging ◽  
Contrast Imaging ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Phase Contrast Tomography

The morphology of electrodeposited high surface area lithium microstructures was imaged in 3D using synchrotron X-ray phase contrast tomography.

In Situ microscopy of the anodic etching of silicon

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 232-233
Author(s):  
Frances M. Ross ◽  
Peter C. Searson
Keyword(s):  
Composite Structures ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Selective Etching ◽  
Silicon On Insulator ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Porous Layers ◽  
New Class ◽  
Porous Semiconductors

Porous semiconductors represent a relatively new class of materials formed by the selective etching of a single or polycrystalline substrate. Although porous silicon has received considerable attention due to its novel optical properties1, porous layers can be formed in other semiconductors such as GaAs and GaP. These materials are characterised by very high surface area and by electrical, optical and chemical properties that may differ considerably from bulk. The properties depend on the pore morphology, which can be controlled by adjusting the processing conditions and the dopant concentration. A number of novel structures can be fabricated using selective etching. For example, self-supporting membranes can be made by growing pores through a wafer, films with modulated pore structure can be fabricated by varying the applied potential during growth, composite structures can be prepared by depositing a second phase into the pores and silicon-on-insulator structures can be formed by oxidising a buried porous layer. In all these applications the ability to grow nanostructures controllably is critical.

Electron holography of catalysts

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 416-417
Author(s):  
A. K. Datye ◽  
D. S. Kalakkad ◽  
L. F. Allard ◽  
E. Völkl
Keyword(s):  
Heterogeneous Catalysts ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Atomic Scale ◽  
Nano Particles ◽  
Phase Image ◽  
Electron Holography ◽  
Specimen Thickness ◽  
Phase Information ◽  
Particle Structure

The active phase in heterogeneous catalysts consists of nanometer-sized metal or oxide particles dispersed within the tortuous pore structure of a high surface area matrix. Such catalysts are extensively used for controlling emissions from automobile exhausts or in industrial processes such as the refining of crude oil to produce gasoline. The morphology of these nano-particles is of great interest to catalytic chemists since it affects the activity and selectivity for a class of reactions known as structure-sensitive reactions. In this paper, we describe some of the challenges in the study of heterogeneous catalysts, and provide examples of how electron holography can help in extracting details of particle structure and morphology on an atomic scale.Conventional high-resolution TEM imaging methods permit the image intensity to be recorded, but the phase information in the complex image wave is lost. However, it is the phase information which is sensitive at the atomic scale to changes in specimen thickness and composition, and thus analysis of the phase image can yield important information on morphological details at the nanometer level.

Structure and composition of metal particles in Pt-Sn/Al2O3 bimetallic catalysts

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 278-279
Author(s):  
A. Sachdev ◽  
J. Schwank
Keyword(s):  
Bimetallic Catalysts ◽  
Bimetallic Catalyst ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Metal Particles ◽  
Alloy Formation ◽  
Particle Size Range ◽  
Oxide Supports ◽  
Petroleum Fractions

Platinum - tin bimetallic catalysts have been primarily utilized in the chemical industry in the catalytic reforming of petroleum fractions. In this process the naphtha feedstock is converted to hydrocarbons with higher octane numbers and high anti-knock qualities. Most of these catalysts contain small metal particles or crystallites supported on high surface area insulating oxide supports. The determination of the structure and composition of these particles is crucial to the understanding of the catalytic behavior. In a bimetallic catalyst it is important to know how the two metals are distributed within the particle size range and in what way the addition of a second metal affects the size, structure and composition of the metal particles. An added complication in the Pt-Sn system is the possibility of alloy formation between the two elements for all atomic ratios.

Intercalation of First Row Transition Metals inside Covalent-Organic Frameworks (COF): a Strategy to Fine Tune the Electronic Properties of Porous Crystalline Materials

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srimanta Pakhira ◽  
Jose Mendoza-Cortes
Keyword(s):  
Transition Metal ◽  
Transition Metals ◽  
Electronic Properties ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Covalent Organic Frameworks ◽  
Porous Network ◽  
Crystalline Materials

<div>Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as an important class of nano-porous crystalline materials with many potential applications. They are intriguing platforms for the design of porous skeletons with special functionality at the molecular level. However, despite their extraordinary properties, it is difficult to control their electronic properties, thus hindering the potential implementation in electronic devices. A new form of nanoporous material, COFs intercalated with first row transition metal is proposed to address this fundamental drawback - the lack of electronic tunability. Using first-principles calculations, we have designed 31 new COF materials <i>in-silico</i> by intercalating all of the first row transition metals (TMs) with boroxine-linked and triazine-linked COFs: COF-TM-x (where TM=Sc-Zn and x=3-5). This is a significant addition considering that only 187 experimentally COFs structures has been reported and characterized so far. We have investigated their structure and electronic properties. Specifically, we predict that COF's band gap and density of states (DOSs) can be controlled by intercalating first row transition metal atoms (TM: Sc - Zn) and fine tuned by the concentration of TMs. We also found that the $d$-subshell electron density of the TMs plays the main role in determining the electronic properties of the COFs. Thus intercalated-COFs provide a new strategy to control the electronic properties of materials within a porous network. This work opens up new avenues for the design of TM-intercalated materials with promising future applications in nanoporous electronic devices, where a high surface area coupled with fine-tuned electronic properties are desired.</div>

Tenacious Mass Transfer Limitations Drive Catalytic Selectivity during Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kailun Yang ◽  
Recep Kas ◽  
Wilson A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Catalyst Layer ◽  
Active Surface ◽  
Active Surface Area ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Copper Electrodes ◽  
Surface Enhanced ◽  
Local Current

<p>This study evaluated the performance of the commonly used strong buffer electrolytes, i.e. phosphate buffers, during CO<sub>2</sub> electroreduction in neutral pH conditions by using in-situ surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS). Unfortunately, the buffers break down a lot faster than anticipated which has serious implications on many studies in the literature such as selectivity and kinetic analysis of the electrocatalysts. Increasing electrolyte concentration, surprisingly, did not extend the potential window of the phosphate buffers due to dramatic increase in hydrogen evolution reaction. Even high concentration phosphate buffers (1 M) break down within the potentials (-1 V vs RHE) where hydrocarbons are formed on copper electrodes. We have extended the discussion to high surface area electrodes by evaluating electrodes composed of copper nanowires. We would like highlight that it is not possible to cope with high local current densities on these high surface area electrodes by using high buffer capacity solutions and the CO<sub>2</sub> electrocatalysts are needed to be evaluated by casting thin nanoparticle films onto inert substrates as commonly employed in fuel cell reactions and up to now scarcely employed in CO<sub>2</sub> electroreduction. In addition, we underscore that normalization of the electrocatalytic activity to the electrochemical active surface area is not the ultimate solution due to concentration gradient along the catalyst layer.This will “underestimate” the activity of high surface electrocatalyst and the degree of underestimation will depend on the thickness, porosity and morphology of the catalyst layer. </p> <p> </p>

Activated carbon from molasses efficiency for Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cu(II) adsorption: A mechanistic study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chem Int
Keyword(s):  
Activated Carbon ◽  
Phosphoric Acid ◽  
Sugar Industry ◽  
Chemical Activation ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Mechanistic Study ◽  
Acid Mixture ◽  
Maximum Adsorption Capacity ◽  
Good Potential

Activated carbon was prepared from molasses, which are natural precursors of vegetable origin resulting from the sugar industry. A simple elaboration process, based on chemical activation with phosphoric acid, was proposed. The final product, prepared by activation of molasses/phosphoric acid mixture in air at 500°C, presented high surface area (more than 1400 m2/g) and important maximum adsorption capacity for methylene blue (625 mg/g) and iodine (1660 mg/g). The activated carbon (MP2(500)) showed a good potential for the adsorption of Cr(VI), Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. The affinity for the three ions was observed in the following order Cu2+ Cr6+ Pb2+. The process is governed by monolayer adsorption following the Langmuir model, with a correlation coefficient close to unity.

Functionalized Nano-graphene Oxide as Multi-modal Clinic for Effective Drug Delivery

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 3768-3771
Author(s):  
Soumitra Satapathi ◽  
Rutusmita Mishra ◽  
Manisha Chatterjee ◽  
Partha Roy ◽  
Somesh Mohapatra
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Graphene Oxide ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Cancer Cell Line ◽  
Xrd Analysis ◽  
Graphene Derivatives ◽  
Nano Graphene

Nano-materials based drug delivery modalities to specific organs and tissues has become one of the critical endeavors in pharmaceutical research. Recently, two-dimensional graphene has elicited considerable research interest because of its potential application in drug delivery systems. Here we report, the drug delivery applications of PEGylated nano-graphene oxide (nGO-PEG), complexed with a multiphoton active and anti-cancerous diarylheptanoid drug curcumin. Specifically, graphene-derivatives were used as nanovectors for the delivery of the hydrophobic anticancer drug curcumin due to its high surface area and easy surface functionalization. nGO was synthesized by modified Hummer’s method and confirmed by XRD analysis. The formation of nGO, nGO-PEG and nGO-PEG-Curcumin complex were monitored through UV-vis, IR spectroscopy. MTT assay and AO/EB staining found that nGO-PEG-Curcumin complex afforded highly potent cancer cell killing in vitro with a human breast cancer cell line MCF7.

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