Real-time Quartz Crystal Microbalance Research Articles

Dynamical and noninvasive monitoring of curcumin effect on the changes in the viscoelasticity of human breast cancer cells: A novel model to assess cell apoptosis

A real-time quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) cytosensor was first developed for dynamical and noninvasive monitoring of cell viscoelasticity for evaluation of apoptosis degree. In this work, human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 were employed as cell model and respectively captured on the surface of QCM electrode modified with mercaptosuccinic acid and poly-l-lysine. Cell viscoelasticity was measured dynamically by real-time monitoring energy dissipation with QCM, and the dynamic diagram of the energy dissipation of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with curcumin was first obtained. The results displayed that the changes of energy dissipation in MDA-MB-231 cells and MCF-7 cells were 8.81 × 10−6 and 5.29 × 10−6, particularly due to the difference in cell viscoelasticity. Furthermore, curcumin was used to induce cell apoptosis and suppress energy dissipation of MDA-MB-231 cells. Combining apoptosis assay with QCM measurement, the results revealed good linear relationship between cell viscoelasticity inhibition and apoptosis rate with correlation coefficient R = 0.9908. The QCM cytosensor could rapidly, accurately, dynamically, and noninvasively monitor the changes of cell viscoelasticity for evaluation of apoptosis degree in MDA-MB-231 cells. The study established a new model for cell apoptosis assessment, facilitating understanding of the mechanisms of cell apoptosis on the aspect of mechanical properties.

Surface chemical modification of poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile ketone) through rhBMP-2 and antimicrobial peptide conjugation for enhanced osteogenic and antibacterial activities in vitro and in vivo

Failure of poly(aryl ether ketone) (PAEK) bone implants results mainly from poor osteogenesis and bacterial infection. One promising strategy for enhancing osteointegration involves developing a bioactive surface of PAEK implants through chemical modification. Poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile ketone) (PPENK) is considered a potential PAEK bone implant because it possesses mechanical properties similar to those of natural bone and its cyano group has high reactivity which provides a surface modification strategy. In this work, recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and newly synthesized cationic antimicrobial polypeptides (AMPs) were chemically conjugated to a PPENK substrate surface to enhance osteogenic and antibacterial activities. The molecular structures of AMP-1 and AMP-2 containing PEG segments were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The surface roughness of each substrate was reduced by rhBMP-2 and AMP immobilization. In situ, real-time quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation studies revealed that the loading amount increased with the successive immobilization of rhBMP-2 and AMPs. In vitro antibacterial assay confirmed that the AMP-modified PPENK surfaces provided an effective antibacterial effect and the number of residential bacteria remaining on the substrate was reduced by the PEG segments in AMP-2. In vitro osteogenic properties of the rhBMP-2-modified PPENK surface presented favorable cytocompatibility and osteo-inductive activity. In vivo studies confirmed that the rhBMP-2 and AMP immobilization led to decrease amounts of fibrous tissues around the implant and improved bone regeneration. This study provides a strategy for surface modification that enhances the antibacterial and osteogenic activities to develop a bone implant material with considerable potential for clinical application.

Electrostatic interaction between whey proteins and low methoxy pectin studied by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring

Electrostatic interaction between proteins and polysaccharides has attracted considerable attention in the design of fluid interfaces with improved performance, e.g. by sequential adsorption. Here, a real-time quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was used to investigate the sequential adsorption of whey proteins and low methoxy pectin (LMP) as a function of pH. A gold sensor was hydrophobically modified to mimic the oil-water interface. At neutral pH, whey proteins adsorbed onto the hydrophobic surface and formed a viscoelastic film, where most of the adsorption is irreversible. The protein film reversibly became more rigid around its isoelectric point (IEP, pH 5.0) due to structural rearrangements. Interfacial complexation of LMP and the pre-adsorbed WPI occurred over a wide pH range (3.0–6.5), but the adsorbed amount of LMP was pH-dependent. Adsorption of LMP increased the viscoelasticity of the pre-adsorbed WPI layer by electrostatic complexation. Especially, some trapped liquid could be released from the interfacial structure due to the relatively strong interaction (e.g. at pH 4.0). After switching to pH 7.0, the adsorbed LMP was fully detached from the protein layer, suggesting its pH-response behavior. The results indicated that QCM-D is ideally suited to investigate the effect of changing environmental conditions (such as pH) on the characteristics of the adsorbed layer, and to study the interaction between different components by sequential adsorption.

Investigation of the Interaction between N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine and Ovalbumin by Spectroscopic Studies, Molecular Docking Simulation, and Real-Time Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation.

This study investigated the interaction between N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) and ovalbumin (OVA) using multispectroscopic technology, molecular docking, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). Fluorescence intensity and UV absorption of OVA were decreased substantially upon the addition of NAC. The calculated Kq values were obtained at 298, 304, and 310 K for 13.48, 15.59, and 17.50 (× 1012 L mol-1), respectively, suggesting that the static quenching was dominated. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH (-150.58 kJ mol-1), ΔS (-433.51 J mol-1 K-1), and ΔG values (-21.39 kJ mol-1), combined with molecular docking and QCM-D data, showed that the interaction was spontaneous and van der Waals and hydrogen bonding were identified as the main driving forces. FTIR and CD results showed that the α-helix content of OVA increased from 2.8 to 22.9%, and the β-sheet decreased from 0.2 to 21.9% in the presence of 5 and 10 μM NAC, respectively, compared to the pure OVA, respectively.

Investigation of the Extracellular Matrix Effect for the QCM/CCD Cell Activity Monitoring System.

A real-time quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) cell activity monitoring system coupled with micro CCD cameras was developed to investigate the cultured cell activity, which could measure the viscoelastic characteristics of the cell with the QCM and observe the cell morphology changes with CCD camera simultaneously. Both the viscoelastic characteristics and the shape of the cultured cell are important factors to estimate the cell activity and the cell adhesion. The extracellular matrix (ECM) on the surface of the QCM is essential to culture the cell stably in the QCM monitoring system. To find the ECM optimization condition, the adhesive strength of cultured cells on the ECM modified glass surface was measured by using rotating water stream and CCD camera. After culturing HepG2 cells for 24 hours on the ECM modified glass plates, the glass plates were dipped in the PBS solution and rotated with 1,000, 1,300, and 1,500 rpm for 30 seconds. The adhesiveness of ECMs was investigated by calculating the remained cells after rotating. Four types of ECM, such as amino group, carboxyl group, collagen monomer, and collagen polymer, were used and tested. The current paper improves the sensing system of previous report so that measurements of four ECMs can be simultaneously conducted under the same conditions in order to enhance reliability. A collagen polymer exposed ECM was the most stable on an adhesiveness point of view, but not suitable for the QCM cell activity monitoring due to the decrease of the QCM sensitivity. The sensitivity of the QCM cell activity monitoring system using collagen monomer as ECM is about 2.6 times better than that using collagen polymer. A collagen monomer exposed ECM was more stable than amino group and carboxyl group exposed ECMs based on an adhesiveness point of view. Therefore, a collagen monomer exposed ECM was the most stable and suitable for the QCM cell activity monitoring system among the four ECMs. The changes of the resonance frequency and the resonance resistance of the ECM film with the cultured cells were investigated and compared the results of CCD camera images. From these results, we showed the QCM cell activity monitoring system coupled with the micro CCD camera could be applied to the evaluation of the cell activities.

Real-time quartz crystal microbalance cytosensor based on a signal recovery strategy for in-situ and continuous monitoring of multiple cell membrane glycoproteins

A real-time quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) cytosensor based on a signal recovery strategy was first developed for in-situ and continuous monitoring of multiple cell membrane glycoproteins. In this work, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were linked with ligands to fabricate ligand-functionalized mass nanoprobes with signal amplification for increasing monitoring sensitivity. The mass nanoprobes bound to cell surface could be eluted with glycine-hydrochloric acid buffer, which led to a quick recovery of resonance frequency. Using the strategy, folate receptors (FR), CD44 molecule and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on cell membrane as the models were monitored continuously. The quantification result of MDA-MB-231 cells showed a range of linearity of 3.0 × 104 to 1.0 × 106 cells and a detection limit of 5.0 × 103 cells. Furthermore, the multianalyte cytosensor exhibited three sensitive and recoverable frequency shifts during continuous monitoring for in-situ and continuous evaluation of the expression levels of FR, CD44 and EGFR on cell membrane, which exhibited that the average numbers of molecules of FR, CD44 and EGFR per MDA-MB-231 cell were 0.5 × 106, 0.2 × 106 and 1.4 × 105 with the relative standard deviation of 4.8%, 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively. Compared with monolithic multichannel QCM, the multianalyte cytosensor based on a single microbalance could not only exclude acoustic interference but also reduce instrumental cost. This work provided a simple and efficient QCM cytosensor for in-situ and continuous monitoring of multiple cell membrane glycoproteins that offered a new avenue for early diagnosis of cancer.

Cation-chelation and pH induced controlled switching of the non-fouling properties of bacterial crystalline films

We report the controlled loss of the anti-fouling activity of the S-layer protein SbpA from Lysinibacillus sphaericus (CCM2177). This protein forms crystal-like films with square lattice (p4) via self-assembly on almost any type of surfaces. Such engineered bioinspired nanometric membranes are known by their excellent preventive performance under biological conditions. However, their exposure to certain treatments can lead to gradual degradation of the S-protein layer. In this work, two distinctive approaches are studied for understanding either specific or non-specific degradation of the film, by treatment with a chelating agent (EDTA), which interacts with inner Ca2+ ions, or Citrate buffer (with pH<pI), respectively. Subsequently, the degraded protein films have been tested upon binding of polyelectrolytes of different charge and endothelial HUVEC cells, and their performance compared to that of intact S-layers. The SbpA protein layer degradation process as well as its impact on the loss of anti-fouling properties have been characterized, in terms of mass and structural changes, by means of real time quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) monitoring, atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments, and fluorescence microscopy. The results show that overall structure degradation (citrate buffer) has a higher impact on the loss of antifouling properties than selective removal of divalent cations. Thus, crystal structure integrity is a necessary condition for bacterial antifouling properties.

Development of a Real-Time QCM Bond-Rupture System for POCT Applications

The research of a piezoelectric biosensor [quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)] can provide an effective, real-time point-of-care testing detection technology for the use in the areas of healthcare, clinical research, drug screening, food inspection, marine environmental protection, and so on. The detecting system now used in the QCM sensors has some limitations on accuracy. A new QCM bond-rupture system was, therefore, developed to measure the resonant frequency changes with mass loading. It has the higher sensitivity than a network analyzer. An efficient algorithms of resonant frequency tracking were also investigated, which leads to the 0.14-Hz/( $\text {ng}\cdot \text {cm}^{-2})$ sensitivity.

Real-Time Quartz Crystal Microbalance Monitoring of Free Docosahexaenoic Acid Interactions with Supported Lipid Bilayers.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the most abundant polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid found in mammalian neuronal cell membranes. Although DHA is known to be important for neuronal cell survival, little is know about how DHA interacts with phospholipid bilayers. This study presents a detailed quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) analysis of free DHA interactions with individual and mixed phospholipid supported lipid bilayers (SLB). DHA incorporation and subsequent changes to the SLBs viscoelastic properties were observed to be concentration-dependent, influenced by the phospholipid species, the headgroup charge, and the presence or absence of calcium ions. It was observed that 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) SLBs incorporated the greatest amount of DHA concentration, whereas the presence of phospholipids, phosphatidylserine (PS), and phosphatidylinositol (PI) in a POPC SLB significantly reduced DHA incorporation and changed the SLBs physicochemical properties. These observations are hypothesized to be due to a substitution event occurring between DHA and phospholipid species. PS domain formation in POPC/PS 8:2 SLBs was observed in the presence of calcium ions, which favored DHA incorporation to a similar level as for a POPC only SLB. The changes in SLB thickness observed with different DHA concentrations are also presented. This work contributes to an understanding of the physical changes induced in a lipid bilayer as a consequence of its exposure to different DHA concentrations (from 50 to 200 μM). The capacity of DHA to influence the physical properties of SLBs indicates the potential for dietary DHA supplementation to cause changes in cellular membranes in vivo, with subsequent physiological consequences for cell function.

Interactions of Antibacterial Peptides with Nanotubular Lipid Bilayers: Binding Kinetics and Distortions of the Bilayer Structure

Interactions of peptides with membranes are central for understanding key cellular processes involving membrane proteins such as folding, signaling, transport, energy conversion, and immune response. These interactions also determine efficiency of antibacterial and cytotoxic peptides in disrupting the barrier function of cellular membranes. We employed macroscopically aligned tubular lipid bilayers confined inside cylindrical nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as a versatile nanotechnology platform to study membrane interactions of antibacterial peptides of melittin and alamecitin. Kinetics of peptide binding to lipid nanotubes and the eventual lipid removal/lysis (for melittin) were observed by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) using a crystal with an in-house fabricated nanostructured surface while the structural changes in bilayers were monitored by solid state oriented sample NMR. Specifically, using 78 nm nanopores we have achieved exceptionally narrow (100-140 Hz or <1 ppm) 31P resonances of the lipid phosphate groups of macroscopically aligned nanotubular bilayers that indicated <1-2o mosaic spread in the lipid alignment in the absence of bioreactive peptides. 31P resonances broadened and shifted towards the isotropic values upon interacting with melittin with some lysis of lipids observed after several hours of exposure. The binding and lipid lysis from bilayers confined in essentially the same nanopores albeit at much smaller lipid quantity were further quantified by real-time QCM for bilayers of various lipid compositions. Taken together, the data relate peptide binding and lysis kinetics to structural changes in lipid bilayers, thus, shedding the light on the underlying multistep mechanism. The main advantage of the lipid nanotube AAO platform is in its versatile applicability to various biophysical methods such QCM and NMR under essentially the same environmental conditions such as pH, ionic strength, temperature, etc. and exceptionally broad range of lipid bilayer compositions.

Surface Characterization and in situ Protein Adsorption Studies on Carbene-Modified Polymers.

Polystyrene thin films were functionalized using a facile two-step chemical protocol involving carbene insertion followed by azo-coupling, permitting the introduction of a range of chemical functional groups, including aniline, hexyl, amine, carboxyl, phenyl, phosphonate diester, and ethylene glycol. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the success of the two-step chemical modification with a grafting density of at least 1/10th of the typical loading density (10(14)-10(15)) of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). In situ, real-time quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) studies show that the dynamics of binding of bovine serum albumin (BSA) are different at each modified surface. Mass, viscoelastic, and kinetic data were analyzed, and compared to cheminformatic descriptors (i.e., c log P, polar surface area) typically used for drug discovery. Results show that functionalities may either resist or adsorb BSA, and uniquely influence its adsorption dynamics. It is concluded that carbene-based surface modification can usefully influence BSA binding dynamics in a manner consistent with, and more robust than, traditional systems based on SAM chemistry.

Aqueous aggregation and surface deposition processes of engineered superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for environmental applications.

Engineered, superparamagnetic, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have significant potential as platform materials for environmental sensing, imaging and remediation due to their unique size, physicochemical and magnetic properties. To this end, controlling the size and surface chemistry of the materials is crucial for such applications in the aqueous phase, and in particular, for porous matrixes with particle-surface interaction considerations. In this study, superparamagnetic, highly monodispersed 8 nm IONPs were synthesized and transferred into water as stable suspensions (remaining monodispersed) by way of an interfacial oleic acid bilayer surface. Once stabilized and characterized, particle-particle and model surface interactions (deposition and release) were quantitatively investigated and described systematically as a function of ionic strength (IS) and type with time-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and real-time quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) measurements. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) for oleic acid bilayer coated iron oxide nanoparticles (OA-IONPs) were determined to be 710 mM for NaCl (matching DLVO predictions) and 10.6 mM for CaCl2, respectively. For all conditions tested, surface deposition kinetics showed stronger, more favorable interactions between OA-IONPs and polystyrene surfaces compared to silica, which is hypothesized to be due to increased particle-surface hydrophobic interactions (when compared to silica surfaces).

Fully automatic spray-LBL machine with monitoring the real time growth of multilayer films using Quartz Crystal Microbalance

A fully automatic spray-LBL machine with monitoring the real time growth of multilayer films using Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) techniques was newly developed. We established fully automatic spray layer-by-layer method by precisely controlling air pressure, solution flow, and spray pattern. The movement pattern towards the substrate during solution spraying allowed fabrication of a nano-scale, flat, thin film over a wide area. Optimization of spray conditions permitted fabrication of the flat film with high and low refractive indexes, and they were piled up alternatively to constitute a one-dimensional photonic crystal with near-infrared reflection characteristics. The heat shield effect of the near-infrared reflective film was also confirmed under natural sunlight. It was demonstrated that the fabrication using the automatic spray-LBL machine and real-time QCM monitoring allows the fabrication of optical quality thin films with precise thickness.

Automatic Spray-LBL Machine Based on in-Situ QCM Monitoring

Aqueous-based spray-layer-by-layer (spray-LBL) techniques have become an innovative, economic, and fast fabrication process, particularly in comparison to conventional LBL dipping techniques. The spray-LBL method has enhanced the growth of polyelectrolyte multilayer films using spray pressure. In this study, we have fabricated an automatic spray-LBL machine and have monitored the real-time growth of multilayer films using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) techniques. We have discussed the process of multilayer thin film growth and the effect of spray pressure on film growth. We have fabricated polyelectrolyte multilayer films on gold, using poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) as the polycation and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as the polyanion. UV−vis spectroscopic data showed that visible light transmission was similar to that of bare slide glass. Fabrication using the automatic spray-LBL machine and real-time QCM monitoring allows the fabrication of optical quality thin films with precise thickness.

Towards real-time observation of conditioning film and early biofilm formation under laminar flow conditions using a quartz crystal microbalance

A real-time quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was employed to monitor early formation of Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms. To better understand the dynamic process of conditioning film and early biofilm formation, all experiments were conducted in a laminar flow-through chamber under various environmental conditions. Prior to early biofilm formation, a conditioning film comprising organic, inorganic and macromolecular substances was detected over the sensor chip surface within an extremely short duration due to their instantaneous adsorption. Based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations, we identified different surface features associated with various conditioning films, demonstrating that the sensor chip surface displayed complex properties in terms of surface topography, roughness, water contact angle, and conditioning film chemistry. There appeared to be a lag time before early biofilm formation. The rate of early biofilm formation was found to differ considerably, depending upon the characteristics of conditioning films and environmental conditions. However, subsequent biofilm formation could be mediated by environmental conditions, reflecting the complex and dynamic process of biofilm development. Of particular interest was the direct in situ real-time observation of the overall sequence of biofilm development processes using a QCM, starting with conditioning film formation, followed by initial bacterial adhesion and subsequently by biofilm formation.

Impact of phospholipid bilayer saturation on amyloid-β protein aggregation intermediate growth: A quartz crystal microbalance analysis

Evidence that membrane-associated amyloid aggregate growth can impart membrane damage represents one possible mechanism for the neurodegeneration associated with deposited amyloid-β protein (Aβ) aggregates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. This potential pathogenic event necessitates an understanding of the impact that cellular membrane composition may have on Aβ aggregate growth. In the current study, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was employed to examine the growth of Aβ 1–40 aggregation intermediates on supported phospholipid bilayers (SPBs) assembled at the crystal surface. These surface-specific measurements illustrate that zwitterionic SPBs selectively bind aggregated but not monomeric protein, and these bound aggregates are capable of supporting nonsaturable reversible growth via monomer addition. Growth-capable Aβ 1–40 aggregation intermediates more readily bind SPBs composed of phospholipids with a greater degree of carbon saturation. Furthermore, kinetic analysis afforded by the quantitative real-time QCM measurements reveals that SPBs with greater saturation also better support the growth of bound Aβ 1–40 aggregation intermediates as a result of the slower dissociation of bound monomer rather than more efficient recognition between aggregate and monomeric protein. These findings correlate with epidemiological and experimental evidence that links increased dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids to a reduced risk of AD.

Solution Structure and Membrane Interactions of the Antimicrobial Peptide Fallaxidin 4.1a: An NMR and QCM Study

The solution structure of fallaxidin 4.1a, a C-terminal amidated analogue of fallaxidin 4.1, a cationic antimicrobial peptide isolated from the amphibian Litoria fallax, has been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In zwitterionic dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles, fallaxidin 4.1a adopted a partially helical structure with random coil characteristics. The flexibility of the structure may enhance the binding and penetration upon interaction with microbial membranes. Solid-state (31)P and (2)H NMR was used to investigate the effects of fallaxidin 4.1a on the dynamics of phospholipid membranes, using acyl chain deuterated zwitterionic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC-d(54)) and anionic dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) multilamellar vesicles. In DMPC-d(54) vesicle bilayers, fallaxidin 4.1a caused a decrease in the (31)P chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), and a decrease in deuterium order parameters from the upper acyl chain region, indicating increased lipid motion about the phosphate headgroups. Conversely, for DMPC-d(54)/DMPG, two (31)P CSA were observed due to a lateral phase separation of the two lipids and/or differing headgroup orientations in the presence of fallaxidin 4.1a, with a preferential interaction with DMPG. Little effect on the deuterated acyl chain order parameters was observed in the d(54)-DMPC/DMPG model membranes. Real time quartz crystal microbalance analyses of fallaxidin 4.1a addition to DMPC and DMPC/DMPG supported lipid bilayers together with the NMR results indicated transmembrane pore formation in DMPC/DMPG membranes and peptide insertion followed by disruption at a threshold concentration in DMPC membranes. The different interactions observed with "mammalian" (DMPC) and "bacterial" (DMPC/DMPG) model membranes imply fallaxidin 4.1a may be a useful antimicrobial peptide, with preferential cytolytic activity toward prokaryotic organisms at low peptide concentrations (<5 microM).

Dynamic measurement of the surface stress induced by the attachment and growth of cells on Au electrode with a quartz crystal microbalance

The processes of adhesion, spreading and proliferation of human mammary cancer cells MCF-7 on two Au electrodes with different surface roughness ( R f and R f = 3.2 or 1.1) were monitored and clearly identified with the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. Analyses of the QCM responses on the resonant frequency shifts (Δ f 0) vs. the motional resistance changes (Δ R 1) revealed a significant surface-stress effect in the involved courses, in addition to a viscodensity effect and a relatively small mass effect (especially at the smooth electrode). Experiments of fluorescence microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were conducted to investigate the cell population on the electrode vs. the electrode-surface roughness. Simplified equations are deduced to quantitatively evaluate the surface stress, and a novel QCM method for dynamically measuring the surface stress on an electrode in cell-culture course is thus described. It was found that the smoother surface ( R f = 1.1) gave a higher surface stress during cell attachment and less cell population on it than the rougher surface ( R f = 3.2). In addition, real-time QCM monitoring showed on the same electrode the surface stress induced by hepatic normal cells being notably higher than that caused by hepatic cancer cells at cell-attachment stage, suggesting that the surface-stress measurement can exhibit the difference of adhesion-performance between the healthy and ill-behaved cells.

In Situ Adsorption Studies of a 14-Amino Acid Leucine-Lysine Peptide onto Hydrophobic Polystyrene and Hydrophilic Silica Surfaces Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy

The adsorption of a 14-amino acid amphiphilic peptide, LK14, which is composed of leucine (L, nonpolar) and lysine (K, charged), on hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) and hydrophilic silica (SiO2) was investigated in situ by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The LK14 peptide, adsorbed from a pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, displayed very different coverage, surface roughness and friction, topography, and surface-induced orientation when adsorbed onto PS versus SiO2 surfaces. Real-time QCM adsorption data revealed that the peptide adsorbed onto hydrophobic PS through a fast (t < 2 min) process, while a much slower (t > 30 min) multistep adsorption and rearrangement occurred on the hydrophilic SiO2. AFM measurements showed different surface morphologies and friction coefficients for LK14 adsorbed on the two surfaces. Surface-specific SFG spectra indicate very different ordering of the adsorbed peptide on hydrophobic PS as compared to hydrophilic SiO2. At the LK14 solution/PS interface, CH resonances corresponding to the hydrophobic leucine side chains are evident. Conversely, only NH modes are observed at the peptide solution/SiO2 interface, indicating a different average molecular orientation on this hydrophilic surface. The surface-dependent difference in the molecular-scale peptide interaction at the solution/hydrophobic solid versus solution/hydrophilic solid interfaces (measured by SFG) is manifested as significantly different macromolecular-level adsorption properties on the two surfaces (determined via AFM and QCM experiments).

Influence of carrier gas pressure and flow rate on atomic layer deposition of HfO 2 and ZrO 2 thin films

Influence of the carrier gas on HfCl 4–H 2O and ZrCl 4–H 2O atomic layer processes was investigated. The growth rates of HfO 2 and ZrO 2 decreased with increasing flow rate and pressure of the N 2 carrier gas. Data of real-time quartz crystal microbalance measurements demonstrated that the effect observed was mainly due to influence of carrier gas on surface reactions and the role of overlapping the precursor pulses was negligible. At the same increase of the carrier gas mass flow, the increase of the linear flow rate led to more significant changes of thin-film properties than the increase of the carrier gas pressure did. Thin films with higher density, higher refractive index and, particularly, lower concentration of residual chlorine were obtained at higher carrier gas flow rates. Increase of the carrier gas flow rate also resulted in a higher concentration of a metastable phase in HfO 2 thin films deposited at 300 °C.