Atomic Force Microscopy Techniques Research Articles

Two-Dimensional Tellurium Nanosheets for the Efficient Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Detection of H2O2

This study reports, for the first time, the utilization of two-dimensional (2D) tellurium (Te) nanosheets for the efficient nonenzymatic detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). H2O2 acts as a pivotal biomarker with widespread applications across environmental, biological, industrial, and food processing domains. However, an excessive accumulation of H2O2 in the body poses a severe threat to human life. Consequently, the imperative need for a selective, sensitive, and cost-effective sensing platform for H2O2 detection has gained paramount significance. Employing a low-cost and straightforward hydrothermal method, Te nanosheets were synthesized to address the escalating demand for a reliable detection platform. The as-synthesized Te nanosheets are characterized through Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy techniques. The electrochemical performance of the Te nanosheets integrated onto a glassy carbon (Te-GC) electrode was thoroughly investigated using cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. The experiments were designed to evaluate the response of the Te-GC electrode in the presence and absence of H2O2, alongside its performance in the detection of other pertinent interfering analytes. The sensor shows a limit of detection of 0.47 µM and a sensitivity of 27.2 µA µM−1 cm−2 towards H2O2. The outcomes of this study demonstrate the efficacy of Te nanosheets as a promising material for nonenzymatic H2O2 detection in urine samples. The simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the hydrothermal synthesis process, coupled with the notable electrochemical performance of the Te/GC electrode, highlight the potential of Te nanosheets in the development of a robust sensing platform. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to enhance our capabilities in monitoring and detecting H2O2, fostering advancements in environmental, biomedical, and industrial applications.

Evaluation of biophysical alterations in the epithelial and endothelial layer of patients with Bullous Keratopathy

The cornea is a fundamental ocular tissue for the sense of sight. Thanks to it, the refraction of two-thirds of light manages to participate in the visual process and protect against mechanical damage. Because it is transparent, avascular, and innervated, the cornea comprises five main layers: Epithelium, Bowman's layer, stroma, Descemet's membrane, and endothelium. Each layer plays a key role in the functionality and maintenance of ocular tissue, providing unique ultrastructural and biomechanical properties. Bullous Keratopathy (BK) is an endothelial dysfunction that leads to corneal edema, loss of visual acuity, epithelial blisters, and severe pain, among other symptoms. The corneal layers are subject to changes in their biophysical properties promoted by Keratopathy. In this context, the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique in air was used to investigate the anterior epithelial surface and the posterior endothelial surface, healthy and with BK, using a triangular silicone tip with a nominal spring constant of 0.4 N/m. Six human corneas (n = 6) samples were used for each analyzed group. Roughness data, calculated by third-order polynomial adjustment, adhesion, and Young's modulus, were obtained to serve as a comparison and identification of morphological and biomechanical changes possibly associated with the pathology, such as craters and in the epithelial layer and exposure of a fibrotic layer due to loss of the endothelial cell wall. Endothelial cell membrane area and volume data were calculated, obtaining a relevant comparison between the control and patient. Such results may provide new data on the physical properties of the ocular tissue to understand the physiology of the cornea when it has pathology.

Power spectral density analysis to investigate morphology of Ni films

Ni thin films grown by thermal evaporation and sputtering under different deposition conditions are characterised by structural and morphological properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. XRD results suggested the growth of polycrystalline face-centred cubic Ni phase for all the samples. Morphological characteristics of the films were compared by analysing AFM data for root mean square roughness, height–height correlation function and power spectral density (PSD) measurements. Applying fractal and k-correlation fitting models to the PSD data, different morphological parameters are quantified. The study suggested that Ni films grown at higher substrate temperature (∼150 °C) by thermal evaporation and at low Ar pressure (∼0.2 Pa) by sputtering techniques yielded films of small surface roughness with a Brownian fractal self-affine surface.

Sputter-cleaning modified interfacial energetic and molecular structure of DNTT thin film on ITO substrate

The effect of natural electrode contamination on interfacial energetic, structure and morphology of π-conjugated organic molecular layers were studied by depositing dinapthothienothiophene (DNTT) thin films of varying thickness on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrates and by using photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity techniques. The DNTT thin film on unclean-ITO surface shows a smaller threshold ionization potential (by ∼0.4 eV) compared to the film on clean-ITO one. A molecule–substrate interaction, present in the DNTT/clean-ITO system, gives rise to an interfacial dipole and charge transfer, presumably through flat-lying seed-layer at the interface. On further deposition, the interfacial coverage increases, while the molecules on top of the seed-layer take different orientation (mostly edge-on) to form highly-dewetted fibrous-islands of very high-thickness but very low-coverage. Overall, the growth of DNTT film on clean-ITO surface is layer-plus-island-like or Stranski–Krastanov-type. On the other hand, the contamination layer at the DNTT/unclean-ITO interface is found to act as a spacer layer, which reduces the intimate molecule–substrate interaction and also the roughness to give rise an edge-on ordered island-like or Volmer–Weber-type film-growth with reduced hole injection barrier (by ∼0.2 eV) and better (almost double) film-coverage to make it a more efficient hole injector compared to the clean interface one.

Unravelling the non-classical nucleation mechanism of an amyloid nanosheet through atomic force microscopy and an infrared probe technique.

Understanding the amyloid nucleation mechanism is fundamentally important for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics of amyloid-related diseases and for the design and application of amyloid-based materials. To this end, we here explore the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and a side-chain-based infrared (IR) probe technique to investigate the amyloid nanosheet formation mechanism of an Aβ16-22 variant, KLVFXAK, where X is p-cyanophenylalanine with its side-chain cyano group being an infrared probe. Using AFM, we reveal that the formation of KLVFXAK amyloid nanosheets follows a two-step non-classical nucleation mechanism. The first step is the rapid formation of a metastable fibrillar intermediate and the second step is slow transformation to the final nanosheet. Using the side-chain-based IR probe technique, we obtain spectroscopic evidence for the proposed nucleation mechanism of the amyloid nanosheet as well as the structural details for the intermediate and amyloid nanosheet. By using the structural constraints set by the two techniques, we propose the structural models for both the fibrillar intermediate and the amyloid nanosheet. In addition, we further investigated the amyloid nanosheet formation mechanism of a similar Aβ16-22 variant, KLVFXAE, and showed the impact of mutation on the amyloid nucleation mechanism. Our work also provides a nice example of how to use the combined approach of AFM and a side-chain-based IR probe technique to unravel the complex nucleation mechanism of amyloid formation.

Surface and Electrical Characterization of Non-Stoichiometric Semiconducting Thin-Film Coatings Based on Ti-Co Mixed Oxides Obtained by Gas Impulse Magnetron Sputtering

This article presents a detailed investigation of non-stoichiometric (Ti,Co)Ox thin films prepared using the Gas Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (GIMS) technique. The films were prepared with various Co contents (3 at.%, 19 at.%, 44 at.%, and 60 at.%) and characterized for their material composition, microstructure, and electrical properties. The films exhibited an ohmic behavior with linear current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, and their resistivity values ranged from approximately 10−3 to 104 Ω·cm. The highest resistivity was observed in the film with 3 at.% Co content. Thermoelectric measurements revealed that all of the prepared films displayed n-type semiconducting properties, with the Seebeck coefficient (S) tending close to zero. The resistivity of the films decreased as the temperature increased, affirming their semiconducting nature. The activation energy (Ea) values, determined using the Arrhenius formula, ranged from 0.0058 eV to 0.267 eV, with the highest Ea observed for films containing 3 at.% Co. Additionally, the films’ surface topography and microstructure were examined through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and optical profiler techniques. The results showed that the films had smooth, crack-free surfaces with remarkable homogeneity. The surface diversification decreased with the increase in cobalt in the (Ti,Co)Ox films.

Anodic and Cathodic preparation of MnO2/Co2O3 Composite Electrode Anodes for Electro-Oxidation of Phenol

   The economical and highly performed anode material is the critical factor affecting the efficiency of electro-oxidation toward organics. The present study aimed to detect the best conditions to prepare Mn-Co oxide composite anode for the electro-oxidation of phenol. Deposition of Mn-Co oxide onto graphite substrate was investigated at 25, 30, and 35 mA/cm2 to detect the best conditions for deposition.  The structure and the crystal size of the Mn-Co oxide composite electrode were examined by using an X-Ray diffractometer (XRD), the morphological properties of the prepared electrode were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques, and the chemical composition of the various deposited oxide was characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The study also highlighted the effect of current density (40, 60, and 80 mA/cm2), pH (3, 4, and 5), and the concentration of NaCl (1, 1.5, and 2 g/l) on the anodic electro-oxidation of phenol was investigated.  The results revealed that the composite anodes are successfully prepared galvanostatically by anodic and cathodic deposition. In addition, the current density of 25 mA/cm2 gave the best cathodic deposition performance. The removal efficiency of phenol and other by-products increased as the current density and the concentration of NaCl in the electrolyte increased, while it decreased as the pH increased. The prepared composite electrode gave high COD removal efficiency (98.769 %) at the current density of 80 mA/cm2, pH= 3, NaCl conc. of 2 g/L within 3 h.

Content-based adaptive network model to analyze the effect of graphene oxide on cement hydration process and its main hydration products

Graphene oxide nanomaterials can significantly alter and enhance the microstructure of cementitious materials, thus improving their mechanical properties and durability and bringing about a variety of functionalities of cementitious materials. In this paper, the role of graphene oxide (GO) on cement hydration process and its important hydration products, calcium hydroxide (CH) and hydrated calcium silicate gel (C-S H), was investigated under an adaptive network model. Various GOs were characterized analytically using high atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques, and both the hydration process and the concentration of their hydration products were measured in freshly mixed aqueous mortars with various GO admixtures using heat of hydration, X-ray diffraction studies and thermal reanalysis tests.

Research on AFM tip-related nanofabrication of two-dimensional materials

Abstract With the great success of graphene, two-dimensional (2D) materials, thanks to their fascinating electronic and optoelectronic properties, have aroused extensive attention among the scientific community. Broad research efforts have proven the enormous potential of 2D materials in optoelectronics, electrochemistry, spintronics, energy storage, catalysis, biomedicine, and many other fields. Driven by the promising applications of 2D materials, there has been an emerging trend toward nanofabricating 2D materials with customized parameters, which are essential for tailor-making controllable artificial nanostructures used in building sophisticated 2D material systems. As the most commonly used solid probe lithography technique, atomic force microscopy (AFM) integrates visualization and multi-mode fabrication within one system, demonstrating its superior capability in the nanofabrication of 2D materials. In view of this, in this review article, we offer a brief introduction to how AFM nanofabrication works and the classification of AFM nanofabrication techniques by the tip-sample surface interaction. Following that, we discuss the results of 2D material nanofabrication by mechanical, thermal, electrical, and other AFM techniques in which external stimulations are applied on special AFM probes.

Corrosion mitigation of mild steel in 1 M HCl acid using an expired drug: An experimental approach

The research undertaken highlights the effectiveness of pharmaceutical drug Phenobarbitone (5-Ethyl-5-phenyl-1,3-diazinane-2,4,6-trione) (PB) as inhibitor to mitigate corrosion of mild steel (MS) in 1 M HCl. Corrosion studies were done by electrochemical techniques including potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in the absence and presence of the Phenobarbitone (PB) drug. Kinetic parameters were calculated by studying the corrosion rate at different temperatures. Results were fitted into suitable adsorption isotherm and from the adsorption data thermodynamic parameters were computed and discussed in detail. Surface morphology studies were conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron-dispersive X-ray (EDAX), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The nature of the protective layer formed over the metal was studied by measuring the contact angle (CA), which demonstrated the formation of the adsorbed inhibitor layer. Inhibition efficiency increased with increase in concentration of inhibitor and with increase in temperature. For the addition of 0.04 gL-1, the maximum corrosion inhibition efficiency of 78.3 % was achieved at 313 K. Inhibitor acted as a mixed inhibitor with more control over the anodic reaction. Increase in efficiency with increase in temperature suggested the possibility of chemical adsorption. Inhibitor obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm, supporting chemical adsorption. Surface morphology clearly demonstrated the formation of barrier film on the surface of metal which prevented further dissolution of metal thereby decreasing the corrosion rate.

Development and evaluation of a protease inhibitor antiretroviral drug-loaded carbon nanotube delivery system for enhanced efficacy in HIV treatment

The primary objective of this study was to enhance the effectiveness of the protease inhibitor antiretroviral drug by designing a novel delivery system using carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MWCNTs). To achieve this, Fosamprenavir calcium (FPV), a prodrug of amprenavir known for inhibiting the proteolytic cleavage of immature virions, was selected as the protease inhibitor antiretroviral drug, and loaded onto COOH-MWCNTs using a direct loading method. The structural specificity of the drug-loaded MWCNTs, the percent entrapment efficiency, and in vitro drug release were rigorously evaluated for the developed formulation, referred to as FPV-MWCNT. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques were employed to confirm the structural integrity and specificity of the FPV-MWCNT formulation. The results demonstrated a remarkable entrapment efficiency of 79.57 ± 0.4 %, indicating the successful loading of FPV onto COOH-MWCNTs. FE-SEM and AFM analyses further confirmed the well-dispersed and elongated structure of the FPV-MWCNT formulation, without any signs of fracture, ensuring the stability and integrity of the drug delivery system. Moreover, particle size analysis revealed an average size of 290.1 nm, firmly establishing the nanoscale range of the formulation, with a zeta potential of 0.230 mV, signifying the system's colloidal stability. In vitro drug release studies conducted in methanolic phosphate buffer saline (PBS) at pH 7.4 and methanolic acetate buffer at pH 5 demonstrated sustained drug release from the FPV-MWCNT formulation. Over a period of 96 h, the formulation exhibited a cumulative drug release of 91.43 ± 2.3 %, showcasing the controlled and sustained release profile. Furthermore, hemolysis studies indicated a notable reduction in the toxicity of both FPV and MWCNT upon conjugation, although the percent hemolysis increased with higher concentrations, suggesting the need for careful consideration of dosage levels.In conclusion, the findings from this study underscore the potential of the FPV-MWCNT formulation as an effective and promising drug-conjugated system for delivering antiretroviral drugs. The successful encapsulation, sustained drug release, and reduced toxicity make FPV-MWCNT a compelling candidate for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of protease inhibitor antiretroviral drugs in the treatment of HIV. The developed delivery system holds great promise for future advancements in HIV treatment and paves the way for further research and development in the field of drug delivery utilizing carbon nanotube-based systems.

Combining atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation helps characterizing in-situ mechanical properties of organic matter in shale

The quantification of mechanical properties of organic matter in shale is of significance for the fine prediction and characterization of shale reservoir's mechanical properties. Due to the micron-sized and dispersed distribution of organic matter particles in shale, the accurate evaluation of the actual mechanical response remains challenging. This work focuses on shale from Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation, which is the main shale gas exploration and development formation in China. A method based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) with an optical microscope (i.e., in-situ AFM technique) is presented to locate the organic matter in-situ and then visualize and quantify its mechanical properties using AFM Young's modulus mapping. The merits and limitations for determining the mechanical properties of organic matter in shale between the AFM and the more conventional nanoindentation technique are discussed. Results show that combining in-situ nanoindentation and in-situ AFM mapping provides more accurate description of the mechanical properties of organic matter in shale than traditional grid indentation methods with low spatial resolution. The Young's moduli of organic matter calculated from nanoindentation are around twice smaller than those obtained from AFM measurements mainly because the elasto-plastic deformation zone of organic matter in nanoindentation tests is larger and can be additionally affected by the presence of inorganic particles and/or larger micro-pores in organic matter. The Young's modulus and hardness of graptolite in the shale obtained by nanoindentation are slightly larger than those of solid bitumen at the same thermal maturity. Both in-situ AFM and in-situ nanoindentation results show that the mechanical strength of organic matter increases with increasing maturity. Overall, the presented approach shows a great potential for accurate and in-situ measurement of the mechanical properties of organic matter in shale at the nanoscale, which may be beneficial to the development of rock mechanical models for the accurate evaluation of the actual mechanical properties of shale.

Rapid method for detection of Vibrio cholerae from drinking water with nanomaterials enhancing electrochemical biosensor

Cholera is a potentially fatal diarrheal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae and is spread to humans from contaminated food and water. In order to prevent spread of epidemic chlorea, the development of novel sensitive, selective, user-friendly, cost-effective and rapid detection systems to detect of V. cholerae are necessary. Therefore, in this study, it was aimed to develop a specific, electrochemical immunoassay with high selectivitiy and sensitivity for detection of V. cholerae from drinking water using in house synthesized Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs). The synthesized AuNPs were characterized by UV/Vis spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical techniques were applied to confirm the succesful fabrication of the immunosensor. Also, this study focuses on the development of an antibody sensor for V. cholerae detection using a standard immunoassay without using nanoparticle. To accomplish that, in house spherical synthesized AuNPs at various sizes were synthesized, conjugated with secondary antibody-horseradish peroxidase enzyme (HRP) complex and their possible effect on the lowest detection limit of V. cholerae was investigated in comparison to commercially available AuNPs. The AuNPs-immunosensor on the results enabled the quantification of V. cholerae in a wide concentration range with a high sensitivity limit of detection (1 Colony-Forming Units/Milliliter) and specificity. Although the effect of 33 and 54 nm AuNPs on the process is close to each other, it has been observed that there is a 34% loss of efficiency when the size of the nanoparticle increases. With this study, a novel V. cholerae specific immunosensor was developed and the effects of in house synthesized AuNPs with various diameter on this developed biosensor were investigated in detail.

Two-dimensional silver nanonetwork on Ag4Ti5O12 film as highly efficient SERS substrate

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful technique to study and detect single molecules adsorbed onto a surface. In this work, molar concentrations were varied over three consecutive orders of magnitude (10-3 M, 10-6 M, 10-9 M) of Methylene Blue (MB) to study SERS on different thicknesses of silver (6, 8, 10, 12 nm) coated on Ag4Ti5O12 deposited onto glass substrates as the base material. The Ag4Ti5O12 thin films were prepared by a unique ion-exchange method where Li4Ti5O12 thin films were initially deposited by the sol–gel method followed by the exchange of Li+ ion with Ag+ ion. The varied thicknesses of thermally deposited Ag-thin films were grown with unaltered Ag+ ions nucleation sites atop the Ag4Ti5O12 layer to create the two-dimensional (2D) nanonetwork. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared thin-film samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. The SERS enhancement factor (EF), calculated using Raman spectroscopy, showed the systematic changes in the Raman signal enhancement as a function of Ag-thickness. The 10 nm thick as-deposited Ag sample showed the highest signal enhancement in Raman spectra than the other Ag thickness films. The successive signal enhancement was obtained due to forming the critical nuclei size of Ag on top of Ag4Ti5O12, which was further bolstered with film surface roughness and surface energy measurements. The as-prepared Ag-10 nm sample showed the lowest film roughness of ∼2.07 nm, in tune with the maximum enhancement factor (EF). We believe this work could open wide opportunities for developing efficient SERS substrates with sensing capabilities for ultra-low analyte concentration coupled with low cost and high enhancement factors.

Enhanced Anticoagulation of Hierarchy Liquid Infused Surfaces in Blood Flow.

Liquid infused surfaces (LIS) hold remarkable potential in anticoagulation. However, liquid loss of LIS in the bloodstream remains a challenge toward its clinical application. Here, micronano hierarchy structures are obtained on the titanium alloy substrate by regulating the microspheres' distribution. When the gap between the microspheres is smaller than the diameter of the red blood cell (RBC), the LIS is more stable under the blood wash and presents a better anticoagulation performance. The proper interval is found to prevent the RBCs from entering the gap and remove the liquid on the surface. The retained thickness of the liquid film is measured by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The LIS is applied on the front guide vane of an artificial heart pump and exhibits significant improvement on anticoagulation in the blood circulation in vitro for 25 h. The techniques and findings can be used to optimize the anticoagulation performance of LIS-related biomedical implant devices.

Some considerations in nanoindentation measurement and analysis by atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy is highly suited for characterizing morphology and physical properties of nanoscale objects. The application of this technique to nanomechanical studies is, therefore, exploited in a wide range of fields from life sciences to materials science and from miniature devices to sensors. Although performing a mechanical measurement can be straightforward and accessible to novice users, obtaining meaningful results requires knowledge and experience not always evident in standard instrumental software modules. In this paper, we provide a basic guide to proper protocols for the measurement and analysis of force curves and related atomic force microscopic techniques. Looking forward, we also survey the budding application of machine learning in this discipline.

Mechanism and Quantitative Characterization of Wettability on Shale Surfaces: An Experimental Study Based on Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

Wettability, as a vital tool for analyzing and describing oil flow, plays a significant role in determining oil/water relative permeability, residual oil distribution, and on–site recovery efficiency. Although the contact angle method is widely used for measuring wetting behavior, it is susceptible to the effects of surface roughness, oil–water saturation, and the distribution of mixed wetting within the range of droplet sizes. Additionally, millimeter–scale droplets fail to accurately represent the wetting distribution and the influencing factors at the micro/nano–scale. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive investigation of the microstructure and wettability of shale samples. The characterization of the samples was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques to gain insights into their microscopic features, surface properties, and wettability. Results demonstrate the following: (1) Quartz and clay minerals tended to exhibit rough surface topography, appearing as darker areas (DA) under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is worth noting that plagioclase minerals exhibited brighter areas (BA) under SEM. (2) An increase in the content of minerals such as quartz and clay minerals was observed to decrease the surface oil wetting behavior. In contrast, plagioclase feldspar exhibited an opposite trend. (3) Based on the adhesive forces of the samples towards oil or water, a wetting index, I, was established to evaluate the wettability of shale at a microscale. The dimensionless contact angle W, obtained by normalizing the contact angle measurement, also consistently indicated oil wetting behavior. (4) By comparing the differences between I and W, it was observed that surface roughness significantly affected the behavior of water droplets. The presence of roughness impeded the contact between the solid and liquid phases, thus influencing the accuracy of the wetting results. Organic matter also plays a significant role in influencing surface wettability, and its distribution within the shale samples can lead to localized variations in wettability.

TMIC-40. BIOPHYSICAL ANALYSIS OF GLIOBLASTOMA CORE AND RIM REVEAL UNIQUE MECHANICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL SIGNATURES

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and invasive brain cancer, carrying a median survival of 15 months. This poor prognosis is due, in part, to its resistance to therapy through tumor adaptations mediated by the tumor microenvironment (TME). Efforts to describe the tumor-protective cues in the TME may aid in the development of strategies to combat resistance. Emerging work has indicated that GBM biophysical properties are significant modulators of tumor progression; however, these parameters are poorly described. Here, we investigate the mechanical, extracellular matrix (ECM), and ultrastructural characteristics of tumors in patient matched GBM core and rim tissue. Using atomic force microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and scanning electron microscopy techniques, we find that GBM core is abnormally stiff and dense with large amounts of ECM, while the rim is softer and more porous. The GBM core is uniquely rich in hyaluronic acid and Tenascin-C, ECM proteins known to correlate with tumor stiffness and tumor supportive function. Additionally, dense matrix along with increased levels of hyaluronic acid and Tenascin-C correlate with decreased progression free survival. These data suggest that the stiff core provides increased pro-malignant mechanotransductive cues while the rim presents more permissive routes for GBM invasion. These results reveal a biophysical basis for tumor progression and provides a novel framework for diagnostic strategies and therapeutic intervention.

Micromeria biflora mediated gold and silver nanoparticles for colourimetric detection of antibiotics and dyes degradation

The study reports on synthesis of aqueous extract mediated gold and silver nanoparticles of M. biflora (MBAuNPs and MBAgNPs) via hydrated chloroauric acid and silver nitrate salts. The nanoparticles (NPs) were produced in 1:15 (MBAuNPs) and 1:6 (MBAgNPs) ratios under sunlight displaying localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peaks at 541 and 431 nm, respectively. The sizes characterized by transmission electron, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopic (SEM, TEM, AFM) techniques were respectively 26.73 nm and 53.81 nm. The subject NPs demonstrated application in the degradation of methylene blue, Congo red, Rhodamine B, methyl orange, ortho-nitrophenol, and para-nitrophenol ranging from 65 to 86 %. For detection of levofloxacin, amoxicillin, and azithromycin antibiotics, the MBAuNPs and MBAgNPs exhibited efficiency in real water and biological (blood plasma and urine) samples. Conclusively, the MBAuNPs and MBAgNPs applications for dyes degradation and antibiotics detection was found as simple and cost-effective analytical method.

Tailored Microcantilever Optimization for Multifrequency Force Microscopy.

Microcantilevers are at the heart of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and play a significant role in AFM-based techniques. Recent advancements in multifrequency AFM require the simultaneous excitation and detection of multiple eigenfrequencies of microcantilevers to assess more data channels to quantify the material properties. However, to achieve higher spatiotemporal resolution there is a need to optimize the structure of microcantilevers. In this study, the architecture of the cantilever with gold nanoparticles using a dip-coating method is modified, aiming to tune the higher eigenmodes of the microcantilever as integer multiples of its fundamental frequency. Through the theoretical methodology and simulative model, that integer harmonics improve the coupling in multifrequency AFM measurements is demonstrated, leading to enhanced image quality and resolution. Furthermore, via the combined theoretical-experimental approach, the interplay between induced mass and stiffness change of the modified cantilever depending on the attached particle location, size, mass, and geometry is found. To validate the results of this predictive model, tapping-mode AFM is utilized and bimodal Amplitude Modulation AFM techniques to examine and quantify the impact of tuning higher-order eigenmodes on the imaging quality of a polystyrene-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-PMMA) block co-polymer assembly deposited on a glass slide and Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG).