Improvement of antigen detection efficiency with the use of two-dimensional photonic crystal as a substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dovzhenko, Dmitriy; Terekhin, Vladimir; Vokhmincev, Kirill; Sukhanova, Alyona; Nabiev, Igor

2017-01-01

Multiplex detection of different antigens in human serum in order to reveal diseases at the early stage is of interest nowadays. There are a lot of biosensors, which use the fluorescent labels for specific detection of analytes. For instance, common method for detection of antigens in human serum samples is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One of the most effective ways to improve the sensitivity of this detection method is the use of a substrate that could enhance the fluorescent signal and make it easier to collect. Two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals are very suitable structures for these purposes because of the ability to enhance the luminescent signal, control the light propagation and perform the analysis directly on its surface. In our study we have calculated optimal parameters for 2D-dimensional photonic crystal consisting of the array of silicon nano-rods, fabricated such photonic crystal on a silicon substrate using reactive ion etching and showed the possibility of its efficient application as a substrate for ELISA detection of human cancer antigens.

X-ray detection capability of a BaCl{sub 2} single crystal scintillator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koshimizu, Masanori; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075; Onodera, Kazuya

2012-01-15

The x-ray detection capability of a scintillation detector equipped with a BaCl{sub 2} single crystal was evaluated. The scintillation decay kinetics can be expressed by a sum of two exponential decay components. The fast and slow components have lifetimes of 1.5 and 85 ns, respectively. The total light output is 5% that of YAP:Ce. A subnanosecond timing resolution was obtained. The detection efficiency of a 67.41 keV x-ray is 87% for a detector equipped with a BaCl{sub 2} crystal 6-mm thick. Thus, excellent timing resolution and high detection efficiency can be simultaneously achieved. Additionally, luminescence decay characteristics under vacuum ultravioletmore » excitation have been investigated. Radiative decay of self-trapped excitons is thought to be responsible for the fast scintillation component.« less

Cs2AgBiBr6 single-crystal X-ray detectors with a low detection limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Weicheng; Wu, Haodi; Luo, Jiajun; Deng, Zhenzhou; Ge, Cong; Chen, Chao; Jiang, Xiaowei; Yin, Wan-Jian; Niu, Guangda; Zhu, Lujun; Yin, Lixiao; Zhou, Ying; Xie, Qingguo; Ke, Xiaoxing; Sui, Manling; Tang, Jiang

2017-11-01

Sensitive X-ray detection is crucial for medical diagnosis, industrial inspection and scientific research. The recently described hybrid lead halide perovskites have demonstrated low-cost fabrication and outstanding performance for direct X-ray detection, but they all contain toxic Pb in a soluble form. Here, we report sensitive X-ray detectors using solution-processed double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 single crystals. Through thermal annealing and surface treatment, we largely eliminate Ag+/Bi3+ disordering and improve the crystal resistivity, resulting in a detector with a minimum detectable dose rate as low as 59.7 nGyair s-1, comparable to the latest record of 0.036 μGyair s-1 using CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals. Suppressed ion migration in Cs2AgBiBr6 permits relatively large external bias, guaranteeing efficient charge collection without a substantial increase in noise current and thus enabling the low detection limit.

Troublesome Crystal Structures: Prevention, Detection, and Resolution

PubMed Central

Harlow, Richard L.

1996-01-01

A large number of incorrect crystal structures is being published today. These structures are proving to be a particular problem to those of us who are interested in comparing structural moieties found in the databases in order to develop structure-property relationships. Problems can reside in the input data, e.g., wrong unit cell or low quality intensity data, or in the structural model, e.g., wrong space group or atom types. Many of the common mistakes are, however, relatively easy to detect and thus should be preventable; at the very least, suspicious structures can be flagged, if not by the authors then by the referees and, ultimately, the crystallographic databases. This article describes some of the more common mistakes and their effects on the resulting structures, lists a series of tests that can be used to detect incorrect structures, and makes a strong plea for the publication of higher quality structures. PMID:27805169

Detection of anthrax lef with DNA-based photonic crystal sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bailin; Dallo, Shatha; Peterson, Ralph; Hussain, Syed; Weitao, Tao; Ye, Jing Yong

2011-12-01

Bacillus anthracis has posed a threat of becoming biological weapons of mass destruction due to its virulence factors encoded by the plasmid-borne genes, such as lef for lethal factor. We report the development of a fast and sensitive anthrax DNA biosensor based on a photonic crystal structure used in a total-internal-reflection configuration. For the detection of the lef gene, a single-stranded DNA lef probe was biotinylated and immobilized onto the sensor via biotin-streptavidin interactions. A positive control, lef-com, was the complementary strand of the probe, while a negative control was an unrelated single-stranded DNA fragment from the 16S rRNA gene of Acinetobacter baumannii. After addition of the biotinylated lef probe onto the sensor, significant changes in the resonance wavelength of the sensor were observed, resulting from binding of the probe to streptavidin on the sensor. The addition of lef-com led to another significant increase as a result of hybridization between the two DNA strands. The detection sensitivity for the target DNA reached as low as 0.1 nM. In contrast, adding the unrelated DNAs did not cause an obvious shift in the resonant wavelength. These results demonstrate that detection of the anthrax lef by the photonic crystal structure in a total-internal-reflection sensor is highly specific and sensitive.

Low concentration biomolecular detection using liquid core photonic crystal fiber (LCPCF) SERS sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Chao; Zhang, Yi; Gu, Claire; Seballos, Leo; Zhang, Jin Z.

2008-02-01

This work demonstrates the use of a highly sensitive Liquid Core Photonic Crystal Fiber (LCPCF) Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) sensor in detecting biological and biochemical molecules. The Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) probe was prepared by carefully sealing the cladding holes using a fusion splicer while leaving the central hollow core open, which ensures that the liquid mixture of the analyte and silver nanoparticles only fills in the hollow core of the PCF, therefore preserving the photonic bandgap. The dependence of the SERS signal on the excitation power and sample concentration was fully characterized using Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules. The result shows that the LCPCF sensor has significant advantages over flat surface SERS detections at lower concentrations. This is attributed to the lower absorption at lower concentration leading to a longer effective interaction length inside the LCPCF, which in turn, results in a stronger SERS signal. Several biomolecules, such as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and alpha-synuclein, which are indicators of prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease, respectively, and fail to be detected directly, are successfully detected by the LCPCF sensor. Our results demonstrate the potential of the LCPCF SERS sensor for biomedical detection at low concentrations.

Polarization-sensitive electro-optic detection of terahertz wave using three different types of crystal symmetry: Toward broadband polarization spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oguchi, Kenichi; Iwasaki, Hotsumi; Okano, Makoto

2016-01-04

We investigated polarization-sensitive electro-optic (EO) detection of terahertz (THz) waves by using two uniaxial crystals: a c-cut gallium selenide and a c-cut lithium niobate crystals. We formulated a general frequency-domain description of EO detection by in-plane isotropic EO crystals, which holds regardless of the frequency. Based on this description, the polarization of THz waves can be derived by analyzing EO sampling signals measured with two orthogonal configurations of the in-plane isotropic EO crystals as well as typical (111) zinc-blende EO crystals. In addition, we experimentally demonstrated that the frequency-dependent polarization of THz waves can be reproducibly retrieved using three EOmore » crystals with different crystal symmetries and with different phase matching conditions. Our description provides essential information for practical polarization sensing in the THz frequency range as well as in the mid-infrared range.« less

Amplification of interference color by using liquid crystal for protein detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Qingdi; Yang, Kun-Lin, E-mail: cheyk@nus.edu.sg

Micrometer-sized, periodic protein lines printed on a solid surface cause interference color which is invisible to the naked eye. However, the interference color can be amplified by using a thin layer of liquid crystal (LC) covered on the surface to form a phase diffraction grating. Strong interference color can thus be observed under ambient light. By using the LC-amplified interference color, we demonstrate naked-eye detection of a model protein—immunoglobulin G (IgG). Limit of detection can reach 20 μg/ml of IgG without using any instrumentation. This detection method is potentially useful for the development of low-cost and portable biosensors.

Detection of single nano-defects in photonic crystals between crossed polarizers.

PubMed

Grepstad, Jon Olav; Kaspar, Peter; Johansen, Ib-Rune; Solgaard, Olav; Sudbø, Aasmund

2013-12-16

We investigate, by simulations and experiments, the light scattering of small particles trapped in photonic crystal membranes supporting guided resonance modes. Our results show that, due to amplified Rayleigh small particle scattering, such membranes can be utilized to make a sensor that can detect single nano-particles. We have designed a biomolecule sensor that uses cross-polarized excitation and detection for increased sensitivity. Estimated using Rayleigh scattering theory and simulation results, the current fabricated sensor has a detection limit of 26 nm, corresponding to the size of a single virus. The sensor can potentially be made both cheap and compact, to facilitate use at point-of-care.

Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Nanobalance (EQCN) Based Biosensor for Sensitive Detection of Antibiotic Residues in Milk.

PubMed

Bhand, Sunil; Mishra, Geetesh K

2017-01-01

An electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance (EQCN), which provides real-time analysis of dynamic surface events, is a valuable tool for analyzing biomolecular interactions. EQCN biosensors are based on mass-sensitive measurements that can detect small mass changes caused by chemical binding to small piezoelectric crystals. Among the various biosensors, the piezoelectric biosensor is considered one of the most sensitive analytical techniques, capable of detecting antigens at picogram levels. EQCN is an effective monitoring technique for regulation of the antibiotics below the maximum residual limit (MRL). The analysis of antibiotic residues requires high sensitivity, rapidity, reliability and cost effectiveness. For analytical purposes the general approach is to take advantage of the piezoelectric effect by immobilizing a biosensing layer on top of the piezoelectric crystal. The sensing layer usually comprises a biological material such as an antibody, enzymes, or aptamers having high specificity and selectivity for the target molecule to be detected. The biosensing layer is usually functionalized using surface chemistry modifications. When these bio-functionalized quartz crystals are exposed to a particular substance of interest (e.g., a substrate, inhibitor, antigen or protein), binding interaction occurs. This causes a frequency or mass change that can be used to determine the amount of material interacted or bound. EQCN biosensors can easily be automated by using a flow injection analysis (FIA) setup coupled through automated pumps and injection valves. Such FIA-EQCN biosensors have great potential for the detection of different analytes such as antibiotic residues in various matrices such as water, waste water, and milk.

Sensitive detection of malachite green and crystal violet by nonlinear laser wave mixing and capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Maxwell, Eric J; Tong, William G

2016-05-01

An ultrasensitive label-free antibody-free detection method for malachite green and crystal violet is presented using nonlinear laser wave-mixing spectroscopy and capillary zone electrophoresis. Wave-mixing spectroscopy provides a sensitive absorption-based detection method for trace analytes. This is accomplished by forming dynamic gratings within a sample cell, which diffracts light to create a coherent laser-like signal beam with high optical efficiency and high signal-to-noise ratio. A cubic dependence on laser power and square dependence on analyte concentration make wave mixing sensitive enough to detect molecules in their native form without the use of fluorescent labels for signal enhancement. A 532 nm laser and a 635 nm laser were used for malachite green and crystal violet sample excitation. The use of two lasers of different wavelengths allows the method to simultaneously detect both analytes. Selectivity is obtained through the capillary zone electrophoresis separation, which results in characteristic migration times. Measurement in capillary zone electrophoresis resulted in a limit of detection of 6.9 × 10(-10)M (2.5 × 10(-19) mol) for crystal violet and 8.3 × 10(-11)M (3.0 × 10(-20) mol) for malachite green at S/N of 2. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Photonic crystal waveguide-based biosensor for detection of diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chopra, Harshita; Kaler, Rajinder S.; Painam, Balveer

2016-07-01

A biosensor is a device that is used to detect the analytes or molecules of a sample by means of a binding mechanism. A two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide-based biosensor is designed with a diamond-shaped ring resonator and two waveguides: a bus waveguide and a drop waveguide. The sensing mechanism is based on change in refractive index of the analytes, leading to a shift in the peak resonant wavelength. This mechanism can be used in the field of biomedical treatment where different body fluids such as blood, tears, saliva, or urine can be used as the analyte in which different components of the fluid can be detected. It can also be used to differentiate between the cell lines of a normal and an unhealthy human being. Average value of quality factor for this device comes out to be 1082.2063. For different analytes used, the device exhibits enhanced sensitivity and, hence, it is useful for the detection of diseases.

Crystal Genetics, Inc.

PubMed

Kermani, Bahram G

2016-07-01

Crystal Genetics, Inc. is an early-stage genetic test company, focused on achieving the highest possible clinical-grade accuracy and comprehensiveness for detecting germline (e.g., in hereditary cancer) and somatic (e.g., in early cancer detection) mutations. Crystal's mission is to significantly improve the health status of the population, by providing high accuracy, comprehensive, flexible and affordable genetic tests, primarily in cancer. Crystal's philosophy is that when it comes to detecting mutations that are strongly correlated with life-threatening diseases, the detection accuracy of every single mutation counts: a single false-positive error could cause severe anxiety for the patient. And, more importantly, a single false-negative error could potentially cost the patient's life. Crystal's objective is to eliminate both of these error types.

Detection of calcium phosphate crystals in the joint fluid of patients with osteoarthritis – analytical approaches and challenges

PubMed Central

Yavorskyy, Alexander; Hernandez-Santana, Aaron; McCarthy, Geraldine

2008-01-01

Clinically, osteoarthritis (OA) is characterised by joint pain, stiffness after immobility, limitation of movement and, in many cases, the presence of basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals in the joint fluid. The detection of BCP crystals in the synovial fluid of patients with OA is fraught with challenges due to the submicroscopic size of BCP, the complex nature of the matrix in which they are found and the fact that other crystals can co-exist with them in cases of mixed pathology. Routine analysis of joint crystals still relies almost exclusively on the use of optical microscopy, which has limited applicability for BCP crystal identification due to limited resolution and the inherent subjectivity of the technique. The purpose of this Critical Review is to present an overview of some of the main analytical tools employed in the detection of BCP to date and the potential of emerging technologies such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman microspectroscopy for this purpose. PMID:18299743

Optical detection of paramagnetic centres: From crystals to glass-ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogulis, Uldis

2016-07-01

An unambiguous attribution of the absorption spectra to definite paramagnetic centres identified by the EPR techniques in the most cases is problematic. This problem may be solved by applying of a direct measurement techniques—the EPR detected via the magnetic circular dichroism, or briefly MCD-EPR. The present survey reports on the advantages and disadvantages applying the MCD-EPR techniques to simple and complex paramagnetic centres in crystals as well as glasses and glass-ceramics.

Device for magneto-optic signal detection with a small crystal prism.

PubMed

Saito, K; Sato, S; Shino, K; Taniguchi, T

2000-03-10

A device made of a birefringent crystal for signal detection of magneto-optic (MO) disks is presented. The light beam from a MO disk is separated into two orthogonally polarized components at the surface of a birefringent prism. After these two components are reflected by the top and the bottom surfaces of the prism inside, at the detector they become sufficiently separated from each other for discrete detection, even though the prism is small. A method for calculating the light intensities and the positions of focused beams in a birefringent prism and the results of a fundamental experiment are presented.

Spectroscopic and neutron detection properties of rare earth and titanium doped LiAlO 2 single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dickens, Peter T.; Marcial, José; McCloy, John

In this study, LiAlO2 crystals doped with rare-earth elements and Ti were produced by the CZ method and spectroscopic and neutron detection properties were investigated. Photoluminescence revealed no clear luminescent activation of LiAlO2 by the rare-earth dopants though some interesting luminescence was observed from secondary phases within the crystal. Gamma-ray pulse height spectra collected using a 137Cs source exhibited only a Compton edge for the crystals. Neutron modeling using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code revealed most neutrons used in the detection setup are thermalized, and while using natural lithium in the crystal growth, which contains 7.6 % 6Li, a 10more » mm Ø by 10 mm sample of LiAlO2 has a 70.7 % intrinsic thermal neutron capture efficiency. Furthermore, the pulse height spectra collected using a 241Am-Be neutron source demonstrated a distinct neutron peak.« less

Spectroscopic and neutron detection properties of rare earth and titanium doped LiAlO 2 single crystals

DOE PAGES

Dickens, Peter T.; Marcial, Jose; McCloy, John; ...

2017-05-17

In this study, LiAlO 2 crystals doped with rare-earth elements and Ti were produced by the CZ method and spectroscopic and neutron detection properties were investigated. Photoluminescence revealed no clear luminescent activation of LiAlO 2 by the rare-earth dopants though some interesting luminescence was observed from secondary phases within the crystal. Gamma-ray pulse height spectra collected using a 137Cs source exhibited only a Compton edge for the crystals. Neutron modeling using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code revealed most neutrons used in the detection setup are thermalized, and while using natural lithium in the crystal growth, which contains 7.6% 6Li, amore » 10 mm Ø by 10 mm sample of LiAlO 2 has a 70.7% intrinsic thermal neutron capture efficiency. Furthermore, the pulse height spectra collected using a 241Am-Be neutron source demonstrated a distinct neutron peak.« less

Terahertz detection of alcohol using a photonic crystal fiber sensor.

PubMed

Sultana, Jakeya; Islam, Md Saiful; Ahmed, Kawsar; Dinovitser, Alex; Ng, Brian W-H; Abbott, Derek

2018-04-01

Ethanol is widely used in chemical industrial processes as well as in the food and beverage industry. Therefore, methods of detecting alcohol must be accurate, precise, and reliable. In this content, a novel Zeonex-based photonic crystal fiber (PCF) has been modeled and analyzed for ethanol detection in terahertz frequency range. A finite-element-method-based simulation of the PCF sensor shows a high relative sensitivity of 68.87% with negligible confinement loss of 7.79×10 -12    cm -1 at 1 THz frequency and x -polarization mode. Moreover, the core power fraction, birefringence, effective material loss, dispersion, and numerical aperture are also determined in the terahertz frequency range. Owing to the simple fiber structure, existing fabrication methods are feasible. With the outstanding waveguiding properties, the proposed sensor can potentially be used in ethanol detection, as well as polarization-preserving applications of terahertz waves.

Cloud-point detection using a portable thickness shear mode crystal resonator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mansure, A.J.; Spates, J.J.; Germer, J.W.

1997-08-01

The Thickness Shear Mode (TSM) crystal resonator monitors the crude oil by propagating a shear wave into the oil. The coupling of the shear wave and the crystal vibrations is a function of the viscosity of the oil. By driving the crystal with circuitry that incorporates feedback, it is possible to determine the change from Newtonian to non-Newtonian viscosity at the cloud point. A portable prototype TSM Cloud Point Detector (CPD) has performed flawlessly during field and lab tests proving the technique is less subjective or operator dependent than the ASTM standard. The TSM CPD, in contrast to standard viscositymore » techniques, makes the measurement in a closed container capable of maintaining up to 100 psi. The closed container minimizes losses of low molecular weight volatiles, allowing samples (25 ml) to be retested with the addition of chemicals. By cycling/thermal soaking the sample, the effects of thermal history can be investigated and eliminated as a source of confusion. The CPD is portable, suitable for shipping the field offices for use by personnel without special training or experience in cloud point measurements. As such, it can make cloud point data available without the delays and inconvenience of sending samples to special labs. The crystal resonator technology can be adapted to in-line monitoring of cloud point and deposition detection.« less

Detection of Myoglobin with an Open-Cavity-Based Label-Free Photonic Crystal Biosensor.

PubMed

Zhang, Bailin; Tamez-Vela, Juan Manuel; Solis, Steven; Bustamante, Gilbert; Peterson, Ralph; Rahman, Shafiqur; Morales, Andres; Tang, Liang; Ye, Jing Yong

2013-01-01

The label-free detection of one of the cardiac biomarkers, myoglobin, using a photonic-crystal-based biosensor in a total-internal-reflection configuration (PC-TIR) is presented in this paper. The PC-TIR sensor possesses a unique open optical microcavity that allows for several key advantages in biomolecular assays. In contrast to a conventional closed microcavity, the open configuration allows easy functionalization of the sensing surface for rapid biomolecular binding assays. Moreover, the properties of PC structures make it easy to be designed and engineered for operating at any optical wavelength. Through fine design of the photonic crystal structure, biochemical modification of the sensor surface, and integration with a microfluidic system, we have demonstrated that the detection sensitivity of the sensor for myoglobin has reached the clinically significant concentration range, enabling potential usage of this biosensor for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. The real-time response of the sensor to the myoglobin binding may potentially provide point-of-care monitoring of patients and treatment effects.

Comment on ’Single Pentacene Molecules Detected by Fluorescence Excitation in a P-Terphenyl Crystal’

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-10

8217 NO 11 TITLE (include Security Classification) Comment on "Single Pentacene Molecules Detected by Fluorescence Excitation in a p-Terphenyl Crystal" 12...8217 {Continue on reverse it necessary and identify by block numboer) Using h--,Ihly efficient Fluorescence excitation spectroscov of individual pentacene ...molecular impurities in p-terphenvl crystals, we have observed that some pentacene defects exhibit spcntaneous spectral jumps in their resonance frequency at

Direct detection of light dark matter and solar neutrinos via color center production in crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budnik, Ranny; Cheshnovsky, Ori; Slone, Oren; Volansky, Tomer

2018-07-01

We propose a new low-threshold direct-detection concept for dark matter and for coherent nuclear scattering of solar neutrinos, based on the dissociation of atoms and subsequent creation of color center type defects within a lattice. The novelty in our approach lies in its ability to detect single defects in a macroscopic bulk of material. This class of experiments features ultra-low energy thresholds which allows for the probing of dark matter as light as O (10) MeV through nuclear scattering. Another feature of defect creation in crystals is directional information, which presents as a spectacular signal and a handle on background reduction in the form of daily modulation of the interaction rate. We discuss the envisioned setup and detection technique, as well as background reduction. We further calculate the expected rates for dark matter and solar neutrinos in two example crystals for which available data exists, demonstrating the prospective sensitivity of such experiments.

Liquid crystal foil for the detection of breast cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biernat, Michał; Trzyna, Marcin; Byszek, Agnieszka; Jaremek, Henryk

2016-09-01

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in females around the world, representing 25.2% of all cancers in women. About 1.7 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide in 2012 with a death rate of about 522,0001,2. The most frequently used methods in breast cancer screening are imaging methods, i.e. ultrasonography and mammography. A common feature of these methods is that they inherently involve the use of expensive and advanced equipment. The development of advanced computer systems allowed for the continuation of research started already in the 1980s3 and the use of contact thermography in breast cancer screening. The physiological basis for the application of thermography in medical imaging diagnostics is the so-called dermothermal effect related to higher metabolism rate around focal neoplastic lesion. This phenomenon can occur on breast surface as localized temperature anomalies4. The device developed by Braster is composed of a detector that works on the basis of thermotropic liquid crystals, image acquisition device and a computer system for image data processing and analysis. Production of the liquid crystal detector was based on a proprietary CLCF technology (Continuous Liquid Crystal Film). In 2014 Braster started feasibility study to prove that there is a potential for artificial intelligence in early breast cancer detection using Braster's proprietary technology. The aim of this study was to develop a computer system, using a client-server architecture, to an automatic interpretation of thermographic pictures created by the Braster devices.

Ultrafast state detection and 2D ion crystals in a Paul trap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ip, Michael; Ransford, Anthony; Campbell, Wesley

2016-05-01

Projective readout of quantum information stored in atomic qubits typically uses state-dependent CW laser-induced fluorescence. This method requires an often sophisticated imaging system to spatially filter out the background CW laser light. We present an alternative approach that instead uses simple pulse sequences from a mode-locked laser to affect the same state-dependent excitations in less than 1 ns. The resulting atomic fluorescence occurs in the dark, allowing the placement of non-imaging detectors right next to the atom to improve the qubit state detection efficiency and speed. We also study 2D Coulomb crystals of atomic ions in an oblate Paul trap. We find that crystals with hundreds of ions can be held in the trap, potentially offering an alternative to the use of Penning traps for the quantum simulation of 2D lattice spin models. We discuss the classical physics of these crystals and the metastable states that are supported in 2D. This work is supported by the US Army Research Office.

Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber-Based Quartz Crystal Microbalance for Sensitive Detection of Safrole

PubMed Central

Julian, Trisna; Hidayat, Shidiq Nur; Suyono, Eko Agus

2018-01-01

Safrole is the main precursor for producing the amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) drug, N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy. We devise a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber-based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for detecting safrole. The PAN nanofibers were fabricated by direct electrospinning to modify the QCM chips. The PAN nanofiber on the QCM chips has a diameter of 240 ± 10 nm. The sensing of safrole by QCM modified with PAN nanofiber shows good reversibility and an apparent sensitivity of 4.6 Hz·L/mg. The proposed method is simple, inexpensive, and convenient for detecting safrole, and can be an alternative to conventional instrumental analytical methods for general volatile compounds. PMID:29642565

Sodium Chloride Crystal-Induced SERS Platform for Controlled Highly Sensitive Detection of Illicit Drugs.

PubMed

Yu, Borong; Li, Pan; Zhou, Binbin; Tang, Xianghu; Li, Shaofei; Yang, Liangbao

2018-04-03

A sodium chloride crystal-driven spontaneous 'hot spot' structure was demonstrated as a SERS-active platform, to get reproducible SERS signals, and eliminate the need for mapping large areas, in comparison with solution phase testing. During the process of solvent evaporation, the crystals produced induced silver aggregates to assemble around themselves. The micro-scale crystals can also act as a template to obtain an optical position, such that the assembled hot area is conveniently located during SERS measurements. More importantly, the chloride ions added in colloids can also replace the citrate and on the surface of the silver sol, and further decrease the background interference. High quality SERS spectra from heroin, methamphetamine (MAMP), and cocaine have been obtained on the crystal-driven hot spot structure with high sensitivity and credible reproducibility. This approach can not only bring the nanoparticles to form plasmonic hot spots in a controlled way, and thus provide high sensitivity, but also potentially be explored as an active substrate for label-free detection of other illicit drugs or additives. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Colorimetric Nucleic Acid Detection on Paper Microchip Using Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification and Crystal Violet Dye.

PubMed

Roy, Sharmili; Mohd-Naim, Noor Faizah; Safavieh, Mohammadali; Ahmed, Minhaz Uddin

2017-11-22

Nucleic acid detection is of paramount importance in monitoring of microbial pathogens in food safety and infectious disease diagnostic applications. To address these challenges, a rapid, cost-effective label-free technique for nucleic acid detection with minimal instrumentations is highly desired. Here, we present paper microchip to detect and quantify nucleic acid using colorimetric sensing modality. The extracted DNA from food samples of meat as well as microbial pathogens was amplified utilizing loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). LAMP amplicon was then detected and quantified on a paper microchip fabricated in a cellulose paper and a small wax chamber utilizing crystal violet dye. The affinity of crystal violet dye toward dsDNA and positive signal were identified by changing the color from colorless to purple. Using this method, detection of Sus scrofa (porcine) and Bacillus subtilis (bacteria) DNA was possible at concentrations as low as 1 pg/μL (3.43 × 10 -1 copies/μL) and 10 pg/μL (2.2 × 10 3 copies/μL), respectively. This strategy can be adapted for detection of other DNA samples, with potential for development of a new breed of simple and inexpensive paper microchip at the point-of-need.

Crystal face temperature determination means

DOEpatents

Nason, D.O.; Burger, A.

1994-11-22

An optically transparent furnace having a detection apparatus with a pedestal enclosed in an evacuated ampule for growing a crystal thereon is disclosed. Temperature differential is provided by a source heater, a base heater and a cold finger such that material migrates from a polycrystalline source material to grow the crystal. A quartz halogen lamp projects a collimated beam onto the crystal and a reflected beam is analyzed by a double monochromator and photomultiplier detection spectrometer and the detected peak position in the reflected energy spectrum of the reflected beam is interpreted to determine surface temperature of the crystal. 3 figs.

Nanostructured Surfaces and Detection Instrumentation for Photonic Crystal Enhanced Fluorescence

PubMed Central

Chaudhery, Vikram; George, Sherine; Lu, Meng; Pokhriyal, Anusha; Cunningham, Brian T.

2013-01-01

Photonic crystal (PC) surfaces have been demonstrated as a compelling platform for improving the sensitivity of surface-based fluorescent assays used in disease diagnostics and life science research. PCs can be engineered to support optical resonances at specific wavelengths at which strong electromagnetic fields are utilized to enhance the intensity of surface-bound fluorophore excitation. Meanwhile, the leaky resonant modes of PCs can be used to direct emitted photons within a narrow range of angles for more efficient collection by a fluorescence detection system. The multiplicative effects of enhanced excitation combined with enhanced photon extraction combine to provide improved signal-to-noise ratios for detection of fluorescent emitters, which in turn can be used to reduce the limits of detection of low concentration analytes, such as disease biomarker proteins. Fabrication of PCs using inexpensive manufacturing methods and materials that include replica molding on plastic, nano-imprint lithography on quartz substrates result in devices that are practical for single-use disposable applications. In this review, we will describe the motivation for implementing high-sensitivity fluorescence detection in the context of molecular diagnosis and gene expression analysis though the use of PC surfaces. Recent efforts to improve the design and fabrication of PCs and their associated detection instrumentation are summarized, including the use of PCs coupled with Fabry-Perot cavities and external cavity lasers. PMID:23624689

Detection of Collapse and Crystallization of Saccharide, Protein, and Mannitol Formulations by Optical Fibers in Lyophilization

PubMed Central

Horn, Jacqueline; Friess, Wolfgang

2018-01-01

The collapse temperature (Tc) and the glass transition temperature of freeze-concentrated solutions (Tg') as well as the crystallization behavior of excipients are important physicochemical characteristics which guide the cycle development in freeze-drying. The most frequently used methods to determine these values are differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and freeze-drying microscopy (FDM). The objective of this study was to evaluate the optical fiber system (OFS) unit as alternative tool for the analysis of Tc, Tg' and crystallization events. The OFS unit was also tested as a potential online monitoring tool during freeze-drying. Freeze/thawing and freeze-drying experiments of sucrose, trehalose, stachyose, mannitol, and highly concentrated IgG1 and lysozyme solutions were carried out and monitored by the OFS. Comparative analyses were performed by DSC and FDM. OFS and FDM results correlated well. The crystallization behavior of mannitol could be monitored by the OFS during freeze/thawing as it can be done by DSC. Online monitoring of freeze-drying runs detected collapse of amorphous saccharide matrices. The OFS unit enabled the analysis of both Tc and crystallization processes, which is usually carried out by FDM and DSC. The OFS can hence be used as novel measuring device. Additionally, detection of these events during lyophilization facilitates online-monitoring. Thus the OFS is a new beneficial tool for the development and monitoring of freeze-drying processes. PMID:29435445

Detection of Collapse and Crystallization of Saccharide, Protein and Mannitol Formulations by Optical Fibers in Lyophilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Jacqueline; Friess, Wolfgang

2018-01-01

The collapse temperature (Tc) and the glass transition temperature of freeze-concentrated solutions (Tg’) as well as the crystallization behavior of excipients are important physicochemical characteristics which guide the cycle development in freeze-drying. The most frequently used methods to determine these values are differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and freeze-drying microscopy (FDM). The objective of this study was to evaluate the optical fiber system (OFS) unit as alternative tool for the analysis of Tc, Tg’ and crystallization events. The OFS unit was also tested as a potential online monitoring tool during freeze-drying. Freeze/thawing and freeze-drying experiments of sucrose, trehalose, stachyose, mannitol and highly concentrated IgG1 and lysozyme solutions were carried out and monitored by the OFS. Comparative analyses were performed by DSC and FDM. OFS and FDM results correlated well. The crystallization behavior of mannitol could be monitored by the OFS during freeze/thawing as it can be done by DSC. Online monitoring of freeze-drying runs detected collapse of amorphous saccharide matrices. The OFS unit enabled the analysis of both Tc and crystallization processes, which is usually carried out by FDM and DSC. The OFS can hence be used as novel measuring device. Additionally, detection of these events during lyophilization facilitate online-monitoring. Thus the OFS is a new beneficial tool for the development and monitoring of freeze-drying processes.

Acoustic detection of ice crystals in Antarctic waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penrose, John D.; Conde, M.; Pauly, T. J.

1994-06-01

During the voyage of the RSV Aurora Australis to the region of Prydz Bay, Antarctica in January-March 1991, ice crystals were encountered at depths from the surface to 125-m in the western area of the bay. On two occasions, crystals were retrieved by netting, and echo sounder records have been used to infer additional regions of occurrence. Acoustic target strength estimates made on the ice crystal assemblies encountered show significant spatial variation, which may relate to crystal size and/or aggregation. Data from a suite of conductivity-temperature-depth casts have been used to map regions of the study area where in situ water temperatures fell below the computed freezing point. Such regions correlate well with those selected on the basis of echogram type and imply that ice crystals occurred at depth over large areas of the bay during the cruise period. The ice crystal distribution described is consistent with that expected from a plume of supercooled water emerging from under the Amery Ice Shelf and forming part of the general circulation of the bay. The magnitude of the supercooled water plume is greater than those reported previously in the Prydz Bay region. If misinterpreted as biota on echo sounder records, ice crystals could significantly bias biomass estimates based on echo integration in this and potentially other areas.

Detecting explosive molecules from nanoliter solution: A new paradigm of SERS sensing on hydrophilic photonic crystal biosilica.

PubMed

Kong, Xianming; Xi, Yuting; Le Duff, Paul; Chong, Xinyuan; Li, Erwen; Ren, Fanghui; Rorrer, Gregory L; Wang, Alan X

2017-02-15

We demonstrate a photonic crystal biosilica surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on a diatom frustule with in-situ synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to detect explosive molecules from nanoliter (nL) solution. By integrating high density Ag NPs inside the nanopores of diatom biosilica, which is not achievable by traditional self-assembly techniques, we obtained ultra-high SERS sensitivity due to dual enhancement mechanisms. First, the hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystal biosilica with three dimensional morphologies was obtained by electroless-deposited Ag seeds at nanometer sized diatom frustule surface, which provides high density hot spots as well as strongly coupled optical resonances with the photonic crystal structure of diatom frustules. Second, we discovered that the evaporation-driven microscopic flow combined with the strong hydrophilic surface of diatom frustules is capable of concentrating the analyte molecules, which offers a simple yet effective mechanism to accelerate the mass transport into the SERS substrate. Using the inkjet printing technology, we are able to deliver multiple 100pico-liter (pL) volume droplets with pinpoint accuracy into a single diatom frustule with dimension around 30µm×7µm×5µm, which allows for label-free detection of explosive molecules such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) down to 10 -10 M in concentration and 2.7×10 -15 g in mass from 120nL solution. Our research illustrates a new paradigm of SERS sensing to detect trace level of chemical compounds from minimum volume of analyte using nature created photonic crystal biosilica materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detecting explosive molecules from nanoliter solution: A new paradigm of SERS sensing on hydrophilic photonic crystal biosilica

PubMed Central

Kong, Xianming; Xi, Yuting; Le Duff, Paul; Chong, Xinyuan; Li, Erwen; Ren, Fanghui; Rorrer, Gregory L.; Wang, Alan X.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate a photonic crystal biosilica surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on a diatom frustule with in-situ synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to detect explosive molecules from nanoliter (nL) solution. By integrating high density Ag NPs inside the nanopores of diatom biosilica, which is not achievable by traditional self-assembly techniques, we obtained ultra-high SERS sensitivity due to dual enhancement mechanisms. First, the hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystal biosilica with three dimensional morphologies was obtained by electroless-deposited Ag seeds at nanometer sized diatom frustule surface, which provides high density hot spots as well as strongly coupled optical resonances with the photonic crystal structure of diatom frustules. Second, we discovered that the evaporation-driven microscopic flow combined with the strong hydrophilic surface of diatom frustules is capable of concentrating the analyte molecules, which offers a simple yet effective mechanism to accelerate the mass transport into the SERS substrate. Using the inkjet printing technology, we are able to deliver multiple 100 pico-liter (pL) volume droplets with pinpoint accuracy into a single diatom frustule with dimension around 30 μm × 7 μm × 5 μm, which allows for label-free detection of explosive molecules such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) down to 10−10 M in concentration and 2.7 × 10−15 g in mass from 120 nL solution. Our research illustrates a new paradigm of SERS sensing to detect trace level of chemical compounds from minimum volume of analyte using nature created photonic crystal biosilica materials. PMID:27471144

Quartz crystal microbalance detection of DNA single-base mutation based on monobase-coded cadmium tellurium nanoprobe.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuqin; Lin, Fanbo; Zhang, Youyu; Li, Haitao; Zeng, Yue; Tang, Hao; Yao, Shouzhuo

2011-01-01

A new method for the detection of point mutation in DNA based on the monobase-coded cadmium tellurium nanoprobes and the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was reported. A point mutation (single-base, adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine, namely, A, T, C and G, mutation in DNA strand, respectively) DNA QCM sensor was fabricated by immobilizing single-base mutation DNA modified magnetic beads onto the electrode surface with an external magnetic field near the electrode. The DNA-modified magnetic beads were obtained from the biotin-avidin affinity reaction of biotinylated DNA and streptavidin-functionalized core/shell Fe(3)O(4)/Au magnetic nanoparticles, followed by a DNA hybridization reaction. Single-base coded CdTe nanoprobes (A-CdTe, T-CdTe, C-CdTe and G-CdTe, respectively) were used as the detection probes. The mutation site in DNA was distinguished by detecting the decreases of the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric quartz crystal when the coded nanoprobe was added to the test system. This proposed detection strategy for point mutation in DNA is proved to be sensitive, simple, repeatable and low-cost, consequently, it has a great potential for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. 2011 © The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry

Assembly of potassium niobate nanosheets/silver oxide composite films with good SERS performance towards crystal violet detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Kun; Hong, Zhen; Kang, Shi-Zhao; Qin, Lixia; Li, Guodong; Li, Xiangqing

2018-04-01

The orderly potassium niobate nanosheets/silver oxide (Ag2O) composite films with uniform morphology were achieved by layer-by-layer self-assembly combined with ultraviolet light irradiation. The composition, structure and morphology of the potassium niobate nanosheets/Ag2O composite films were studied by XPS, XRD and SEM. Furthermore, the films were used as a SERS probe to detect crystal violet molecules. The results showed that the potassium niobate nanosheets/Ag2O composite films were an active substrate for fast and sensitive detection of crystal violet with low concentration. The limit of detection by the films can reach 1 × 10-6 mol L-1. Both electromagnetic enhancement and chemical enhancement contributed to the enhanced SERS in the (potassium niobate nanosheets/Ag2O)4 films. Moreover, it was found that the films were relatively stable under light irradiation or heat treatment in a certain range.

A study on 2, 4, 6-trinitrotolurene (TNT) vapor detection by using a quartz crystal microbalance with 18-crown-6 ether film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phetchakul, Toempong; Phuvanatai, Pavaris

2017-07-01

The application of 18-crown-6 ether film for 2, 4, 6-trinitrotolurene (TNT) vapor detection by using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is studied. The film is coated on the quartz electrodes as sensitive material for capture TNT molecule. The parameters that are studied are concentration and mass or thickness of film. When the explosive adheres to surface of the crystal oscillator, the weight is changed and the resonance frequency of the crystal oscillator is shifted lower. The frequency shift (Δf) relates to concentration and mass or thickness. The high concentration and mass/thickness of film enhance the TNT detection.

Strain history of ice shells of the Galilean satellites from radar detection of crystal orientation fabric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, Amy C.; Stillman, David E.

2011-03-01

Orbital radar sounding has been suggested as a means of determining the subsurface thermal and physical structure of the outer ice I shells of the Galilean satellites. At radar frequencies, the dielectric permittivity of single- and polycrystalline water ice I is anisotropic. Crystal orientation fabric (COF), which is indicative of strain history, can be unambiguously detected by comparing the received power of dual co-polarization (linear polarization parallel and perpendicular to the orbit) radar data. Regions with crystal orientations dictated by the local strain field (“fabric”) form in terrestrial ice masses where accumulated strain and temperature are high, similar to conditions expected in a convecting outer ice I shell on Europa, Ganymede, or Callisto. We use simulations of solid-state ice shell convection to show that crystal orientation fabric can form in the warm convecting sublayer of the ice shells for plausible grain sizes. Changes in received power from parallel and perpendicular polarizations in the ice shells due to fabric could be detected if multi-polarization data is collected. With proper instrument design, radar sounding could be used to shed light on the strain history of the satellites' ice shells in addition to their present day internal structures.

Crystal growth of LiIn 1–xGa xSe 2 crystals

DOE PAGES

Wiggins, Brenden; Bell, Joseph; Woodward, Jonathan; ...

2016-10-22

Lithium containing chalcogenide single crystals have become very promising materials for photonics and radiation detection. Detection applications include nuclear nonproliferation, neutron science, and stellar investigations for the search of life. Synthesis and single crystal growth methods for lithium containing chalcogenide, specifically LiIn 1-xGa xSe 2, single crystals are discussed. This study elucidates the possibility of improving neutron detection by reducing the indium capture contribution; with the incorporation of the lithium-6 isotope, gallium substitution may overcome the neutron detection efficiency limitation of 6LiInSe 2 due to appreciable neutron capture by the indium-115 isotope. As a figure of merit, the ternary parentmore » compounds 6LiInSe 2 and 6LiGaSe 2 were included in this study. Quality crystals can be obtained utilizing the vertical Bridgman method to produce quaternary compounds with tunable optical properties. Here, quaternary crystals of varying quality depending on the gallium concentration, approximately 5 x 5 x 2 mm 3 or larger in volume, were harvested, analyzed and revealed tunable absorption characteristics between 2.8-3.4 eV.« less

Ultrasensitive quartz crystal microbalance sensors for detection of M13-Phages in liquids.

PubMed

Uttenthaler, E; Schräml, M; Mandel, J; Drost, S

2001-12-01

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors are widely used for determining liquid properties or probing interfacial processes. For some applications the sensitivity of the QCM sensors typically used (5-20 MHz) is limited compared with other biosensor methods. In this study ultrasensitive QCM sensors with resonant frequencies from 39 to 110 MHz for measurements in the liquid phase are presented. The fundamental sensor effect of a QCM is the decrease of the resonant frequency of an oscillating quartz crystal due to the binding of mass on a coated surface during the measurement. The sensitivity of QCM sensors increases strongly with an increasing resonant frequency and, therefore, with a decreasing thickness of the sensitive area. The new kind of ultrasensitive QCM sensors used in this study is based on chemically milled shear mode quartz crystals which are etched only in the center of the blank, forming a thin quartz membrane with a thick, mechanically stable outer ring. An immunoassay using a virus specific monoclonal antibody and a M13-Phage showed an increase in the signal to noise ratio by a factor of more than 6 for 56 MHz quartz crystals compared with standard 19 MHz quartz crystals, the detection limit was improved by a factor of 200. Probing of acoustic properties of glycerol/water mixtures resulted in an increase in sensitivity, which is in very good agreement with theory. Chemically milled QCM sensors strongly improve the sensitivity in biosensing and probing of acoustic properties and, therefore, offer interesting new application fields for QCM sensors.

Crystal face temperature determination means

DOEpatents

Nason, Donald O.; Burger, Arnold

1994-01-01

An optically transparent furnace (10) having a detection apparatus (29) with a pedestal (12) enclosed in an evacuated ampule (16) for growing a crystal (14) thereon. Temperature differential is provided by a source heater (20), a base heater (24) and a cold finger (26) such that material migrates from a polycrystalline source material (18) to grow the crystal (14). A quartz halogen lamp (32) projects a collimated beam (30) onto the crystal (14) and a reflected beam (34) is analyzed by a double monochromator and photomultiplier detection spectrometer (40) and the detected peak position (48) in the reflected energy spectrum (44) of the reflected beam (34) is interpreted to determine surface temperature of the crystal (14).

Spatially selective photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence and application to background reduction for biomolecule detection assays

PubMed Central

Chaudhery, Vikram; Huang, Cheng-Sheng; Pokhriyal, Anusha; Polans, James; Cunningham, Brian T.

2011-01-01

By combining photonic crystal label-free biosensor imaging with photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence, it is possible to selectively enhance the fluorescence emission from regions of the PC surface based upon the density of immobilized capture molecules. A label-free image of the capture molecules enables determination of optimal coupling conditions of the laser used for fluorescence imaging of the photonic crystal surface on a pixel-by-pixel basis, allowing maximization of fluorescence enhancement factor from regions incorporating a biomolecule capture spot and minimization of background autofluorescence from areas between capture spots. This capability significantly improves the contrast of enhanced fluorescent images, and when applied to an antibody protein microarray, provides a substantial advantage over conventional fluorescence microscopy. Using the new approach, we demonstrate detection limits as low as 0.97 pg/ml for a representative protein biomarker in buffer. PMID:22109210

Spatially selective photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence and application to background reduction for biomolecule detection assays.

PubMed

Chaudhery, Vikram; Huang, Cheng-Sheng; Pokhriyal, Anusha; Polans, James; Cunningham, Brian T

2011-11-07

By combining photonic crystal label-free biosensor imaging with photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence, it is possible to selectively enhance the fluorescence emission from regions of the PC surface based upon the density of immobilized capture molecules. A label-free image of the capture molecules enables determination of optimal coupling conditions of the laser used for fluorescence imaging of the photonic crystal surface on a pixel-by-pixel basis, allowing maximization of fluorescence enhancement factor from regions incorporating a biomolecule capture spot and minimization of background autofluorescence from areas between capture spots. This capability significantly improves the contrast of enhanced fluorescent images, and when applied to an antibody protein microarray, provides a substantial advantage over conventional fluorescence microscopy. Using the new approach, we demonstrate detection limits as low as 0.97 pg/ml for a representative protein biomarker in buffer.

Ice crystal characterization in cirrus clouds: a sun-tracking camera system and automated detection algorithm for halo displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forster, Linda; Seefeldner, Meinhard; Wiegner, Matthias; Mayer, Bernhard

2017-07-01

Halo displays in the sky contain valuable information about ice crystal shape and orientation: e.g., the 22° halo is produced by randomly oriented hexagonal prisms while parhelia (sundogs) indicate oriented plates. HaloCam, a novel sun-tracking camera system for the automated observation of halo displays is presented. An initial visual evaluation of the frequency of halo displays for the ACCEPT (Analysis of the Composition of Clouds with Extended Polarization Techniques) field campaign from October to mid-November 2014 showed that sundogs were observed more often than 22° halos. Thus, the majority of halo displays was produced by oriented ice crystals. During the campaign about 27 % of the cirrus clouds produced 22° halos, sundogs or upper tangent arcs. To evaluate the HaloCam observations collected from regular measurements in Munich between January 2014 and June 2016, an automated detection algorithm for 22° halos was developed, which can be extended to other halo types as well. This algorithm detected 22° halos about 2 % of the time for this dataset. The frequency of cirrus clouds during this time period was estimated by co-located ceilometer measurements using temperature thresholds of the cloud base. About 25 % of the detected cirrus clouds occurred together with a 22° halo, which implies that these clouds contained a certain fraction of smooth, hexagonal ice crystals. HaloCam observations complemented by radiative transfer simulations and measurements of aerosol and cirrus cloud optical thickness (AOT and COT) provide a possibility to retrieve more detailed information about ice crystal roughness. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of a completely automated method to collect and evaluate a long-term database of halo observations and shows the potential to characterize ice crystal properties.

Color changing photonic crystals detect blast exposure

PubMed Central

Cullen, D. Kacy; Xu, Yongan; Reneer, Dexter V.; Browne, Kevin D.; Geddes, James W.; Yang, Shu; Smith, Douglas H.

2010-01-01

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is the “signature wound” of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, with no objective information of relative blast exposure, warfighters with bTBI may not receive appropriate medical care and are at risk of being returned to the battlefield. Accordingly, we have created a colorimetric blast injury dosimeter (BID) that exploits material failure of photonic crystals to detect blast exposure. Appearing like a colored sticker, the BID is fabricated in photosensitive polymers via multi-beam interference lithography. Although very stable in the presence of heat, cold or physical impact, sculpted micro- and nano-structures of the BID are physically altered in a precise manner by blast exposure, resulting in color changes that correspond with blast intensity. This approach offers a lightweight, power-free sensor that can be readily interpreted by the naked eye. Importantly, with future refinement this technology may be deployed to identify soldiers exposed to blast at levels suggested to be supra-threshold for non-impact blast-induced mild TBI. PMID:21040795

Quartz crystal microbalance sensor using ionophore for ammonium ion detection.

PubMed

Kosaki, Yasuhiro; Takano, Kosuke; Citterio, Daniel; Suzuki, Koji; Shiratori, Seimei

2012-01-01

Ionophore-based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) ammonium ion sensors with a detection limit for ammonium ion concentrations as low as 2.2 microM were fabricated. Ionophores are molecules, which selectively bind a particular ion. In this study, one of the known ionophores for ammonium, nonactin, was used to detect ammonium ions for environmental in-situ monitoring of aquarium water for the first time. To fabricate the sensing films, poly(vinyl chloride) was used as the matrix for the immobilization of nonactin. Furthermore, the anionic additive, tetrakis (4-chlorophenyl) borate potassium salt and the plasticizer dioctyl sebacate were used to enhance the sensor properties. The sensor allowed detecting ammonium ions not only in static solution, but also in flowing water. The sensor showed a nearly linear response with the increase of the ammonium ion concentration. The QCM resonance frequency increased with the increase of ammonium ion concentration, suggesting a decreasing weight of the sensing film. The detailed response mechanism could not be verified yet. However, from the results obtained when using a different plasticizer, nitrophenyl octyl ether, it is considered that this effect is caused by the release of water molecules. Consequently, the newly fabricated sensor detects ammonium ions by discharge of water. It shows high selectivity over potassium and sodium ions. We conclude that the newly fabricated sensor can be applied for detecting ammonium ions in aquarium water, since it allows measuring low ammonium ion concentrations. This sensor will be usable for water quality monitoring and controlling.

Desalting by crystallization: detection of attomole biomolecules in picoliter buffers by mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Gong, Xiaoyun; Xiong, Xingchuang; Wang, Song; Li, Yanyan; Zhang, Sichun; Fang, Xiang; Zhang, Xinrong

2015-10-06

Sensitive detection of biomolecules in small-volume samples by mass spectrometry is, in many cases, challenging because of the use of buffers to maintain the biological activities of proteins and cells. Here, we report a highly effective desalting method for picoliter samples. It was based on the spontaneous separation of biomolecules from salts during crystallization of the salts. After desalting, the biomolecules were deposited in the tip of the quartz pipet because of the evaporation of the solvent. Subsequent detection of the separated biomolecules was achieved using solvent assisted electric field induced desorption/ionization (SAEFIDI) coupled with mass spectrometry. It allowed for direct desorption/ionization of the biomolecules in situ from the tip of the pipet. The organic component in the assistant solvent inhibited the desorption/ionization of salts, thus assured successful detection of biomolecules. Proteins and peptides down to 50 amol were successfully detected using our method even if there were 3 × 10(5) folds more amount of salts in the sample. The concentration and ion species of the salts had little influence on the detection results.

Photonic-crystal membranes for optical detection of single nano-particles, designed for biosensor application.

PubMed

Grepstad, Jon Olav; Kaspar, Peter; Solgaard, Olav; Johansen, Ib-Rune; Sudbø, Aasmund S

2012-03-26

A sensor designed to detect bio-molecules is presented. The sensor exploits a planar 2D photonic crystal (PC) membrane with sub-micron thickness and through holes, to induce high optical fields that allow detection of nano-particles smaller than the diffraction limit of an optical microscope. We report on our design and fabrication of a PC membrane with a nano-particle trapped inside. We have also designed and built an imaging system where an optical microscope and a CCD camera are used to take images of the PC membrane. Results show how the trapped nano-particle appears as a bright spot in the image. In a first experimental realization of the imaging system, single particles with a radius of 75 nm can be detected.

An immuno-biosensor system based on quartz crystal microbalance for avian influenza virus detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shengping; Chen, Guoming; Zhou, Qi; Wei, Yunlong

2007-12-01

For the quick detection of Avian Influenza Virus (AIV), a biosensor based on Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) was fabricated according to the specific bonding principle between antibody and antigen. Staphylococcal Protein A (SPA) was extracted from Staphylococcus and purified. Then SPA was coated on the surface of QCM for immobilizing AIV monoclonal antibodies. The use of AIV monoclonal antibody could enhance the specificity of the immuno-biosensor. A multi-channel piezoelectricity detection system for the immuno-biosensor was developed. The system can work for the quick detection of AIV antigen in the case of the entirely aqueous status owe to one special oscillating circuit designed in this work. The optimum conditions of SPA coating and AIV monoclonal antibody immobilization were investigated utilizing the multi-channel detection system. The preliminary application of the immuno-biosensor system for detection of AIV was evaluated. Results indicate that the immuno-biosensor system can detect the AIV antigens with a linear range of 3-200ng/ml. The system can accomplish the detection of AIV antigens around 40 minutes.

Nonlinear optical imaging for sensitive detection of crystals in bulk amorphous powders.

PubMed

Kestur, Umesh S; Wanapun, Duangporn; Toth, Scott J; Wegiel, Lindsay A; Simpson, Garth J; Taylor, Lynne S

2012-11-01

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of second-order nonlinear imaging of chiral crystals (SONICC) to quantify crystallinity in drug-polymer blends, including solid dispersions. Second harmonic generation (SHG) can potentially exhibit scaling with crystallinity between linear and quadratic depending on the nature of the source, and thus, it is important to determine the response of pharmaceutical powders. Physical mixtures containing different proportions of crystalline naproxen and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) were prepared by blending and a dispersion was produced by solvent evaporation. A custom-built SONICC instrument was used to characterize the SHG intensity as a function of the crystalline drug fraction in the various samples. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Raman spectroscopy were used as complementary methods known to exhibit linear scaling. SONICC was able to detect crystalline drug even in the presence of 99.9 wt % HPMCAS in the binary mixtures. The calibration curve revealed a linear dynamic range with a R(2) value of 0.99 spanning the range from 0.1 to 100 wt % naproxen with a root mean square error of prediction of 2.7%. Using the calibration curve, the errors in the validation samples were in the range of 5%-10%. Analysis of a 75 wt % HPMCAS-naproxen solid dispersion with SONICC revealed the presence of crystallites at an earlier time point than could be detected with PXRD and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, results from the crystallization kinetics experiment using SONICC were in good agreement with Raman spectroscopy and PXRD. In conclusion, SONICC has been found to be a sensitive technique for detecting low levels (0.1% or lower) of crystallinity, even in the presence of large quantities of a polymer. Copyright © 2012 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Changes in gallbladder bile composition and crystal detection time in morbidly obese subjects after bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Ulf; Benthin, Lisbet; Granström, Lars; Groen, Albert K; Sahlin, Staffan; Einarsson, Curt

2005-06-01

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms of development of cholesterol crystals and gallstones during weight reduction in obese subjects. Twenty-five morbidly obese, gallstone-free subjects underwent vertical-banded gastroplasty. Gallbladder bile was collected at the time of the operation via needle aspiration and 1.1-7.3 months after the operation via ultrasound-guided transhepatic puncture of the gallbladder. The mean weight loss was 17 kg. Two patients developed gallstones and 10 patients displayed cholesterol crystals in their bile. In patients with a follow-up time of less than 2 months (n = 13), cholesterol saturation increased from 90% to 114% but tended to decrease in the patients with a follow-up time of more than 2 months. The extraction of the concanavalin-A-binding fraction from gallbladder bile obtained after weight reduction in 7 patients prolonged crystallization detection time from 6 to 10 days. The hexosamine concentration, a marker for mucin, was increased by about 100% in bile obtained in 6 of 7 patients after weight reduction. In conclusion, the results indicate that crystallization-promoting compounds (mucin) are of great importance in the development of cholesterol crystals and gallstones in obese subjects during weight reduction, probably because of defective gallbladder emptying.

Apoferritin crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Dr. Alexander Chernov, of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and based at Marshall Space Flight Center, is investigating why protein crystals grown in space are, in about 20 percent of cases, better-ordered than those grown on the ground. They are testing the idea that the amount of impurities trapped by space-grown crystals may be different than the amount trapped by crystals grown on Earth because convection is negligible in microgravity. The concentrations or impurities in many space-grown crystals turned out to be several times lower than that in the terrestrial ones, sometimes below the detection limit. The ground-based experiment also showed that the amount of impurities per unit volume of the crystals was usually higher than the amount per unit volume of the solution. This means that a growing crystal actually purifies the solution in its immediate vicinity. Here, an impurity depletion zone is created around apoferritin crystals grown in gel, imitating microgravity conditions.

Semiconducting icosahedral boron arsenide crystal growth for neutron detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whiteley, C. E.; Zhang, Y.; Gong, Y.; Bakalova, S.; Mayo, A.; Edgar, J. H.; Kuball, M.

2011-03-01

Semiconducting icosahedral boron arsenide, B12As2, is an excellent candidate for neutron detectors, thermoelectric converters, and radioisotope batteries, for which high quality single crystals are required. Thus, the present study was undertaken to grow B12As2 crystals by precipitation from metal solutions (nickel) saturated with elemental boron (or B12As2 powder) and arsenic in a sealed quartz ampoule. B12As2 crystals of 10-15 mm were produced when a homogeneous mixture of the three elements was held at 1150 °C for 48-72 h and slowly cooled (3.5 °C/h). The crystals varied in color and transparency from black and opaque to clear and transparent. X-ray topography (XRT), and elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed that the crystals had the expected rhombohedral structure and chemical stoichiometry. The concentrations of residual impurities (nickel, carbon, etc.) were low, as measured by Raman spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Additionally, low etch-pit densities (4.4×107 cm-2) were observed after etching in molten KOH at 500 °C. Thus, the flux growth method is viable for growing large, high-quality B12As2 crystals.

Stoichiometric Effects on the Photoelectric Properties of LiInSe 2 Crystals for Neutron Detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Lijian; Xu, Yadong; Zheng, Hongjian

6LiInSe 2 is a promising semiconductor candidate for thermal neutron detection due to its large capture cross-section. However, the charge collection efficiency is still insufficient for high resolution for the grown-in defects induced by the stoichiometric deviation. In this work, we report photoelectric properties of stoichiometric LiInSe 2 crystal boules up to 70 mm in length and 20 mm in diameter grown by the vertical Bridgman method. Inductively coupled plasma measurements demonstrate that the ratio of Li, In, and Se of the as-grown crystal is very close to 1:1:2, which is optimized by low temperature synthesis processing. The obtained singlemore » crystals display high bulk resistivity in the range of 10 11–10 12 Ω·cm and a direct band gap of 2.01–2.83 eV with a changeable color from red to yellow. The electronic structure of LiInSe 2 was studied using first-principles density functional theory calculations, which predicts that the antisite defects of In Li and Li In are the dominant factor for the different crystal colors observed. The stoichiometric LiInSe 2 crystal gives an improved energy resolution, for a semiconductor detector when illuminated with a 241Am@5.48 MeV α source, of 23.3%. In conclusion, the electron mobility-lifetime product (μτ) is ~2.5 × 10 –5 cm 2 V –1.« less

Stoichiometric Effects on the Photoelectric Properties of LiInSe 2 Crystals for Neutron Detection

DOE PAGES

Guo, Lijian; Xu, Yadong; Zheng, Hongjian; ...

2018-04-16

6LiInSe 2 is a promising semiconductor candidate for thermal neutron detection due to its large capture cross-section. However, the charge collection efficiency is still insufficient for high resolution for the grown-in defects induced by the stoichiometric deviation. In this work, we report photoelectric properties of stoichiometric LiInSe 2 crystal boules up to 70 mm in length and 20 mm in diameter grown by the vertical Bridgman method. Inductively coupled plasma measurements demonstrate that the ratio of Li, In, and Se of the as-grown crystal is very close to 1:1:2, which is optimized by low temperature synthesis processing. The obtained singlemore » crystals display high bulk resistivity in the range of 10 11–10 12 Ω·cm and a direct band gap of 2.01–2.83 eV with a changeable color from red to yellow. The electronic structure of LiInSe 2 was studied using first-principles density functional theory calculations, which predicts that the antisite defects of In Li and Li In are the dominant factor for the different crystal colors observed. The stoichiometric LiInSe 2 crystal gives an improved energy resolution, for a semiconductor detector when illuminated with a 241Am@5.48 MeV α source, of 23.3%. In conclusion, the electron mobility-lifetime product (μτ) is ~2.5 × 10 –5 cm 2 V –1.« less

Integrated nonlinear optical imaging microscope for on-axis crystal detection and centering at a synchrotron beamline

PubMed Central

Madden, Jeremy T.; Toth, Scott J.; Dettmar, Christopher M.; Newman, Justin A.; Oglesbee, Robert A.; Hedderich, Hartmut G.; Everly, R. Michael; Becker, Michael; Ronau, Judith A.; Buchanan, Susan K.; Cherezov, Vadim; Morrow, Marie E.; Xu, Shenglan; Ferguson, Dale; Makarov, Oleg; Das, Chittaranjan; Fischetti, Robert; Simpson, Garth J.

2013-01-01

Nonlinear optical (NLO) instrumentation has been integrated with synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) for combined single-platform analysis, initially targeting applications for automated crystal centering. Second-harmonic-generation microscopy and two-photon-excited ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy were evaluated for crystal detection and assessed by X-ray raster scanning. Two optical designs were constructed and characterized; one positioned downstream of the sample and one integrated into the upstream optical path of the diffractometer. Both instruments enabled protein crystal identification with integration times between 80 and 150 µs per pixel, representing a ∼103–104-fold reduction in the per-pixel exposure time relative to X-ray raster scanning. Quantitative centering and analysis of phenylalanine hydroxylase from Chromobacterium violaceum cPAH, Trichinella spiralis deubiquitinating enzyme TsUCH37, human κ-opioid receptor complex kOR-T4L produced in lipidic cubic phase (LCP), intimin prepared in LCP, and α-cellulose samples were performed by collecting multiple NLO images. The crystalline samples were characterized by single-crystal diffraction patterns, while α-cellulose was characterized by fiber diffraction. Good agreement was observed between the sample positions identified by NLO and XRD raster measurements for all samples studied. PMID:23765294

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) as biosensor for the detecting of Escherichia coli O157:H7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thanh Ngo, Vo Ke; Giang Nguyen, Dang; Phuong Uyen Nguyen, Hoang; Tran, Van Man; Nguyen, Thi Khoa My; Phat Huynh, Trong; Lam, Quang Vinh; Dat Huynh, Thanh; Truong, Thi Ngoc Lien

2014-12-01

Although Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a commensalism organism in the intestine of humans and warm-blooded animals, it can be toxic at higher density and causes diseases, especially the highly toxic E. coli O157:H7. In this paper a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor was developed for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. The anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibodies were immobilized on a self-assembly monolayer (SAM) modified 5 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal resonator. The SAMs were activated with 16-mercaptopropanoic acid, in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and ester N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The result of changing frequency due to the adsorption of E. coli O157:H7 was measured by the QCM biosensor system designed and fabricated by ICDREC-VNUHCM. This system gave good results in the range of 102-107 CFU mL-1 E. coli O157:H7. The time of bacteria E. coli O157:H7 detection in the sample was about 50 m. Besides, QCM biosensor from SAM method was comparable to protein A method-based piezoelectric immunosensor in terms of the amount of immobilized antibodies and detection sensitivity.

Quartz crystal microbalance biosensor for rapid detection of aerosolized microorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farka, Zdenĕk.; Kovár, David; Skládal, Petr

2015-05-01

Biological warfare agents (BWAs) represent the current menace of the asymmetric war. The early detection of BWAs, especially in the form of bioaerosol, is a challenging task for governments all around the world. Label-free quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) immunosensor and electrochemical immunosensor were developed and tested for rapid detection of BWA surrogate (E. coli) in the form of bioaerosol. Two immobilization strategies for the attachment of antibody were tested; the gold sensor surface was activated by cysteamine and then antibody was covalently linked either using glutaraldehyde, or the reduced antibodies were attached via Sulfo-SMCC. A portable bioaerosol chamber was constructed and used for safe manipulation with aerosolized microorganisms. The dissemination was done using a piezoelectric humidifier, distribution of bioaerosol inside the chamber was ensured using three 12-cm fans. The whole system was controlled remotely using LAN network. The disseminated microbial cells were collected and preconcentrated using the wetted-wall cyclone SASS 2300, the analysis was done using the on-line linked immunosensors. The QCM immunosensor had limit of detection 1×104 CFU·L-1 of air with analysis time 16 min, the whole experiment including dissemination and sensor surface regeneration took 40 min. In case of blank (disseminated sterile buffer), no signal change was observed. The electrochemical immunosensor was able to detect 150 CFU·L-1 of air in 20 min; also in this case, no interferences were observed. Reference measurements were done using particle counter Met One 3400 and by cultivation method on agar plates. The sensors have proved to be applicable for rapid screening of microorganisms in air.

Tactical Miniature Crystal Oscillator.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

manufactured by this process are expected to require 30 days to achieve minimum aging rates. (4) FUNDEMENTAL CRYSTAL RETRACE MEASUREMENT. An important crystal...considerable measurement time to detect differences and characterize components. Before investing considerable time in a candidate reactive element, a

Detection of parathion pesticide by quartz crystal microbalance functionalized with UV-activated antibodies.

PubMed

Funari, Riccardo; Della Ventura, Bartolomeo; Schiavo, Luigi; Esposito, Rosario; Altucci, Carlo; Velotta, Raffaele

2013-07-02

Photonic immobilization technique (PIT) has been used to develop an immunosensor for the detection of parathion. An antibody solution has been activated by breaking the disulfide bridge in the triad Trp/Cys-Cys through absorption of ultrashort UV laser pulses. The free thiol groups so produced interact with gold lamina making the antibody oriented upside, that is, with its variable parts exposed to the environment, thereby greatly increasing the detection efficiency. PIT has been applied to anchor polyclonal antiparathion antibodies to the gold electrode of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) giving rise to very high detection sensitivity once the parathion is made heavier by complexion with BSA (bovine serum albumin), this latter step only required by the mass based transducer used in this case. The comparison of the sensor response with irradiated antibodies against different analytes shows that the high degree of antibody specificity is not affected by PIT nor is it by the complexion of parathion with BSA. These results pave the way to important applications in biosensing, since the widespread occurrence of the Trp/Cys-Cys residues triads in proteins make our procedure very general and effective to detect light analytes.

Photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence using a quartz substrate to reduce limits of detection

PubMed Central

Pokhriyal, Anusha; Lu, Meng; Chaudhery, Vikram; Huang, Cheng-Sheng; Schulz, Stephen; Cunningham, Brian T.

2010-01-01

A Photonic Crystal (PC) surface fabricated upon a quartz substrate using nanoimprint lithography has been demonstrated to enhance light emission from fluorescent molecules in close proximity to the PC surface. Quartz was selected for its low autofluorescence characteristics compared to polymer-based PCs, improving the detection sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of PC Enhanced Fluorescence (PCEF). Nanoimprint lithography enables economical fabrication of the subwavelength PCEF surface structure over entire 1x3 in2 quartz slides. The demonstrated PCEF surface supports a transverse magnetic (TM) resonant mode at a wavelength of λ = 632.8 nm and an incident angle of θ = 11°, which amplifies the electric field magnitude experienced by surface-bound fluorophores. Meanwhile, another TM mode at a wavelength of λ = 690 nm and incident angle of θ = 0° efficiently directs the fluorescent emission toward the detection optics. An enhancement factor as high as 7500 × was achieved for the detection of LD-700 dye spin-coated upon the PC, compared to detecting the same material on an unpatterned glass surface. The detection of spotted Alexa-647 labeled polypeptide on the PC exhibits a 330 × SNR improvement. Using dose-response characterization of deposited fluorophore-tagged protein spots, the PCEF surface demonstrated a 140 × lower limit of detection compared to a conventional glass substrate. PMID:21164826

Detection and recognition of analytes based on their crystallization patterns

DOEpatents

Morozov, Victor [Manassas, VA; Bailey, Charles L [Cross Junction, VA; Vsevolodov, Nikolai N [Kensington, MD; Elliott, Adam [Manassas, VA

2008-05-06

The invention contemplates a method for recognition of proteins and other biological molecules by imaging morphology, size and distribution of crystalline and amorphous dry residues in droplets (further referred to as "crystallization pattern") containing predetermined amount of certain crystal-forming organic compounds (reporters) to which protein to be analyzed is added. It has been shown that changes in the crystallization patterns of a number of amino-acids can be used as a "signature" of a protein added. It was also found that both the character of changer in the crystallization patter and the fact of such changes can be used as recognition elements in analysis of protein molecules.

Probabilistic approach to lysozyme crystal nucleation kinetics.

PubMed

Dimitrov, Ivaylo L; Hodzhaoglu, Feyzim V; Koleva, Dobryana P

2015-09-01

Nucleation of lysozyme crystals in quiescent solutions at a regime of progressive nucleation is investigated under an optical microscope at conditions of constant supersaturation. A method based on the stochastic nature of crystal nucleation and using discrete time sampling of small solution volumes for the presence or absence of detectable crystals is developed. It allows probabilities for crystal detection to be experimentally estimated. One hundred single samplings were used for each probability determination for 18 time intervals and six lysozyme concentrations. Fitting of a particular probability function to experimentally obtained data made possible the direct evaluation of stationary rates for lysozyme crystal nucleation, the time for growth of supernuclei to a detectable size and probability distribution of nucleation times. Obtained stationary nucleation rates were then used for the calculation of other nucleation parameters, such as the kinetic nucleation factor, nucleus size, work for nucleus formation and effective specific surface energy of the nucleus. The experimental method itself is simple and adaptable and can be used for crystal nucleation studies of arbitrary soluble substances with known solubility at particular solution conditions.

On dewetting of thin films due to crystallization (crystallization dewetting).

PubMed

Habibi, Mehran; Rahimzadeh, Amin; Eslamian, Morteza

2016-03-01

Drying and crystallization of a thin liquid film of an ionic or a similar solution can cause dewetting in the resulting thin solid film. This paper aims at investigating this type of dewetting, herein termed "crystallization dewetting", using PbI2 dissolved in organic solvents as the model solution. PbI2 solid films are usually used in X-ray detection and lead halide perovskite solar cells. In this work, PbI2 films are fabricated using spin coating and the effect of major parameters influencing the crystallization dewetting, including the type of the solvent, solution concentration, drying temperature, spin speed, as well as imposed vibration on the substrate are studied on dewetting, surface profile and coverage, using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Simplified hydrodynamic governing equations of crystallization in thin films are presented and using a mathematical representation of the process, it is phenomenologically demonstrated that crystallization dewetting occurs due to the absorption and consumption of the solution surrounding a growing crystal. Among the results, it is found that a low spin speed (high thickness), a high solution concentration and a low drying temperature promote crystal growth, and therefore crystallization dewetting. It is also shown that imposed vibration on the substrate can affect the crystal size and crystallization dewetting.

Terrestrial glint seen from deep space: Oriented ice crystals detected from the Lagrangian point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshak, Alexander; Várnai, Tamás.; Kostinski, Alexander

2017-05-01

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft resides at the first Lagrangian point about one million miles from Earth. A polychromatic imaging camera onboard delivers nearly hourly observations of the entire sunlit face of the Earth. Many images contain unexpected bright flashes of light over both ocean and land. We construct a yearlong time series of flash latitudes, scattering angles, and oxygen absorption to demonstrate conclusively that the flashes over land are specular reflections off tiny ice platelets floating in the air nearly horizontally. Such deep space detection of tropospheric ice can be used to constrain the likelihood of oriented crystals and their contribution to Earth albedo. These glint observations also support proposals for detecting starlight glints off faint companions in our search for habitable exoplanets.

Liquid Crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Thermochromic liquid crystals, or TLCs, are a type of liquid crystals that react to changes in temperature by changing color. The Hallcrest/NASA collaboration involved development of a new way to visualize boundary layer transition in flight and in wind tunnel testing of aircraft wing and body surfaces. TLCs offered a new and potentially better method of visualizing the boundary layer transition in flight. Hallcrest provided a liquid crystal formulation technique that afforded great control over the sensitivity of the liquid crystals to varying conditions. Method is of great use to industry, government and universities for aerodynamic and hydrodynamic testing. Company's principal line is temperature indicating devices for industrial use, such as non-destructive testing and flaw detection in electric/electronic systems, medical application, such as diagnostic systems, for retail sale, such as room, refrigerator, baby bath and aquarium thermometers, and for advertising and promotion specials. Additionally, Hallcrest manufactures TLC mixtures for cosmetic applications, and liquid crystal battery tester for Duracell batteries.

Bio-recognition and detection using liquid crystals.

PubMed

Hussain, A; Pina, A S; Roque, A C A

2009-09-15

Liquid crystals (LCs) are used extensively by the electronics industry as display devices. Advances in the understanding of the liquid crystalline phase and the chemistry therein lead to the development of LC exhibiting faster switching speed with greater twist angle. This in turn lead to the emergence of liquid crystal displays, rendering dial-and-needle based displays (such as those used in various meters) and cathode ray tubes obsolete. In this article, we review the history of LC and their emergence as an invaluable material for display devices and the more recent discovery of their use as sensing elements in biosensors. This new application of LC as tools in the development of fast and simple biosensors is envisaged to gain more importance in the foreseeable future.

Efficient Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Quantum Dots and Gold Nanoparticles Based on Porous Silicon Photonic Crystal for DNA Detection

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hongyan; Lv, Jie; Jia, Zhenhong

2017-01-01

A novel assembled biosensor was prepared for detecting 16S rRNA, a small-size persistent specific for Actinobacteria. The mechanism of the porous silicon (PS) photonic crystal biosensor is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through DNA hybridization, where QDs act as an emission donor and AuNPs serve as a fluorescence quencher. Results showed that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of PS photonic crystal was drastically increased when the QDs-conjugated probe DNA was adhered to the PS layer by surface modification using a standard cross-link chemistry method. The PL intensity of QDs was decreased when the addition of AuNPs-conjugated complementary 16S rRNA was dropped onto QDs-conjugated PS. Based on the analysis of different target DNA concentration, it was found that the decrease of the PL intensity showed a good linear relationship with complementary DNA concentration in a range from 0.25 to 10 μM, and the detection limit was 328.7 nM. Such an optical FRET biosensor functions on PS-based photonic crystal for DNA detection that differs from the traditional FRET, which is used only in liquid. This method will benefit the development of a new optical FRET label-free biosensor on Si substrate and has great potential in biochips based on integrated optical devices. PMID:28489033

Efficient Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Quantum Dots and Gold Nanoparticles Based on Porous Silicon Photonic Crystal for DNA Detection.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongyan; Lv, Jie; Jia, Zhenhong

2017-05-10

A novel assembled biosensor was prepared for detecting 16S rRNA, a small-size persistent specific for Actinobacteria. The mechanism of the porous silicon (PS) photonic crystal biosensor is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through DNA hybridization, where QDs act as an emission donor and AuNPs serve as a fluorescence quencher. Results showed that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of PS photonic crystal was drastically increased when the QDs-conjugated probe DNA was adhered to the PS layer by surface modification using a standard cross-link chemistry method. The PL intensity of QDs was decreased when the addition of AuNPs-conjugated complementary 16S rRNA was dropped onto QDs-conjugated PS. Based on the analysis of different target DNA concentration, it was found that the decrease of the PL intensity showed a good linear relationship with complementary DNA concentration in a range from 0.25 to 10 μM, and the detection limit was 328.7 nM. Such an optical FRET biosensor functions on PS-based photonic crystal for DNA detection that differs from the traditional FRET, which is used only in liquid. This method will benefit the development of a new optical FRET label-free biosensor on Si substrate and has great potential in biochips based on integrated optical devices.

Optical detection and characterization of ice crystals in LACIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiselev, Alexei; Clauß, Tina; Niedermeier, Dennis; Hartmann, Susan; Wex, Heike; Stratmann, Frank

2010-05-01

Tropospheric ice and mixed phase clouds are an integral part of the earth system and their microphysical and radiative properties are strongly coupled e.g. through the complexities of the ice nucleation process. Therefore the investigation of influences of different aerosol particles which act as ice nuclei (IN) on the freezing behaviour of cloud droplets is important and still poses unresolved questions. The Leipzig Aerosol and Cloud Interaction Simulator (LACIS) is used to investigate the IN activity of different natural and artificial aerosol particles (mineral dust, soot etc.) in heterogeneous freezing processes (immersion or deposition freezing). A critical part of LACIS is the particle detection system allowing for size-resolved counting of activated seed particles and discrimination between ice crystals and water droplets. Recently, two instruments have been developed to provide these measurements at the LACIS facility. The Thermally-stabilized Optical Particle Spectrometer (TOPS) is measuring the particle size based on the intensity of light scattered by individual particles into a near-forward (15° to 45°) direction. Two symmetrical forward scattering channels allow for optical determination of the sensing volume, thus reducing the coincidence counting error and the edge zone effect. The backscatter channel (162° to 176°) equipped with a rotatable cross polarizer allows for establishing the change in linear polarization state of the scattered light. The backscatter elevation angle is limited so that the linear depolarization of light scattered by spherical particles of arbitrary size is zero. Any detectable signal in the depolarization channel can be therefore attributed to non-spherical particles (ice crystals). With consideration of the signal in the backscatter channel the separate counting of water drops and ice particle is possible. The Leipzig Ice Scattering Apparatus (LISA) is a modified version of the Small Ice Detector (SID3), developed at the

Applying shot boundary detection for automated crystal growth analysis during in situ transmission electron microscope experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moeglein, W. A.; Griswold, R.; Mehdi, B. L.

In-situ (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) is being developed for numerous applications in the study of nucleation and growth under electrochemical driving forces. For this type of experiment, one of the key parameters is to identify when nucleation initiates. Typically the process of identifying the moment that crystals begin to form is a manual process requiring the user to perform an observation and respond accordingly (adjust focus, magnification, translate the stage etc.). However, as the speed of the cameras being used to perform these observations increases, the ability of a user to “catch” the important initial stage of nucleation decreasesmore » (there is more information that is available in the first few milliseconds of the process). Here we show that video shot boundary detection (SBD) can automatically detect frames where a change in the image occurs. We show that this method can be applied to quickly and accurately identify points of change during crystal growth. This technique allows for automated segmentation of a digital stream for further analysis and the assignment of arbitrary time stamps for the initiation of processes that are independent of the user’s ability to observe and react.« less

Thin NaI(Tl) crystals to enhance the detection sensitivity for molten 241Am sources.

PubMed

Peura, Pauli; Bélanger-Champagne, Camille; Eerola, Paula; Dendooven, Peter; Huhtalo, Eero

2018-04-26

A thin 5-mm NaI(Tl) scintillator detector was tested with the goal of enhancing the detection efficiency of 241 Am gamma and X rays for steelworks operations. The performance of a thin (5 mm) NaI(Tl) detector was compared with a standard 76.2-mm thick NaI(Tl) detector. The 5-mm thick detector crystal results in a 55% smaller background rate at 60 keV compared with the thicker detector, translating into the ability to detect 30% weaker 241 Am sources. For a 5 mm thick and 76.2 mm diameter NaI detector in the ladle car tunnel at Outokumpu Tornio Works, the minimum activity of a molten 241 Am source that can be detected in 5 s with 95% probability is 9 MBq. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-assembled block copolymer photonic crystal for selective fructose detection.

PubMed

Ayyub, Omar B; Ibrahim, Michael B; Briber, Robert M; Kofinas, Peter

2013-08-15

The use of one-dimensional photonic crystals fabricated from a self-assembled lamellar block copolymer as a sensitive and selective fructose sensor is investigated. The polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) films are functionalized with 2-(bromomethyl)phenylboronic acid. The boronic acid moiety confined within the lamellar morphology can reversibly bind to sugars such as fructose, imparting the photonic properties of the PS-b-P2VP film. The films exhibit a detection limit of 500 μM in water and 1mM in phosphate buffered saline. Exposure to a 50 mM solution of fructose invokes a highly visible color change from blue to orange. The films are also able to selectively recognize and respond to fructose in competitive studies in the presence of glucose, mannose and sucrose. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Terahertz photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Zhongping

This thesis describes the study of two-dimensional photonic crystals slabs with terahertz time domain spectroscopy. In our study we first demonstrate the realization of planar photonic components to manipulate terahertz waves, and then characterize photonic crystals using terahertz pulses. Photonic crystal slabs at the scale of micrometers are first designed and fabricated free of defects. Terahertz time domain spectrometer generates and detects the electric fields of single-cycle terahertz pulses. By putting photonic crystals into waveguide geometry, we successfully demonstrate planar photonic components such as transmission filters, reflection frequency-selective filters, defects modes as well as superprisms. In the characterization study of out-of-plane properties of photonic crystal slabs, we observe very strong dispersion at low frequencies, guided resonance modes at middle frequencies, and a group velocity anomaly at high frequencies. We employ Finite Element Method and Finite-Difference Time-Domain method to simulate the photonic crystals, and excellent agreement is achieved between simulation results and experimental results.

Liquid crystal based optical platform for the detection of Pb2+ ions using NiFe2O4 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zehra, Saman; Gul, Iftikhar Hussain; Hussain, Zakir

2018-06-01

A simple, sensitive, selective and real time detection protocol was developed for Pb2+ ions in water using liquid crystals (LCs). In this method, NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized using chemical co-precipitation method. Crystallite size, morphological, functional groups and magnetization studies were confirmed using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The nanoparticles were mono dispersed with average particle size of 20 ± 2 nm. The surfactant stabilized magnetic nanoparticles were incubated in liquid crystal based sensor system for the detection of Pb+2 ions. The bright to dark transition of LC was observed through optical microscope. When this system was further immersed with a solution containing Pb2+ ions, it caused homeotropic to planar orientation of LC. This interaction is attributed to the presence of abundant hydroxyl groups in such as M-OH, Fe-OH on the surface of spinel ferrites nanoparticles. These groups interact with metal ions at aqueous interface, causing disruption in LCs orientation giving bright texture. This sensor showed higher selectivity towards Pb2+ ions. The detection limit was estimated to be 100 ppb. The cheap and effective protocol reported here should make promising development of LC based sensor for lead ion detection.

Hanging drop crystal growth apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naumann, Robert J. (Inventor); Witherow, William K. (Inventor); Carter, Daniel C. (Inventor); Bugg, Charles E. (Inventor); Suddath, Fred L. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

This invention relates generally to control systems for controlling crystal growth, and more particularly to such a system which uses a beam of light refracted by the fluid in which crystals are growing to detect concentration of solutes in the liquid. In a hanging drop apparatus, a laser beam is directed onto drop which refracts the laser light into primary and secondary bows, respectively, which in turn fall upon linear diode detector arrays. As concentration of solutes in drop increases due to solvent removal, these bows move farther apart on the arrays, with the relative separation being detected by arrays and used by a computer to adjust solvent vapor transport from the drop. A forward scattering detector is used to detect crystal nucleation in drop, and a humidity detector is used, in one embodiment, to detect relative humidity in the enclosure wherein drop is suspended. The novelty of this invention lies in utilizing angular variance of light refracted from drop to infer, by a computer algorithm, concentration of solutes therein. Additional novelty is believed to lie in using a forward scattering detector to detect nucleating crystallites in drop.

Optical Detection and Probing of Single Dopant Molecules of Pentacene in a p-Terphenyl Crystal by Means of Absorption Spectroscopy

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-31

Pentacene in a p-Terphenyl Host Crystal bY !eT=s of bsorotion Spectroscopy 12 PERSONAl AU- OR(S) L. Kador, W.E. Moerner & D.E. Horne 1 3a 7 P; OF REPORT...G(OP SUB-GROUP Single Molecule Detection FM Spectroscopy Pentacene in p-terphenyl 19 AtiSTRACT {Continue on reverse it necessary and identity Oy block...OF PENTACENE IN A p-TERPIIENYL IIOST CRYSTAL BY MEANS OF ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY L. Kador , 1). E. I lorne, and W. lF. Moerner IM Research )ivision

Robotic CCD microscope for enhanced crystal recognition

DOEpatents

Segelke, Brent W.; Toppani, Dominique

2007-11-06

A robotic CCD microscope and procedures to automate crystal recognition. The robotic CCD microscope and procedures enables more accurate crystal recognition, leading to fewer false negative and fewer false positives, and enable detection of smaller crystals compared to other methods available today.

Evaluation of modified crystal violet chromoendoscopy procedure using new mucosal pit pattern classification for detection of Barrett's dysplastic lesions.

PubMed

Yuki, T; Amano, Y; Kushiyama, Y; Takahashi, Y; Ose, T; Moriyama, I; Fukuhara, H; Ishimura, N; Koshino, K; Furuta, K; Ishihara, S; Adachi, K; Kinoshita, Y

2006-05-01

Pit pattern diagnosis is important for endoscopic detection of dysplastic Barrett's lesions, though using magnification endoscopy can be difficult and laborious. We investigated the usefulness of a modified crystal violet chromoendoscopy procedure and utilised a new pit pattern classification for diagnosis of dysplastic Barrett's lesions. A total of 1,030 patients suspected of having a columnar lined oesophagus were examined, of whom 816 demonstrated a crystal violet-stained columnar lined oesophagus. The early group of patients underwent 0.05% crystal violet chromoendoscopy, while the later group was examined using 0.03% crystal violet with 3.0% acetate. A targeted biopsy of the columnar lined oesophagus was performed using crystal violet staining after making a diagnosis of closed or open type pit pattern with a newly proposed system of classification. The relationship between type of pit pattern and histologically identified dysplastic Barrett's lesions was evaluated. Dysplastic Barrett's lesions were identified in biopsy samples with an open type pit pattern with a sensitivity of 96.0%. Further, Barrett's mucosa with the intestinal predominant mucin phenotype was closely associated with the open type pit pattern (sensitivity 81.9%, specificity 95.6%). The new pit pattern classification for diagnosis of Barrett's mucosa was found to be useful for identification of cases with dysplastic lesions and possible malignant potential using a crystal violet chromoendoscopic procedure.

Device and method for screening crystallization conditions in solution crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Daniel C. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

A device and method for detecting optimum protein crystallization conditions and for growing protein crystals in either 1g or microgravity environments comprising a housing, defining at least one pair of chambers for containing crystallization solutions is presented. The housing further defines an orifice therein for providing fluid communication between the chambers. The orifice is adapted to receive a tube which contains a gelling substance for limiting the rate of diffusive mixing of the crystallization solutions. The solutions are diffusively mixed over a period of time defined by the quantity of gelling substance sufficient to achieve equilibration and to substantially reduce density driven convection disturbances therein. The device further includes endcaps to seal the first and second chambers. One of the endcaps includes a dialysis chamber which contains protein solution in which protein crystals are grown. Once the endcaps are in place, the protein solution is exposed to the crystallization solutions wherein the solubility of the protein solution is reduced at a rate responsive to the rate of diffusive mixing of the crystallization solutions. This allows for a controlled approach to supersaturation and allows for screening of crystal growth conditions at preselected intervals.

Device and Method for Screening Crystallization Conditions in Solution Crystal Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, Daniel C. (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A device and method for detecting optimum protein crystallization conditions and for growing protein crystals in either 1 g or microgravity environments comprising a housing defining at least one pair of chambers for containing crystallization solutions. The housing further defines an orifice therein for providing fluid communication between the chambers. The orifice is adapted to receive a tube which contains a gelling substance for limiting the rate of diffusive mixing of the crystallization solutions. The solutions are diffusively mixed over a period of time defined by the quantity of gelling substance sufficient to achieve equilibration and to substantially reduce density driven convection disturbances therein. The device further includes endcaps to seal the first and second chambers. One of the endcaps includes a dialysis chamber which contains protein solution in which protein crystals are grown. Once the endcaps are in place. the protein solution is exposed to the crystallization solutions wherein the solubility of the protein solution is reduced at a rate responsive to the rate of diffusive mixing of the crystallization solutions. This allows for a controlled approach to supersaturation and allows for screening of crystal growth conditions at preselected intervals.

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) affinity biosensor for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) detection.

PubMed

Mannelli, Ilaria; Minunni, Maria; Tombelli, Sara; Mascini, Marco

2003-03-01

A DNA piezoelectric sensor has been developed for the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Single stranded DNA (ssDNA) probes were immobilised on the sensor surface of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) device and the hybridisation between the immobilised probe and the target complementary sequence in solution was monitored. The probe sequences were internal to the sequence of the 35S promoter (P) and Nos terminator (T), which are inserted sequences in the genome of GMOs regulating the transgene expression. Two different probe immobilisation procedures were applied: (a) a thiol-dextran procedure and (b) a thiol-derivatised probe and blocking thiol procedure. The system has been optimised using synthetic oligonucleotides, which were then applied to samples of plasmidic and genomic DNA isolated from the pBI121 plasmid, certified reference materials (CRM), and real samples amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The analytical parameters of the sensor have been investigated (sensitivity, reproducibility, lifetime etc.). The results obtained showed that both immobilisation procedures enabled sensitive and specific detection of GMOs, providing a useful tool for screening analysis in food samples.

Proof of Concept for an Ultrasensitive Technique to Detect and Localize Sources of Elastic Nonlinearity Using Phononic Crystals.

PubMed

Miniaci, M; Gliozzi, A S; Morvan, B; Krushynska, A; Bosia, F; Scalerandi, M; Pugno, N M

2017-05-26

The appearance of nonlinear effects in elastic wave propagation is one of the most reliable and sensitive indicators of the onset of material damage. However, these effects are usually very small and can be detected only using cumbersome digital signal processing techniques. Here, we propose and experimentally validate an alternative approach, using the filtering and focusing properties of phononic crystals to naturally select and reflect the higher harmonics generated by nonlinear effects, enabling the realization of time-reversal procedures for nonlinear elastic source detection. The proposed device demonstrates its potential as an efficient, compact, portable, passive apparatus for nonlinear elastic wave sensing and damage detection.

Dynamically controlled crystal growth system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bray, Terry L. (Inventor); Kim, Larry J. (Inventor); Harrington, Michael (Inventor); DeLucas, Lawrence J. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Crystal growth can be initiated and controlled by dynamically controlled vapor diffusion or temperature change. In one aspect, the present invention uses a precisely controlled vapor diffusion approach to monitor and control protein crystal growth. The system utilizes a humidity sensor and various interfaces under computer control to effect virtually any evaporation rate from a number of different growth solutions simultaneously by means of an evaporative gas flow. A static laser light scattering sensor can be used to detect aggregation events and trigger a change in the evaporation rate for a growth solution. A control/follower configuration can be used to actively monitor one chamber and accurately control replicate chambers relative to the control chamber. In a second aspect, the invention exploits the varying solubility of proteins versus temperature to control the growth of protein crystals. This system contains miniature thermoelectric devices under microcomputer control that change temperature as needed to grow crystals of a given protein. Complex temperature ramps are possible using this approach. A static laser light scattering probe also can be used in this system as a non-invasive probe for detection of aggregation events. The automated dynamic control system provides systematic and predictable responses with regard to crystal size. These systems can be used for microgravity crystallization projects, for example in a space shuttle, and for crystallization work under terrestial conditions. The present invention is particularly useful for macromolecular crystallization, e.g. for proteins, polypeptides, nucleic acids, viruses and virus particles.

Apparatus for detecting and recognizing analytes based on their crystallization patterns

DOEpatents

Morozov, Victor; Bailey, Charles L.; Vsevolodov, Nikolai N.; Elliott, Adam

2010-12-14

The invention contemplates apparatuses for recognition of proteins and other biological molecules by imaging morphology, size and distribution of crystalline and amorphous dry residues in droplets (further referred to as "crystallization patterns") containing predetermined amount of certain crystal-forming organic compounds (reporters) to which protein to be analyzed is added. Changes in the crystallization patterns of a number of amino-acids can be used as a "signature" of a protein added. Also, changes in the crystallization patterns, as well as the character of such changes, can be used as recognition elements in analysis of protein molecules.

Crystal growth and characterization of undoped and Dy-doped TlPb2Br5 for infrared lasers and nuclear radiation detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hömmerich, U.; Brown, E.; Kabir, A.; Hart, D.; Trivedi, S. B.; Jin, F.; Chen, H.

2017-12-01

We report results of the crystal growth and characterization of undoped and Dy-doped TlPb2Br5 for applications in infrared (IR) lasers and nuclear radiation detection. TlPb2Br5 (TPB) was synthesized from commercial starting materials of PbBr2 and TlBr and further purified through a combination of zone-refinement and directional solidification. For doping experiments, 2 wt% of DyBr3 was added to the purified TPB material. Crystal growth of TPB and Dy: TPB was carried out in a two-zone tube furnace by a vertical Bridgman method. Following optical excitation at ∼1.36 μm, the Dy: TPB crystal exhibited efficient mid-IR emission bands centered at 2.87 μm and 4.35 μm with room-temperature lifetimes of 9.5 ms and 5.2 ms, respectively. The peak emission cross-sections were determined to be ∼0.8 × 10-20 cm2 and ∼0.5 × 10-20 cm2, respectively, which makes Dy: TPB a promising candidate for mid-IR laser applications. Besides its potential as a solid-state laser host, an undoped TPB crystal was also tested for gamma-ray detection. Using Cs-137 and Am-241 sources resulted in energy resolutions for gamma-rays as good as 1-2% (FWHM) at room-temperature under non-optimized conditions.

Infiltrated photonic crystal cavity as a highly sensitive platform for glucose concentration detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arafa, Safia; Bouchemat, Mohamed; Bouchemat, Touraya; Benmerkhi, Ahlem; Hocini, Abdesselam

2017-02-01

A Bio-sensing platform based on an infiltrated photonic crystal ring shaped holes cavity-coupled waveguide system is proposed for glucose concentration detection. Considering silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, it has been demonstrated that the ring shaped holes configuration provides an excellent optical confinement within the cavity region, which further enhances the light-matter interactions at the precise location of the analyte medium. Thus, the sensitivity and the quality factor (Q) can be significantly improved. The transmission characteristics of light in the biosensor under different refractive indices that correspond to the change in the analyte glucose concentration are analyzed by performing finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. Accordingly, an improved sensitivity of 462 nm/RIU and a Q factor as high as 1.11х105 have been achieved, resulting in a detection limit of 3.03х10-6 RIU. Such combination of attributes makes the designed structure a promising element for performing label-free biosensing in medical diagnosis and environmental monitoring.

An Automated Microfluidic Assay for Photonic Crystal Enhanced Detection and Analysis of an Antiviral Antibody Cancer Biomarker in Serum

DOE PAGES

Race, Caitlin M.; Kwon, Lydia E.; Foreman, Myles T.; ...

2017-11-24

Here, we report on the implementation of an automated platform for detecting the presence of an antibody biomarker for human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer from a single droplet of serum, in which a nanostructured photonic crystal surface is used to amplify the output of a fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay. The platform is comprised of a microfluidic cartridge with integrated photonic crystal chips that interfaces with an assay instrument that automates the introduction of reagents, wash steps, and surface drying. Upon assay completion, the cartridge interfaces with a custom laser-scanning instrument that couples light into the photonic crystal at the optimal resonance conditionmore » for fluorescence enhancement. The instrument is used to measure the fluorescence intensity values of microarray spots corresponding to the biomarkers of interest, in addition to several experimental controls that verify correct functioning of the assay protocol. In this work, we report both dose-response characterization of the system using anti-E7 antibody introduced at known concentrations into serum and characterization of a set of clinical samples from which results were compared with a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performed in microplate format. Finally, the demonstrated capability represents a simple, rapid, automated, and high-sensitivity method for multiplexed detection of protein biomarkers from a low-volume test sample.« less

An Automated Microfluidic Assay for Photonic Crystal Enhanced Detection and Analysis of an Antiviral Antibody Cancer Biomarker in Serum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Race, Caitlin M.; Kwon, Lydia E.; Foreman, Myles T.

Here, we report on the implementation of an automated platform for detecting the presence of an antibody biomarker for human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer from a single droplet of serum, in which a nanostructured photonic crystal surface is used to amplify the output of a fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay. The platform is comprised of a microfluidic cartridge with integrated photonic crystal chips that interfaces with an assay instrument that automates the introduction of reagents, wash steps, and surface drying. Upon assay completion, the cartridge interfaces with a custom laser-scanning instrument that couples light into the photonic crystal at the optimal resonance conditionmore » for fluorescence enhancement. The instrument is used to measure the fluorescence intensity values of microarray spots corresponding to the biomarkers of interest, in addition to several experimental controls that verify correct functioning of the assay protocol. In this work, we report both dose-response characterization of the system using anti-E7 antibody introduced at known concentrations into serum and characterization of a set of clinical samples from which results were compared with a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performed in microplate format. Finally, the demonstrated capability represents a simple, rapid, automated, and high-sensitivity method for multiplexed detection of protein biomarkers from a low-volume test sample.« less

Label-free in vitro prostate cancer cell detection via photonic-crystal biosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLuna, Frank; Ding, XiaoFei; Sagredo, Ismael; Bustamante, Gilbert; Sun, Lu-Zhe; Ye, Jing Yong

2018-02-01

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarker assays are the current clinical method for mass screening of prostate cancer. However, high false-positive rates are often reported due to PSA's low specificity, leading to an urgent need for the development of a more specific detection system independent of PSA levels. In our previous research, we demonstrated the feasibility of using cellular refractive indices (RI) as a unique contrast parameter to accomplish label-free detection of prostate cancer cells via variance testing, but were unable to determine if a specific cell was cancerous or noncancerous. In this paper, we report the use of our Photonic-Crystal biosensor in a Total-Internal-Reflection (PC-TIR) configuration to construct a label-free imaging system, which allows for the detection of individual prostate cancer cells utilizing cellular RI as the only contrast parameter. Noncancerous prostate (BPH-1) cells and prostate cancer (PC-3) cells were mixed at varied ratios and measured concurrently. Additionally, we isolated and induced PC-3 cells to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by exposing these cells to soluble factors such as TGF-β1. The biophysical characteristics of the cellular RI were quantified extensively in comparison to non-induced PC-3 cells as well as BPH-1 cells. EMT is a crucial mechanism for the invasion and metastasis of epithelial tumors characterized by the loss of cell-cell adhesion and increased cell mobility. Our study shows promising clinical potential in utilizing the PC-TIR biosensor imaging system to not only detect prostate cancer cells, but also evaluate prostate cancer progression.

Quartz-like Crystals Found in Planetary Disks

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-11

NASA Spitzer Space Telescope has, for the first time, detected tiny quartz-like crystals sprinkled in young planetary systems. The crystals, which are types of silica minerals called cristobalite and tridymite.

Use of dye to distinguish salt and protein crystals under microcrystallization conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosenza, Larry (Inventor); Gester, Thomas E. (Inventor); Bray, Terry L. (Inventor); DeLucas, Lawrence J. (Inventor); Hamrick, David T. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

An improved method of screening crystal growth conditions is provided wherein molecules are crystallized from solutions containing dyes. These dyes are selectively incorporated or associated with crystals of particular character thereby rendering crystals of particular character colored and improving detection of the dyed crystals. A preferred method involves use of dyes in protein solutions overlayed by oil. Use of oil allows the use of small volumes of solution and facilitates the screening of large numbers of crystallization conditions in arrays using automated devices that dispense appropriate solutions to generate crystallization trials, overlay crystallization trials with an oil, provide appropriate conditions conducive to crystallization and enhance detection of dyed (colored) or undyed (uncolored) crystals that result.

Invisible defects in complex crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Longhi, Stefano, E-mail: stefano.longhi@fisi.polimi.it; Della Valle, Giuseppe

2013-07-15

We show that invisible localized defects, i.e. defects that cannot be detected by an outside observer, can be realized in a crystal with an engineered imaginary potential at the defect site. The invisible defects are synthesized by means of supersymmetric (Darboux) transformations of an ordinary crystal using band-edge wavefunctions to construct the superpotential. The complex crystal has an entire real-valued energy spectrum and Bragg scattering is not influenced by the defects. An example of complex crystal synthesis is presented for the Mathieu potential. -- Highlights: •We show the existence of invisible localized defects in complex crystals. •They turn out tomore » be fully invisible to Bloch waves belonging to any lattice band. •An example of invisible defect is presented for a PT-symmetric Mathieu crystal.« less

Facile detection of toxic ingredients in seafood using biologically enabled photonic crystal materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Xianming; Squire, Kenneth; Wang, Alan X.

2018-02-01

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has attracted considerable attention recently as a powerful detection platform in biosensing because of the wealth of inherent information ascertained about the chemical and molecular composition of a sample. However, real-world samples are often composed of many components, which renders the detection of constitutes of mixed samples very challenging for SERS sensing. Accordingly, separation techniques are needed before SERS measurements. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a simple, fast and costeffective technique for analyte separation and can a play pivotal role for on-site sensing. However, combining TLC with SERS is only successful to detect a limited number of analytes that have large Raman scattering cross sections. As a kind of biogenic amine, histamine (2-(4-imidazolyl)-ethylamine) has a relationship with many health problems resulting from seafood consumption occurring worldwide. Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. As a kind of natural photonic biosilica from geological deposits, it has a variety of unique properties including highly porous structure, excellent adsorption capacity, and low cost. In addition, the two dimensional periodic pores on diatomite earth with hierarchical nanoscale photonic crystal features can enhance the localized optical field. Herein, we fabricate TLC plates from diatomite as the stationary phase combining with SERS to separate and detect histamine from seafood samples. We have proved that the diatomite on the TLC plate not only functions as stationary phase, but also provides additional Raman enhancement, in which the detection limit of 2 ppm was achieved for pyrene in mixture.

Piezoelectric-Crystal-Resonator High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Generation and Synchro-Resonance Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Robert M. L.; Woods, R. Clive; Li, Fangyu

2006-01-01

Here we show the generation of high-frequency-gravitational-waves (HFGWs) utilizing piezoelectric elements such as the ubiquitous Film-Bulk-Acoustic-Resonators (FBARs), found in cell phones, as energized by inexpensive magnetrons, found in microwave ovens, generating GWs having a frequency of about 4.9GHz and their detection by means of new synchro-resonance techniques developed in China. In the 1960s Weber suggested piezoelectric crystals for gravitational-wave (GW) generation. Since then researchers have proposed specific designs. The major obstacle has been the cost of procuring, installing, and energizing a sufficient number of such resonators to generate sufficiently powerful GWs to allow for detection. Recent mass-production techniques, spurred on by the production of cell phones, have driven the cost of resonators down. The new Chinese detector for detecting the 4.9×109Hz HFGW is a coupling-system of fractal membranes-beam-splitters and a narrow, 6.1 cm-radius, pulsed-Gaussian-laser or continuous-Gaussian detection beam passing through a static 15T-magnetic field. The detector is sensitive to GW amplitudes of ~10-30 to be generated with signal-to-noise ratios greater than one. It is concluded that a cost-effective HFGW generation and detection apparatus can now be fabricated and operated in the laboratory. If the two groups or clusters of magnetrons and FBARs were space borne and at lunar distance (e.g., at the Moon and at the lunar L3 libration point) and the quadrupole formalism approximately holds for GW radiators (the FBAR clusters) many GW wavelengths apart, then the HFGW power would be about 420 W and the flux about 2×105 Wm-2 (or more than one hundred times greater than the solar radiation flux at the Earth) focused at the focal spot, or remote-HFGW-emitter, anywhere in the Earth's environs - on or below the Earth's surface.

Photonic crystals on copolymer film for label-free detection of DNA hybridization.

PubMed

Su, Han; Cheng, Xin R; Endo, Tatsuro; Kerman, Kagan

2018-04-30

The presence of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in Apolipoprotein E4 gene is implicated with the increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, detection of AD-related DNA oligonucleotide sequence associated with Apolipoprotein E4 gene sequence was achieved using localized-surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) on 2D-Photonic crystal (2D-PC) and Au-coated 2D-PC surfaces. 2D-PC surfaces were fabricated on a flexible copolymer film using nano-imprint lithography (NIL). The film surface was then coated with a dual-functionalized polymer to react with surface immobilized DNA probe. DNA hybridization was detected by monitoring the optical responses of either a Fresnel decrease in reflectance on 2D-PC surfaces or an increase in LSPR on Au-coated 2D-PC surfaces. The change in response due to DNA hybridization on the modified surfaces was also investigated using mismatched and non-complementary oligonucleotides sequences. The proof-of-concept results are promising towards the development of 2D-PC on copolymer film surfaces as miniaturized and wearable biosensors for various diagnostic and defense applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phase transition detection by surface photo charge effect in liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, O.; Petrov, M.; Naradikian, H.; Perez-Diaz, J. L.

2018-05-01

The surface photo charge effect (SPCE) was applied for the first time at structure and phase transitions study of hydrogen bonded in dimer liquid crystals (HBDLCs). Due to the high sensitivity of this method, besides first-order phase transitions, characteristic for the p,n-octyloxibenzoic acids (8OBA), an order transition was definitely detected within the nematic range. We state that the SPCE, arising at the solid-HBDLCs interface due to the double electrical layer, is invariably concomitant with solid surface-liquid interfaces, and indicates that the changes of the characteristics of this layer, under incident optical irradiation, induce surface charge rearrangement and alternating potential difference. A mechanism of induction of the SPCE at the interface of solid surface-anisotropic liquids is proposed. We also indicate that this mechanism can be adapted for solid surface-isotropic liquid interface, including colloids (milk) and fog (aerosols)-condensed medium.

A liquid crystal-based sensor for the simple and sensitive detection of cellulase and cysteine.

PubMed

Wang, Yi; Hu, Qiongzheng; Tian, Tongtong; Gao, Yan'an; Yu, Li

2016-11-01

A liquid crystal (LC)-based sensor, which is capable of monitoring enzymatic activity at the aqueous/LC interface and detecting cellulase and cysteine (Cys), was herein reported. When functionalized with a surfactant, dodecyl β-d-glucopyranoside, the 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) displays a dark-to-bright transition in the optical appearance for cellulase. We attribute this change to the orientational transition of LCs, as a result of enzymatic hydrolysis between cellulase and surfactant. Furthermore, by adding cellulase and Cu(2+), our surfactant-LCs system performs an interesting ability to detect Cys, even though Cys could not interact with surfactant or LC directly. Alternatively, through the strong binding between Cys and Cu(2+), cellulase was able to hydrolyze surfactant in the presence of Cu(2+), leading to the transition of LCs from dark to bright. The detection limit of the LC sensor was around 1×10(-5)mg/mL and 82.5μM for cellulase and Cys, respectively. The LC-based sensor may contribute to the development of low-cost, expedient, and label-free detection for cellulase and Cys and the design strategy may also provide a novel way for detecting multiple analytes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystal growth furnace safety system validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackowski, D. W.; Hartfield, R.; Bhavnani, S. H.; Belcher, V. M.

1994-01-01

The findings are reported regarding the safe operation of the NASA crystal growth furnace (CGF) and potential methods for detecting containment failures of the furnace. The main conclusions are summarized by ampoule leak detection, cartridge leak detection, and detection of hazardous species in the experiment apparatus container (EAC).

Photonic Crystal Sensors Based on Porous Silicon

PubMed Central

Pacholski, Claudia

2013-01-01

Porous silicon has been established as an excellent sensing platform for the optical detection of hazardous chemicals and biomolecular interactions such as DNA hybridization, antigen/antibody binding, and enzymatic reactions. Its porous nature provides a high surface area within a small volume, which can be easily controlled by changing the pore sizes. As the porosity and consequently the refractive index of an etched porous silicon layer depends on the electrochemial etching conditions photonic crystals composed of multilayered porous silicon films with well-resolved and narrow optical reflectivity features can easily be obtained. The prominent optical response of the photonic crystal decreases the detection limit and therefore increases the sensitivity of porous silicon sensors in comparison to sensors utilizing Fabry-Pérot based optical transduction. Development of porous silicon photonic crystal sensors which allow for the detection of analytes by the naked eye using a simple color change or the fabrication of stacked porous silicon photonic crystals showing two distinct optical features which can be utilized for the discrimination of analytes emphasize its high application potential. PMID:23571671

Detection of amino acid neurotransmitters by surface enhanced Raman scattering and hollow core photonic crystal fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Vidhu S.; Khetani, Altaf; Monfared, Ali Momenpour T.; Smith, Brett; Anis, Hanan; Trudeau, Vance L.

2012-03-01

The present work explores the feasibility of using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for detecting the neurotransmitters such as glutamate (GLU) and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). These amino acid neurotransmitters that respectively mediate fast excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain, are important for neuroendocrine control, and upsets in their synthesis are also linked to epilepsy. Our SERS-based detection scheme enabled the detection of low amounts of GLU (10-7 M) and GABA (10-4 M). It may complement existing techniques for characterizing such kinds of neurotransmitters that include high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrography (MS). This is mainly because SERS has other advantages such as ease of sample preparation, molecular specificity and sensitivity, thus making it potentially applicable to characterization of experimental brain extracts or clinical diagnostic samples of cerebrospinal fluid and saliva. Using hollow core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF) further enhanced the Raman signal relative to that in a standard cuvette providing sensitive detection of GLU and GABA in micro-litre volume of aqueous solutions.

A high-transmission liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot infrared filter for electrically tunable spectral imaging detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhonglun; Xin, Zhaowei; Long, Huabao; Wei, Dong; Dai, Wanwan; Zhang, Xinyu; Wang, Haiwei; Xie, Changsheng

2018-02-01

Previous studies have presented the usefulness of typical liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot (LC-FP) infrared filters for spectral imaging detection. Yet, their infrared transmission performances still remain to improve or even rise. In this paper, we propose a new type of electrically tunable LC-FP infrared filter to solve the problem above. The key component of the device is a FP resonant cavity composed of two parallel plane mirrors, in which the zinc selenide (ZnSe) materials with a very high transmittance in the mid-long-wavelength infrared regions are used as the electrode substrates and a layer of nano-aluminum (Al) film, which is directly contacted with liquid-crystal materials, is chosen to make high reflective mirrors as well as the electrodes. Particularly, it should be noted that the directional layer made up of ployimide (PI) used previously is removed. The experiment results indicate that the filter can reduce the absorption of infrared wave remarkably, and thus highlight a road to effectively improve the infrared transmittance ability.

Responsive Photonic Crystal Carbohydrate Hydrogel Sensor Materials for Selective and Sensitive Lectin Protein Detection.

PubMed

Cai, Zhongyu; Sasmal, Aniruddha; Liu, Xinyu; Asher, Sanford A

2017-10-27

Lectin proteins, such as the highly toxic lectin protein, ricin, and the immunochemically important lectin, jacalin, play significant roles in many biological functions. It is highly desirable to develop a simple but efficient method to selectively detect lectin proteins. Here we report the development of carbohydrate containing responsive hydrogel sensing materials for the selective detection of lectin proteins. The copolymerization of a vinyl linked carbohydrate monomer with acrylamide and acrylic acid forms a carbohydrate hydrogel that shows specific "multivalent" binding to lectin proteins. The resulting carbohydrate hydrogels are attached to 2-D photonic crystals (PCs) that brightly diffract visible light. This diffraction provides an optical readout that sensitively monitors the hydrogel volume. We utilize lactose, galactose, and mannose containing hydrogels to fabricate a series of 2-D PC sensors that show strong selective binding to the lectin proteins ricin, jacalin, and concanavalin A (Con A). This binding causes a carbohydrate hydrogel shrinkage which significantly shifts the diffraction wavelength. The resulting 2-D PC sensors can selectively detect the lectin proteins ricin, jacalin, and Con A. These unoptimized 2-D PC hydrogel sensors show a limit of detection (LoD) of 7.5 × 10 -8 M for ricin, a LoD of 2.3 × 10 -7 M for jacalin, and a LoD of 3.8 × 10 -8 M for Con A, respectively. This sensor fabrication approach may enable numerous sensors for the selective detection of numerous lectin proteins.

Modeling the SHG activities of diverse protein crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haupert, Levi M.; DeWalt, Emma L.; Simpson, Garth J., E-mail: gsimpson@purdue.edu

2012-11-01

The origins of the diversity in the SHG signal from protein crystals are investigated and potential protein-crystal coverage by SHG microscopy is assessed. A symmetry-additive ab initio model for second-harmonic generation (SHG) activity of protein crystals was applied to assess the likely protein-crystal coverage of SHG microscopy. Calculations were performed for 250 proteins in nine point-group symmetries: a total of 2250 crystals. The model suggests that the crystal symmetry and the limit of detection of the instrument are expected to be the strongest predictors of coverage of the factors considered, which also included secondary-structural content and protein size. Much ofmore » the diversity in SHG activity is expected to arise primarily from the variability in the intrinsic protein response as well as the orientation within the crystal lattice. Two or more orders-of-magnitude variation in intensity are expected even within protein crystals of the same symmetry. SHG measurements of tetragonal lysozyme crystals confirmed detection, from which a protein coverage of ∼84% was estimated based on the proportion of proteins calculated to produce SHG responses greater than that of tetragonal lysozyme. Good agreement was observed between the measured and calculated ratios of the SHG intensity from lysozyme in tetragonal and monoclinic lattices.« less

Label-free optical detection of C-reactive protein by nanoimprint lithography-based 2D-photonic crystal film.

PubMed

Endo, Tatsuro; Kajita, Hiroshi; Kawaguchi, Yukio; Kosaka, Terumasa; Himi, Toshiyuki

2016-06-01

The development of high-sensitive, and cost-effective novel biosensors have been strongly desired for future medical diagnostics. To develop novel biosensor, the authors focused on the specific optical characteristics of photonic crystal. In this study, a label-free optical biosensor, polymer-based two-dimensional photonic crystal (2D-PhC) film fabricated using nanoimprint lithography (NIL), was developed for detection of C-reactive protein (CRP) in human serum. The nano-hole array constructed NIL-based 2D-PhC (hole diameter: 230 nm, distance: 230, depth: 200 nm) was fabricated on a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) film (100 µm) using thermal NIL and required surface modifications to reduce nonspecific adsorption of target proteins. Antigen-antibody reactions on the NIL-based 2D-PhC caused changes to the surrounding refractive index, which was monitored as reflection spectrum changes in the visible region. By using surface modified 2D-PhC, the calculated detection limit for CRP was 12.24 pg/mL at an extremely short reaction time (5 min) without the need for additional labeling procedures and secondary antibody. Furthermore, using the dual-functional random copolymer, CRP could be detected in a pooled blood serum diluted 100× with dramatic reduction of nonspecific adsorption. From these results, the NIL-based 2D-PhC film has great potential for development of an on-site, high-sensitivity, cost-effective, label-free biosensor for medical diagnostics applications. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Crystal digital droplet PCR for detection and quantification of circulating EGFR sensitizing and resistance mutations in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

PubMed Central

Madic, Jordan; Remon, Jordi; Honoré, Aurélie; Girard, Romain; Rouleau, Etienne; André, Barbara; Besse, Benjamin; Droniou, Magali; Lacroix, Ludovic

2017-01-01

Over the past years, targeted therapies using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have led to an increase in progression-free survival and response rate for a subgroup of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harbouring specific gene abnormalities compared with chemotherapy. However long-lasting tumor regression is rarely achieved, due to the development of resistant tumoral subclones, which requires alternative therapeutic approaches. Molecular profile at progressive disease is a challenge for making adaptive treatment decisions. The aim of this study was to monitor EGFR-mutant tumors over time based on the quantity of mutant DNA circulating in plasma (ctDNA), comparing two different methods, Crystal™ Digital™ PCR and Massive Parallel Sequencing (MPS). In plasma circulating cell free DNA (cfDNA) of 61 advanced NSCLC patients we found an overall correlation of 78% between mutated allelic fraction measured by Crystal Digital PCR and MPS. 7 additional samples with sensitizing mutations and 4 additional samples with the resistance mutation were detected with Crystal Digital PCR, but not with MPS. Monitoring levels of both mutation types over time showed a correlation between levels and trends of mutated ctDNA detected and clinical assessment of disease for the 6 patients tested. In conclusion, Crystal Digital PCR exhibited good performance for monitoring mutational status in plasma cfDNA, and also appeared as better suited to the detection of known mutations than MPS in terms of features such as time to results. PMID:28829811

Electrically detected crystal orientation dependent spin-Rabi beat oscillation of c-Si(111)/SiO2 interface states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Seoyoung; Lee, Sang-Yun; McCamey, Dane R.; Boehme, Christoph

2011-12-01

Electrically detected spin-Rabi beat oscillation of pairs of paramagnetic near interface states at the phosphorous doped (1016 cm-3) Si(111)/SiO2 interface is reported. Due to the g-factor anisotropy of the Pb center (a silicon surface dangling bond), one can tune intrapair Larmor frequency differences (Larmor separations) by orientation of the crystal with regard to an external magnetic field. Since Larmor separation governs the number of beating spin pairs, crystal orientation can control the beat current. This is used to identify spin states that are paired by mutual electronic transitions. The experiments confirm the presence of the previously reported 31P-Pb transition and provide direct experimental evidence of the previously hypothesized Pb-E' center (a near interface SiO2 bulk state) transition.

Detectivity enhancement in quantum well infrared photodetectors utilizing a photonic crystal slab resonator.

PubMed

Kalchmair, S; Gansch, R; Ahn, S I; Andrews, A M; Detz, H; Zederbauer, T; Mujagić, E; Reininger, P; Lasser, G; Schrenk, W; Strasser, G

2012-02-27

We characterize the performance of a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP), which is fabricated as a photonic crystal slab (PCS) resonator. The strongest resonance of the PCS is designed to coincide with the absorption peak frequency at 7.6 µm of the QWIP. To accurately characterize the detector performance, it is illuminated by using single mode mid-infrared lasers. The strong resonant absorption enhancement yields a detectivity increase of up to 20 times. This enhancement is a combined effect of increased responsivity and noise current reduction. With increasing temperature, we observe a red shift of the PCS-QWIP resonance peak of -0.055 cm(-1)/K. We attribute this effect to a refractive index change and present a model based on the revised plane wave method.

Magneto-photonic crystal optical sensors with sensitive covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dissanayake, Neluka; Levy, Miguel; Chakravarty, A.; Heiden, P. A.; Chen, N.; Fratello, V. J.

2011-08-01

We report on a magneto-photonic crystal on-chip optical sensor for specific analyte detection with polypyrrole and gold nano particles as modified photonic crystal waveguide cover layers. The reaction of the active sensor material with various analytes modifies the electronic structure of the sensor layer causing changes in its refractive index and a strong transduction signal. Magneto-photonic crystal enhanced polarization rotation sensitive to the nature of the cover layer detects the index modification upon analyte adsorption. A high degree of selectivity and sensitivity are observed for aqueous ammonia and methanol with polypyrrole and for thiolated-gold- with gold-nanoparticles covers.

Detection of high energy muons with sub-20 ps timing resolution using L(Y)SO crystals and SiPM readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benaglia, A.; Gundacker, S.; Lecoq, P.; Lucchini, M. T.; Para, A.; Pauwels, K.; Auffray, E.

2016-09-01

Precise timing capability will be a key aspect of particle detectors at future high energy colliders, as the time information can help in the reconstruction of physics events at the high collision rate expected there. Other than being used in detectors for PET, fast scintillating crystals coupled to compact Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) constitute a versatile system that can be exploited to realize an ad-hoc timing device to be hosted in a larger high energy physics detector. In this paper, we present the timing performance of LYSO:Ce and LSO:Ce codoped 0.4% Ca crystals coupled to SiPMs, as measured with 150 GeV muons at the CERN SPS H2 extraction line. Small crystals, with lengths ranging from 5 mm up to 30 mm and transverse size of 2 × 2mm2 or 3 × 3mm2 , were exposed to a 150 GeV muon beam. SiPMs from two different companies (Hamamatsu and FBK) were used to detect the light produced in the crystals. The best coincidence time resolution value of (14.5 ± 0.5) ps , corresponding to a single-detector time resolution of about 10 ps, is demonstrated for 5 mm long LSO:Ce,Ca crystals coupled to FBK SiPMs, when time walk corrections are applied.

Solution-grown crystals for neutron radiation detectors, and methods of solution growth

DOEpatents

Zaitseva, Natalia P; Hull, Giulia; Cherepy, Nerine J; Payne, Stephen A; Stoeffl, Wolfgang

2012-06-26

A method according to one embodiment includes growing an organic crystal from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source. A system according to one embodiment includes an organic crystal having physical characteristics of formation from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source; and a photodetector for detecting the signal response of the organic crystal. A method according to another embodiment includes growing an organic crystal from solution, the organic crystal being large enough to exhibit a detectable signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source. An organic crystal according to another embodiment includes an organic crystal having physical characteristics of formation from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source, wherein the organic crystal has a length of greater than about 1 mm in one dimension.

Modeling the SHG activities of diverse protein crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haupert, Levi M.; DeWalt, Emma L.; Simpson, Garth J.

2012-10-18

A symmetry-additiveab initiomodel for second-harmonic generation (SHG) activity of protein crystals was applied to assess the likely protein-crystal coverage of SHG microscopy. Calculations were performed for 250 proteins in nine point-group symmetries: a total of 2250 crystals. The model suggests that the crystal symmetry and the limit of detection of the instrument are expected to be the strongest predictors of coverage of the factors considered, which also included secondary-structural content and protein size. Much of the diversity in SHG activity is expected to arise primarily from the variability in the intrinsic protein response as well as the orientation within themore » crystal lattice. Two or more orders-of-magnitude variation in intensity are expected even within protein crystals of the same symmetry. SHG measurements of tetragonal lysozyme crystals confirmed detection, from which a protein coverage of ~84% was estimated based on the proportion of proteins calculated to produce SHG responses greater than that of tetragonal lysozyme. Good agreement was observed between the measured and calculated ratios of the SHG intensity from lysozyme in tetragonal and monoclinic lattices.« less

Vibration analysis of a new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor for detecting characteristic materials of volatility liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Yu; Li, Qiang; Xu, Bao-Jun; Zhao, Zhe

2014-01-01

We present a new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor that takes a quartz piezoelectric crystal as the basal material and a nanometer nonmetallic polymer thin film as the surface coating based on the principle of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The new sensor can be used to detect the characteristic materials of a volatile liquid. A mechanical model of the new sensor was built, whose structure was a thin circle plate composing of polytef/quartz piezoelectric/polytef. The mechanical model had a diameter of 8 mm and a thickness of 170 μm. The vibration state of the model was simulated by software ANSYS after the physical parameters and the boundary condition of the new sensor were set. According to the results of experiments, we set up a frequency range from 9.995850 MHz to 9.997225 MHz, 17 kinds of frequencies and modes of vibration were obtained within this range. We found a special frequency fsp of 9.996358 MHz. When the resonant frequency of the new sensor's mechanical model reached the special frequency, a special phenomenon occurred. In this case, the amplitude of the center point O on the mechanical model reached the maximum value. At the same time, the minimum absolute difference between the simulated frequency based on the ANSYS software and the experimental measured stable frequency was reached. The research showed that the design of the new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor perfectly conforms to the principle of QCM. A special frequency value fsp was found and subsequently became one of the most important parameters in the new sensor design.

Timing capabilities of garnet crystals for detection of high energy charged particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucchini, M. T.; Gundacker, S.; Lecoq, P.; Benaglia, A.; Nikl, M.; Kamada, K.; Yoshikawa, A.; Auffray, E.

2017-04-01

Particle detectors at future collider experiments will operate at high collision rates and thus will have to face high pile up and a harsh radiation environment. Precision timing capabilities can help in the reconstruction of physics events by mitigating pile up effects. In this context, radiation tolerant, scintillating crystals coupled to silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) can provide a flexible and compact option for the implementation of a precision timing layer inside large particle detectors. In this paper, we compare the timing performance of aluminum garnet crystals (YAG: Ce, LuAG: Ce, GAGG: Ce) and the improvements of their time resolution by means of codoping with Mg2+ ions. The crystals were read out using SiPMs from Hamamatsu glued to the rear end of the scintillator and their timing performance was evaluated by measuring the coincidence time resolution (CTR) of 150 GeV charged pions traversing a pair of crystals. The influence of crystal properties, such as density, light yield and decay kinetics on the timing performance is discussed. The best single detector time resolutions are in the range of 23-30 ps (sigma) and only achieved by codoping the garnet crystals with divalent ions, such as Mg2+. The much faster scintillation decay in the co-doped samples as compared to non co-doped garnets explains the higher timing performance. Samples of LSO: Ce, Ca and LYSO:Ce crystals have also been used as reference time device and showed a time resolution at the level of 17 ps, in agreement with previous results.

Invited Review Article: Development of crystal lenses for energetic photons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smither, Robert K.

2014-08-15

This paper follows the development of crystal diffraction lenses designed to focus energetic photons. It begins with the search for a solution to the astrophysics problem of how to detect weak astrophysics sources of gamma rays and x-rays. This led to the basic designs for a lens and to the understanding of basic limitations of lens design. The discussion of the development of crystal diffraction lenses is divided into two parts: lenses using crystals with mosaic structure, and lenses that use crystals with curved crystal planes. This second group divides into two sub-groups: (1) Curved crystals that are used tomore » increase the acceptance angle of the diffraction of a monochromatic beam and to increase the energy bandwidth of the diffraction. (2) Curved crystals used to focus gamma ray beams. The paper describes how these two types of crystals affect the design of the corresponding crystal lenses in different fields: astrophysics, medical imaging, detection of weak, distant, gamma-ray sources, etc. The designs of crystal lenses for these applications are given in enough detail to allow the reader to design a lens for his own application.« less

Photonic crystal based biosensor for the detection of glucose concentration in urine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Savarimuthu; Dhanlaksmi, Nagaraj

2017-03-01

Photonic sensing technology is a new and accurate measurement technology for bio-sensing applications. In this paper, a two-dimensional photonic crystal ring resonator based sensor is proposed and designed to detect the glucose concentration in urine over the range of 0 gm/dl-15 gm/dl. The proposed sensor is consisted of two inverted "L" waveguides and a ring resonator. If the glucose concentration in urine is varied, the refractive index of the urine is varied, which in turn the output response of sensor will be varied. By having the aforementioned principle, the glucose concentration in urine, glucose concentration in blood, albumin, urea, and bilirubin concentration in urine are predicted. The size of the proposed sensor is about 11.4 µm×11.4 µm, and the sensor can predict the result very accurately without any delay, hence, this attempt could be implemented for medical applications.

Method For Screening Microcrystallizations For Crystal Formation

DOEpatents

Santarsiero, Bernard D. , Stevens, Raymond C. , Schultz, Peter G. , Jaklevic, Joseph M. , Yegian, Derek T. , Cornell, Earl W. , Nordmeyer, Robert A.

2003-10-07

A method is provided for performing array microcrystallizations to determine suitable crystallization conditions for a molecule, the method comprising: forming an array of microcrystallizations, each microcrystallization comprising a drop comprising a mother liquor solution whose composition varies within the array and a molecule to be crystallized, the drop having a volume of less than 1 microliter; storing the array of microcrystallizations under conditions suitable for molecule crystals to form in the drops in the array; and detecting molecule crystal formation in the drops by taking images of the drops.

Bridgman Growth of Large SrI2:Eu2+ Single Crystals: A High-performance Scintillator for Radiation Detection Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boatner, Lynn A; Ramey, Joanne Oxendine; Kolopus, James A

2013-01-01

Single-crystal strontium iodide (SrI2) doped with relatively high levels (e.g., 3 - 6 %) of Eu2+ exhibits characteristics that make this material superior, in a number of respects, to other scintillators that are currently used for radiation detection. Specifically, SrI2:Eu2+ has a light yield that is significantly higher than LaBr3:Ce3+ -a currently employed commercial high-performance scintillator. Additionally, SrI2:Eu2+ is characterized by an energy resolution as high as 2.6% at the 137Cs gamma-ray energy of 662 keV, and there is no radioactive component in SrI2:Eu2+ - unlike LaBr3:Ce3+ that contains 138La. The Ce3+-doped LaBr3 decay time is, however, faster (30 nsec)more » than the 1.2 sec decay time of SrI2:Eu2+. Due to the relatively low melting point of strontium iodide (~515 oC), crystal growth can be carried out in quartz crucibles by the vertical Bridgman technique. Materials-processing and crystal-growth techniques that are specific to the Bridgman growth of europium-doped strontium iodide scintillators are described here. These techniques include the use of a porous quartz frit to physically filter the molten salt from a quartz antechamber into the Bridgman growth crucible and the use of a bent or bulb grain selector design to suppress multiple grain growth. Single crystals of SrI2:Eu2+ scintillators with good optical quality and scintillation characteristics have been grown in sizes up to 5.0 cm in diameter by applying these techniques. Other aspects of the SrI2:Eu2+ crystal-growth methods and of the still unresolved crystal-growth issues are described here.« less

A portable liquid crystal-based polarized light system for the detection of organophosphorus nerve gas.

PubMed

He, Feng Jie; Liu, Hui Long; Chen, Long Cong; Xiong, Xing Liang

2018-03-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors have the advantageous properties of being fast, sensitive, and label-free, the results of which can be accessed directly only through the naked eye. However, the inherent disadvantages possessed by LC sensors, such as relying heavily on polarizing microscopes and the difficulty to quantify, have limited the possibility of field applications. Herein, we have addressed these issues by constructing a portable polarized detection system with constant temperature control. This system is mainly composed of four parts: the LC cell, the optics unit, the automatic temperature control unit, and the image processing unit. The LC cell was based on the ordering transitions of LCs in the presence of analytes. The optics unit based on the imaging principle of LCs was designed to substitute the polarizing microscope for the real-time observation. The image processing unit is expected to quantify the concentration of analytes. The results have shown that the presented system can detect dimethyl methyl phosphonate (a stimulant for organophosphorus nerve gas) within 25 s, and the limit of detection is about 10 ppb. In all, our portable system has potential in field applications.

A portable liquid crystal-based polarized light system for the detection of organophosphorus nerve gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Feng Jie; Liu, Hui Long; Chen, Long Cong; Xiong, Xing Liang

2018-03-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors have the advantageous properties of being fast, sensitive, and label-free, the results of which can be accessed directly only through the naked eye. However, the inherent disadvantages possessed by LC sensors, such as relying heavily on polarizing microscopes and the difficulty to quantify, have limited the possibility of field applications. Herein, we have addressed these issues by constructing a portable polarized detection system with constant temperature control. This system is mainly composed of four parts: the LC cell, the optics unit, the automatic temperature control unit, and the image processing unit. The LC cell was based on the ordering transitions of LCs in the presence of analytes. The optics unit based on the imaging principle of LCs was designed to substitute the polarizing microscope for the real-time observation. The image processing unit is expected to quantify the concentration of analytes. The results have shown that the presented system can detect dimethyl methyl phosphonate (a stimulant for organophosphorus nerve gas) within 25 s, and the limit of detection is about 10 ppb. In all, our portable system has potential in field applications.

Crystallization of Stretched Polyimides: A Structure-Property Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinkley, Jeffrey A.; Dezern, James F.

2002-01-01

A simple rotational isomeric state model was used to detect the degree to which polyimide repeat units might align to give an extended crystal. It was found experimentally that the hallmarks of stretch-crystallization were more likely to occur in materials whose molecules could readily give extended, aligned conformations. A proposed screening criterion was 84% accurate in selecting crystallizing molecules.

Crystal Ball Replica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajamian, John

2016-09-01

The A2 collaboration of the Institute for Nuclear Physics of Johannes Gutenberg University performs research on (multiple) meson photoproduction and nucleon structure and dynamics using a high energy polarized photon beam at specific targets. Particles scattered from the target are detected in the Crystal Ball, or CB. The CB is composed of 672 NaI crystals that surround the target and can analyze particle type and energy of ejected particles. Our project was to create a replica of the CB that could display what was happening in real time on a 3 Dimensional scale replica. Our replica was constructed to help explain the physics to the general public, be used as a tool when calibrating each of the 672 NaI crystals, and to better analyze the electron showering of particles coming from the target. This poster will focus on the hardware steps necessary to construct the replica and wire the 672 programmable LEDS in such a way that they can be mapped to correspond to the Crystal Ball elements. George Washington NSF Grant.

An ultrasensitive quartz crystal microbalance-micropillars based sensor for humidity detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pengtao; Su, Junwei; Su, Che-Fu; Dai, Wen; Cernigliaro, George; Sun, Hongwei

2014-06-01

A unique sensing device, which couples microscale pillars with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) substrate to form a resonant system, is developed to achieve several orders of magnitude enhancement in sensitivity compared to conventional QCM sensors. In this research, Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) micropillars are fabricated on a QCM substrate using nanoimprinting lithography. The effects of pillar geometry and physical properties, tuned by molecular weight (MW) of PMMA, on the resonant characteristics of QCM-micropillars device are systematically investigated. It is found that the resonant frequency shift increases with increasing MW. The coupled QCM-micropillars device displays nonlinear frequency response, which is opposite to the linear response of conventional QCM devices. In addition, a positive resonant frequency shift is captured near the resonant point of the coupled QCM-micropillars system. Humidity detection experiments show that compared to current nanoscale feature based QCM sensors, QCM-micropillars devices offer higher sensitivity and moderate response time. This research points to a novel way of improving sensitivity of acoustic wave sensors without the need for fabricating surface nanostructures.

Feasibility of a tetracycline-binding method for detecting synovial fluid basic calcium phosphate crystals.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Ann K; Fahey, Mark; Gohr, Claudia; Burner, Todd; Konon, Irina; Daft, Laureen; Mattson, Eric; Hirschmugl, Carol; Ryan, Lawrence M; Simkin, Peter

2008-10-01

Basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals are common components of osteoarthritis (OA) synovial fluid. Progress in understanding the role of these bioactive particles in clinical OA has been hampered by difficulties in their identification. Tetracyclines stain calcium phosphate mineral in bone. The aim of this study was to investigate whether tetracycline staining might be an additional or alternative method for identifying BCP crystals in synovial fluid. A drop of oxytetracycline was mixed with a drop of fluid containing synthetic or native BCP, calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD), or monosodium urate (MSU) crystals and placed on a microscope slide. Stained and unstained crystals were examined by light microscopy, with and without a portable broad-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) pen light. A small set of characterized synovial fluid samples were compared by staining with alizarin red S and oxytetracycline. Synthetic BCP crystals in synovial fluid were quantified fluorimetrically using oxytetracycline. After oxytetracycline staining, synthetic and native BCP crystals appeared as fluorescent amorphous aggregates under UV light. Oxytetracycline did not stain CPPD or MSU crystals or other particulates. Oxytetracycline staining had fewer false-positive test results than did alizarin red S staining and could provide estimates of the quantities of synthetic BCP crystals in synovial fluid. With further validation, oxytetracycline staining may prove to be a useful adjunct or alternative to currently available methods for identifying BCP crystals in synovial fluid.

Liquid Crystal Enabled Early Stage Detection of Beta Amyloid Formation on Lipid Monolayers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sadati, Monirosadat; Apik, Aslin Izmitli; Armas-Perez, Julio C.

2015-09-09

Liquid crystals (LCs) can serve as sensitive reporters of interfacial events, and this property has been used for sensing of synthetic or biological toxins. Here it is demonstrated that LCs can distinguish distinct molecular motifs and exhibit a specific response to beta-sheet structures. That property is used to detect the formation of highly toxic protofibrils involved in neurodegenerative diseases, where it is crucial to develop methods that probe the early-stage aggregation of amyloidogenic peptides in the vicinity of biological membranes. In the proposed method, the amyloid fibrils formed at the lipid-decorated LC interface can change the orientation of LCs andmore » form elongated and branched structures that are amplified by the mesogenic medium; however, nonamyloidogenic peptides form ellipsoidal domains of tilted LCs. Moreover, a theoretical and computational analysis is used to reveal the underlying structure of the LC, thereby providing a detailed molecular-level view of the interactions and mechanisms responsible for such motifs. The corresponding signatures can be detected at nanomolar concentrations of peptide by polarized light microscopy and much earlier than the ones that can be identified by fluorescence-based techniques. As such, it offers the potential for early diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases and for facile testing of inhibitors of amyloid formation.« less

Polarization switching detection method using a ferroelectric liquid crystal for dichroic atomic vapor laser lock frequency stabilization techniques.

PubMed

Dudzik, Grzegorz; Rzepka, Janusz; Abramski, Krzysztof M

2015-04-01

We present a concept of the polarization switching detection method implemented for frequency-stabilized lasers, called the polarization switching dichroic atomic vapor laser lock (PSDAVLL) technique. It is a combination of the well-known dichroic atomic vapor laser lock method for laser frequency stabilization with a synchronous detection system based on the surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC).The SSFLC is a polarization switch and quarter wave-plate component. This technique provides a 9.6 dB better dynamic range ratio (DNR) than the well-known two-photodiode detection configuration known as the balanced polarimeter. This paper describes the proposed method used practically in the VCSEL laser frequency stabilization system. The applied PSDAVLL method has allowed us to obtain a frequency stability of 2.7×10⁻⁹ and a reproducibility of 1.2×10⁻⁸, with a DNR of detected signals of around 81 dB. It has been shown that PSDAVLL might be successfully used as a method for spectra-stable laser sources.

Polymer coated quartz crystal microbalance sensors for detection of volatile organic compounds in gas mixtures.

PubMed

Si, Pengchao; Mortensen, John; Komolov, Alexei; Denborg, Jens; Møller, Preben Juul

2007-08-06

By coating different conducting polymers of thiophene and its derivatives on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor surfaces, new novel QCM gas sensors have been produced in two simple ways, which could classify testing gas samples of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) gases. Principle components analysis (PCA) has been performed based on the QCM measurement results, which shows that our QCM sensors array has very good utilizing potential on sensing both polar and low-polar/nonpolar VOC gases. The sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility and detection limit of QCM sensors have also been discussed. Quantitative variation of sensitivity response with the increasing concentration has been studied. (PLS) analysis and prediction of concentrations of single gas in mixtures have been carried out.

Label-free capacitive immunosensor based on quartz crystal Au electrode for rapid and sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

PubMed

Li, Dujuan; Feng, Yangyang; Zhou, Ling; Ye, Zunzhong; Wang, Jianping; Ying, Yibin; Ruan, Chuanmin; Wang, Ronghui; Li, Yanbin

2011-02-14

A label-free capacitive immunosensor based on quartz crystal Au electrode was developed for rapid and sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The immunosensor was fabricated by immobilizing affinity-purified anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibodies onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) on the surface of a quartz crystal Au electrode. Bacteria suspended in solution became attached to the immobilized antibodies when the immunosensor was tested in liquid samples. The change in capacitance caused by the bacteria was directly measured by an electrochemical detector. An equivalent circuit was introduced to simulate the capacitive immunosensor. The immunosensor was evaluated for E. coli O157:H7 detection in pure culture and inoculated food samples. The experimental results indicated that the capacitance change was linearly correlated with the cell concentration of E. coli O157:H7. The immunosensor was able to discriminate between cellular concentrations of 10(2)-10(5) cfu mL(-1) and has applications in detecting pathogens in food samples. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were also employed to characterize the stepwise assembly of the immunosensor. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pressure sensor using liquid crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parmar, Devendra S. (Inventor); Holmes, Harlan K. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A pressure sensor includes a liquid crystal positioned between transparent, electrically conductive films (18 and 20), that are biased by a voltage (V) which induces an electric field (E) that causes the liquid crystal to assume a first state of orientation. Application of pressure (P) to a flexible, transparent film (24) causes the conductive film (20) to move closer to or farther from the conductive film (18), thereby causing a change in the electric field (E'(P)) which causes the liquid crystal to assume a second state of orientation. Polarized light (P.sub.1) is directed into the liquid crystal and transmitted or reflected to an analyzer (A or 30). Changes in the state of orientation of the liquid crystal induced by applied pressure (P) result in a different light intensity being detected at the analyzer (A or 30) as a function of the applied pressure (P). In particular embodiments, the liquid crystal is present as droplets (10) in a polymer matrix (12) or in cells (14) in a polymeric or dielectric grid (16) material in the form of a layer (13) between the electrically conductive films (18 and 20). The liquid crystal fills the open wells in the polymer matrix (12) or grid (16) only partially.

Passive particle dosimetry. [silver halide crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childs, C. B.

1977-01-01

Present methods of dosimetry are reviewed with emphasis on the processes using silver chloride crystals for ionizing particle dosimetry. Differences between the ability of various crystals to record ionizing particle paths are directly related to impurities in the range of a few ppm (parts per million). To understand the roles of these impurities in the process, a method for consistent production of high purity silver chloride, and silver bromide was developed which yields silver halides with detectable impurity content less than 1 ppm. This high purity silver chloride was used in growing crystals with controlled doping. Crystals were grown by both the Czochalski method and the Bridgman method, and the Bridgman grown crystals were used for the experiments discussed. The distribution coefficients of ten divalent cations were determined for the Bridgman crystals. The best dosimeters were made with silver chloride crystals containing 5 to 10 ppm of lead; other impurities tested did not produce proper dosimeters.

Liquid Photonic Crystals for Mesopore Detection.

PubMed

Zhu, Biting; Fu, Qianqian; Chen, Ke; Ge, Jianping

2018-01-02

Nitrogen adsorption-desorption for mesopore characterization requires the using of expensive instrumentation, time-consuming processes, and the consumption of liquid nitrogen. Herein, a new method is developed to measure the pore parameters through mixing a mesoporous substance with a supersaturated SiO 2 colloidal solution at different temperatures, and subsequent rapid measurement of reflection changes of the precipitated liquid photonic crystals. The pore volumes and diameters of mesoporous silica were measured according to the positive correlation between unit mass reflection change (Δλ/m) and pore volume (V), and the negative correlation between average absorption temperature (T) and pore diameter (D). This new approach may provide an alternative method for fast, convenient and economical characterization of mesoporous materials. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bulk Crystal Growth of Piezoelectric PMN-PT Crystals Using Gradient Freeze Technique for Improved SHM Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aggarwal, Mohan D.; Kochary, F.; Penn, Benjamin G.; Miller, Jim

2007-01-01

There has been a growing interest in recent years in lead based perovskite ferroelectric and relaxor ferroelectric solid solutions because of their excellent dielectric, piezoelectric and electrostrictive properties that make them very attractive for various sensing, actuating and structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. We are interested in the development of highly sensitive and efficient PMN-PT sensors based on large single crystals for the structural health monitoring of composite materials that may be used in future spacecrafts. Highly sensitive sensors are needed for detection of defects in these materials because they often tend to fail by distributed and interacting damage modes and much of the damage occurs beneath the top surface of the laminate and not detectable by visual inspection. Research is being carried out for various combinations of solid solutions for PMN-PT piezoelectric materials and bigger size crystals are being sought for improved sensor applications. Single crystals of this material are of interest for sensor applications because of their high piezoelectric coefficient (d33 greater than 1700 pC/N) and electromechanical coefficients (k33 greater than 0.90). For comparison, the commonly used piezoelectric ceramic lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has a d33 of about 600 pC/N and electromechanical coefficients k33 of about 0.75. At the present time, these piezoelectric relaxor crystals are grown by high temperature flux growth method and the size of these crystals are rather small (3x4x5 mm(exp 3). In the present paper, we have attempted to grow bulk single crystals of PMN-PT in a 2 inch diameter platinum crucible and successfully grown a large size crystal of 67%PMN-33%PT using the vertical gradient freeze technique with no flux. Piezoelectric properties of the grown crystals are investigated. PMN-PT plates show excellent piezoelectric properties. Samples were poled under an applied electric field of 5 kV/cm. Dielectric properties at a

Use of Standing Gold Nanorods for Detection of Malachite Green and Crystal Violet in Fish by SERS.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaowei; Nguyen, Trang H D; Gu, Liqun; Lin, Mengshi

2017-07-01

With growing consumption of aquaculture products, there is increasing demand on rapid and sensitive techniques that can detect prohibited substances in the seafood products. This study aimed to develop a novel surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method coupled with simplified extraction protocol and novel gold nanorod (AuNR) substrates to detect banned aquaculture substances (malachite green [MG] and crystal violet [CV]) and their mixture (1:1) in aqueous solution and fish samples. Multivariate statistical tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were used in data analysis. PCA results demonstrate that SERS can distinguish MG, CV and their mixture (1:1) in aqueous solution and in fish samples. The detection limit of SERS coupled with standing AuNR substrates is 1 ppb for both MG and CV in fish samples. A good linear relationship between the actual concentration and predicted concentration of analytes based on PLSR models with R 2 values from 0.87 to 0.99 were obtained, indicating satisfactory quantification results of this method. These results demonstrate that the SERS method coupled with AuNR substrates can be used for rapid and accurate detection of MG and CV in fish samples. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Evaluation of a novel label-free photonic-crystal biosensor imaging system for the detection of prostate cancer cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLuna, Frank; Ding, XiaoFie; Sun, Lu-Zhe; Ye, Jing Yong

2017-02-01

Biomarker screening for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the current clinical standard for detection of prostate cancer. However this method has shown many limitations, mainly in its specificity, which can lead to a high false positive rate. Thus, there is a growing need in developing a more specific detection system for prostate cancer. Using a Photonic- Crystal-based biosensor in a Total-Internal-Reflection (PC-TIR) configuration, we demonstrate the use of refractive index (RI) to accomplish label-free detection of prostate cancer cells against non-cancerous prostate epithelial cells. The PC-TIR biosensor possesses an open microcavity, which in contrast to traditional closed microcavities, allows for easier access of analyte molecules or cells to interact with its sensing surface. In this study, an imaging system was designed using the PC-TIR biosensor to quantify cell RI as the contrast parameter for prostate cancer detection. Non-cancerous BPH-1 prostate epithelial cells and prostate cancer PC-3 cells were placed on a single biosensor and measured concurrently. Recorded image data was then analyzed through a home-built MatLab program. Results demonstrate that RI is a suitable variable for differentiation between prostate cancer cells and non-cancerous prostate epithelial cells. Our study shows clinical potential in utilizing RI test for the detection of prostate cancer.

Solution-grown crystals for neutron radiation detectors, and methods of solution growth

DOEpatents

Zaitseva, Natalia; Carman, M Leslie; Payne, Steve

2014-10-28

An organic crystal according to one embodiment includes an organic crystal comprising diphenylacetylene and stilbene or a stilbene derivative, the crystal having physical characteristics of formation from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source. A system according to one embodiment includes an organic crystal comprising diphenylacetylene and stilbene or a stilbene derivative, the crystal having physical characteristics of formation from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source; and a photodetector for detecting the signal response of the organic crystal. Methods of making such crystals are also provided.

Channeling through Bent Crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mack, Stephanie; /Ottawa U. /SLAC

2012-09-07

Bent crystals have demonstrated potential for use in beam collimation. A process called channeling is when accelerated particle beams are trapped by the nuclear potentials in the atomic planes within a crystal lattice. If the crystal is bent then the particles can follow the bending angle of the crystal. There are several different effects that are observed when particles travel through a bent crystal including dechanneling, volume capture, volume reflection and channeling. With a crystal placed at the edge of a particle beam, part of the fringe of the beam can be deflected away towards a detector or beam dump,more » thus helping collimate the beam. There is currently FORTRAN code by Igor Yazynin that has been used to model the passage of particles through a bent crystal. Using this code, the effects mentioned were explored for beam energy that would be seen at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at a range of crystal orientations with respect to the incoming beam. After propagating 5 meters in vacuum space past the crystal the channeled particles were observed to separate from most of the beam with some noise due to dechanneled particles. Progressively smaller bending radii, with corresponding shorter crystal lengths, were compared and it was seen that multiple scattering decreases with the length of the crystal therefore allowing for cleaner detection of the channeled particles. The input beam was then modified and only a portion of the beam sent through the crystal. With the majority of the beam not affected by the crystal, most particles were not deflected and after propagation the channeled particles were seen to be deflected approximately 5mm. After a portion of the beam travels through the crystal, the entire beam was then sent through a quadrupole magnet, which increased the separation of the channeled particles from the remainder of the beam to a distance of around 20mm. A different code, which was developed at SLAC, was used

Colloidal crystal templated molecular imprinted polymer for the detection of 2-butoxyethanol in water contaminated by hydraulic fracturing.

PubMed

Dai, Jingjing; Vu, Danh; Nagel, Susan; Lin, Chung-Ho; Fidalgo de Cortalezzi, Maria

2017-12-06

The authors describe a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) that enables detection of 2-butoxyethanol (2BE), a pollutant associated with hydraulic fracturing contamination. Detection is based on a combination of a colloidal crystal templating and a molecular imprinting. The MIPs are shown to display higher binding capacity for 2BE compared to non-imprinted films (NIPs), with imprinting efficiencies of ∼ 2. The tests rely on the optical effects that are displayed by the uniformly ordered porous structure of the material. The reflectance spectra of the polymer films have characteristic Bragg peaks whose location varies with the concentration of 2BE. Peaks undergo longwave red shifts up to 50 nm on exposure of the MIP to 2BE in concentrations in the range from 1 ppb to 100 ppm. This allows for quantitative estimates of the 2BE concentrations present in aqueous solutions. The material is intended for use in the early detection of contamination at hydraulic fracturing sites. Graphical abstract Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) sensor with the sensing ability on reflectance spectra responding to the presence of 2-butoxyethanol (2BE) for early detection of hydraulic fracking contamination.

Protein crystals as scanned probes for recognition atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Wickremasinghe, Nissanka S; Hafner, Jason H

2005-12-01

Lysozyme crystal growth has been localized at the tip of a conventional silicon nitride cantilever through seeded nucleation. After cross-linking with glutaraldehyde, lysozyme protein crystal tips image gold nanoparticles and grating standards with a resolution comparable to that of conventional tips. Force spectra between the lysozyme crystal tips and surfaces covered with antilysozyme reveal an adhesion force that drops significantly upon blocking with free lysozyme, thus confirming that lysozyme crystal tips can detect molecular recognition interactions.

Polythiophene synthesis coupled to quartz crystal microbalance and Raman spectroscopy for detecting bacteria.

PubMed

Kengne-Momo, R P; Lagarde, F; Daniel, Ph; Pilard, J F; Durand, M J; Thouand, G

2012-12-01

A simple electrochemical procedure was used for the synthesis of a polythiophene containing para-benzenesulfonyl chloride groups. The obtained polymer was shown to be very reactive and directly able to covalently bind nucleophile biomolecules. Protein A and a specific antibody were then successively immobilized on the conductive polymer through a covalent bonding of Protein A with the as-prepared linker for bacteria trapping purpose. All reactions were controlled in situ by cyclic voltammetry, quartz crystal microbalance and Raman spectroscopy. The results were compared to those previously obtained on gold surface modified with the same chemical linker. The conductive polymer led to a very high rate of antibody recognition compared to the gold surface and to literature, probably due to a large available surface obtained after polymerization. One example of pathogenic bacteria "Salmonella enterica paratyphi" detection was successfully tested on the substrates. The presented results are promising for the future design of simple and inexpensive immunocapture-based sensors.

Salt-induced aggregation of lysozyme: Implications for crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Lori J.

1994-01-01

Crystallization of proteins is a prerequisite for structural analysis by x-ray crystallography. While improvements in protein crystals have been obtained in microgravity onboard the U.S. Space Shuttle, attempts to improve the crystal growth process both on the ground and in space have been limited by our lack of understanding of the mechanisms involved. Almost all proteins are crystallized with the aid of a precipitating agent. Many of the common precipitating agents are inorganic salts. An understanding of the role of salts on the aggregation of protein monomers is the key to the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in protein crystallization. In order for crystallization to occur individual molecules must self-associate into aggregates. Detection and characterization of aggregates in supersaturated protein solutions is the first step in understanding salt-induced crystallization.

Radial Photonic Crystal for Detection of Frequency and Position of Radiation Sources

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-06

Dehesa, J. Acoustic resonances in two-dimensional radial sonic crystal shells. New J. Phys. 12, 073034 (2010). 15. Kurs, A. et al. Wireless power...microstructured materials, i.e. metamaterials, we present here the first practical realization of a radial wave crystal . This type of device was...parameters, those that define the solution of the wave propagation equations, has opened a very wide range of possibilities going from negative

Fiber based photonic-crystal acoustic sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, Onur

Photonic-crystal slabs are two-dimensional photonic crystals etched into a dielectric layer such as silicon. Standard micro fabrication techniques can be employed to manufacture these structures, which makes it feasible to produce them in large areas, usually an important criterion for practical applications. An appealing feature of these structures is that they can be employed as free-space optical devices such as broadband reflectors. The small thickness of the slab (usually in the vicinity of half a micron) also makes it deflectable. These combined optical and mechanical properties make it possible to employ photonic-crystal slabs in a range of practical applications, including displacement sensors, which in turn can be used for example to detect acoustic waves. An additional benefit of employing a photonic-crystal slab is that it is possible to tailor its optical and mechanical properties by adjusting the geometrical parameters of the structure such as hole radius or shape, pitch, and the slab thickness. By altering the hole radius and pitch, it is possible to make broadband reflectors or sharp transmission filters out of these structures. Adjusting the thickness also affects its deformability, making it possible to make broadband mirrors compliant to acoustic waves. Altering the hole shape, for example by introducing an asymmetry, extends the functionalities of photonic-crystal slabs even further. Breaking the symmetry by introducing asymmetric holes enables polarization-sensitive devices such as retarders, polarization beam splitters, and photonic crystals with additional non-degenerate resonances useful for increased sensitivity in sensors. All these practical advantages of photonic-crystal slabs makes them suitable as key components in micromachined sensor applications. We report one such example of an application of photonic-crystal slabs in the form of a micromachined acoustic sensor. It consists of a Fabry-Perot interferometer made of a photonic-crystal

Direct observation of crystal growth from solution using optical investigation of a growing crystal face

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lal, Ravindra

1994-01-01

The first technical report for the period 1 Jan. 1993 till 31 Dec. 1993 for the research entitled, 'Direct observation of crystal growth from solution using Optical Investigation of a growing crystal Face' is presented. The work on the project did not start till 1 June 1993 due to the non-availability of the required personnel. The progress of the work during the period 1 June 1993 till the end of 1993 is described. Significant progress was made for testing various optical diagnostic techniques for monitoring crystal solution. Some of the techniques that are being tested are: heterodyne detection technique, in which changes in phase are measured as a interferometric function of time/crystal growth; a conventional technique, in which a fringe brightness is measured as a function of crystal growth/time; and a Mach-Zehnder interferometric technique in which a fringe brightness is measured as a function of time to obtain information on concentration changes. During the second year it will be decided to incorporate the best interferometric technique along with the ellipsometric technique, to obtain real time in-situ growth rate measurements. A laboratory mock-up of the first two techniques were made and tested.

Post-column reaction for simultaneous analysis of chromatic and leuco forms of malachite green and crystal violet by high-performance liquid chromatography with photometric detection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, J.L.; Meinertz, J.R.

1991-01-01

The chromatic and leuco forms of malachite green and crystal violet were readily separated and detected by a sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure. The chromatic and leuco forms of the dyes were separated within 11 min on a C18 column with a mobile phase of 0.05 M sodium acetate and 0.05 M acetic acid in water (19%) and methanol (81%). A reaction chamber, containing 10% PbO2 in Celite 545, was placed between the column and the spectrophotometric detector to oxidize the leuco forms of the dyes to their chromatic forms. Chromatic and leuco malachite green were quantified by their absorbance at 618 nm; and chromatic and leuco Crystal Violet by their absorbance at 588 nm. Detection limits for chromatic and leuco forms of both dyes ranged from 0.12 to 0.28 ng. A linear range of 1 to 100 ng was established for both forms of the dyes.

Quantum melting of a two-dimensional Wigner crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolgopolov, V. T.

2017-10-01

The paper reviews theoretical predictions about the behavior of two-dimensional low-density electron systems at nearly absolute zero temperatures, including the formation of an electron (Wigner) crystal, crystal melting at a critical electron density, and transitions between crystal modifications in more complex (for example, two-layer) systems. The paper presents experimental results obtained from real two-dimensional systems in which the nonconducting (solid) state of the electronic system with indications of collective localization is actually realized. Experimental methods for detecting a quantum liquid-solid phase interface are discussed.

Crystallization mechanisms of acicular crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puel, François; Verdurand, Elodie; Taulelle, Pascal; Bebon, Christine; Colson, Didier; Klein, Jean-Paul; Veesler, Stéphane

2008-01-01

In this contribution, we present an experimental investigation of the growth of four different organic molecules produced at industrial scale with a view to understand the crystallization mechanism of acicular or needle-like crystals. For all organic crystals studied in this article, layer-by-layer growth of the lateral faces is very slow and clear, as soon as the supersaturation is high enough, there is competition between growth and surface-activated secondary nucleation. This gives rise to pseudo-twinned crystals composed of several needle individuals aligned along a crystallographic axis; this is explained by regular over- and inter-growths as in the case of twinning. And when supersaturation is even higher, nucleation is fast and random. In an industrial continuous crystallization, the rapid growth of needle-like crystals is to be avoided as it leads to fragile crystals or needles, which can be partly broken or totally detached from the parent crystals especially along structural anisotropic axis corresponding to weaker chemical bonds, thus leading to slower growing faces. When an activated mechanism is involved such as a secondary surface nucleation, it is no longer possible to obtain a steady state. Therefore, the crystal number, size and habit vary significantly with time, leading to troubles in the downstream processing operations and to modifications of the final solid-specific properties. These results provide valuable information on the unique crystallization mechanisms of acicular crystals, and show that it is important to know these threshold and critical values when running a crystallizer in order to obtain easy-to-handle crystals.

Protein crystal growth in low gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feigelson, Robert S.

1993-01-01

This Final Technical Report for NASA Grant NAG8-774 covers the period from April 27, 1989 through December 31, 1992. It covers five main topics: fluid flow studies, the influence of growth conditions on the morphology of isocitrate lyase crystals, control of nucleation, the growth of lysozyme by the temperature gradient method and graphoepitaxy of protein crystals. The section on fluid flow discusses the limits of detectability in the Schlieren imaging of fluid flows around protein crystals. The isocitrate lyase study compares crystals grown terrestrially under a variety of conditions with those grown in space. The controlling factor governing the morphology of the crystals is the supersaturation. The lack of flow in the interface between the drop and the atmosphere in microgravity causes protein precipitation in the boundary layer and a lowering of the supersaturation in the drop. This lowered supersaturation leads to improved crystal morphology. Preliminary experiments with lysozyme indicated that localized temperature gradients could be used to nucleate crystals in a controlled manner. An apparatus (thermonucleator) was designed to study the controlled nucleation of protein crystals. This apparatus has been used to nucleate crystals of materials with both normal (ice-water, Rochelle salt and lysozyme) and retrograde (horse serum albumin and alpha chymotrypsinogen A) solubility. These studies have lead to the design of an new apparatus that small and more compatible with use in microgravity. Lysozyme crystals were grown by transporting nutrient from a source (lysozyme powder) to the crystal in a temperature gradient. The influence of path length and cross section on the growth rate was demonstrated. This technique can be combined with the thermonucleator to control both nucleation and growth. Graphoepitaxy utilizes a patterned substrate to orient growing crystals. In this study, silicon substrates with 10 micron grooves were used to grow crystals of catalase

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction,more » significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Furthermore, by usingin situtwo-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

PubMed Central

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye; Kissick, David J.; Zhang, Shijie; Newman, Justin A.; Sheedlo, Michael J.; Chowdhury, Azhad U.; Fischetti, Robert F.; Das, Chittaranjan; Buzzard, Gregery T.; Bouman, Charles A.; Simpson, Garth J.

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction, significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Using in situ two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning.

PubMed

Scarborough, Nicole M; Godaliyadda, G M Dilshan P; Ye, Dong Hye; Kissick, David J; Zhang, Shijie; Newman, Justin A; Sheedlo, Michael J; Chowdhury, Azhad U; Fischetti, Robert F; Das, Chittaranjan; Buzzard, Gregery T; Bouman, Charles A; Simpson, Garth J

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction, significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Using in situ two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

DOE PAGES

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye; ...

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction,more » significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Furthermore, by usingin situtwo-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure

A Quartz Crystal Microbalance Immunosensor for Stem Cell Selection and Extraction

PubMed Central

Costanzo, Salvatore; Zambrano, Gerardo; Mauro, Marco; Battaglia, Raffaele; Ferrini, Gianluca; Nastri, Flavia; Pavone, Vincenzo

2017-01-01

A cost-effective immunosensor for the detection and isolation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) based on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has been developed. The recognition mechanism relies on anti-CD34 antibodies, DPSC-specific monoclonal antibodies that are anchored on the surface of the quartz crystals. Due to its high specificity, real time detection, and low cost, the proposed technology has a promising potential in the field of cell biology, for the simultaneous detection and sorting of stem cells from heterogeneous cell samples. The QCM surface was properly tailored through a biotinylated self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The biotin–avidin interaction was used to immobilize the biotinylated anti-CD34 antibody on the gold-coated quartz crystal. After antibody immobilization, a cellular pellet, with a mixed cell population, was analyzed; the results indicated that the developed QCM immunosensor is highly specific, being able to detect and sort only CD34+ cells. Our study suggests that the proposed technology can detect and efficiently sort any kind of cell from samples with high complexity, being simple, selective, and providing for more convenient and time-saving operations. PMID:29182568

Protein sensing by nanofluidic crystal and its signal enhancement

PubMed Central

Sang, Jianming; Du, Hongtan; Wang, Wei; Chu, Ming; Wang, Yuedan; Li, Haichao; Alice Zhang, Haixia; Wu, Wengang; Li, Zhihong

2013-01-01

Nanofluidics has a unique property that ionic conductance across a nanometer-sized confined space is strongly affected by the space surface charge density, which can be utilized to construct electrical read-out biosensor. Based on this principle, this work demonstrated a novel protein sensor along with a sandwich signal enhancement approach. Nanoparticles with designed aptamer onside are assembled in a suspended micropore to form a 3-dimensional network of nanometer-sized interstices, named as nanofluidic crystal hereafter, as the basic sensing unit. Proteins captured by aptamers will change the surface charge density of nanoparticles and thereby can be detected by monitoring the ionic conductance across this nanofluidic crystal. Another aptamer can further enlarge the variations of the surface charge density by forming a sandwich structure (capturing aptamer/protein/signal enhancement aptamer) and the read-out conductance as well. The preliminary experimental results indicated that human α-thrombin was successfully detected by the corresponding aptamer modified nanofluidic crystal with the limit of detection of 5 nM (0.18 μg/ml) and the read-out signal was enhanced up to 3 folds by using another thrombin aptamer. Being easy to graft probe, facile and low-cost to prepare the nano-device, and having an electrical read-out, the present nanofluidic crystal scheme is a promising and universal strategy for protein sensing. PMID:24404017

Safe and simple detection of sparse hydrogen by Pd-Au alloy/air based 1D photonic crystal sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, S.; Biswas, T.; Chattopadhyay, R.; Ghosh, J.; Bysakh, S.; Bhadra, S. K.

2016-11-01

A simple integrated hydrogen sensor using Pd-Au alloy/air based one dimensional photonic crystal with an air defect layer is theoretically modeled. Structural parameters of the photonic crystal are delicately scaled to generate photonic band gap frequencies in a visible spectral regime. An optimized defect thickness permits a localized defect mode operating at a frequency within the photonic band gap region. Hydrogen absorption causes modification in the band gap characteristics due to variation of refractive index and lattice parameters of the alloy. As a result, the transmission peak appeared due to the resonant defect state gets shifted. This peak shifting is utilized to detect sparse amount of hydrogen present in the surrounding environment. A theoretical framework is built to calculate the refractive index profile of hydrogen loaded alloy using density functional theory and Bruggeman's effective medium approximation. The calculated refractive index variation of Pd3Au alloy film due to hydrogen loading is verified experimentally by measuring the reflectance characteristics. Lattice expansion properties of the alloy are studied through X-ray diffraction analyses. The proposed structure shows about 3 nm red shift of the transmission peak for a rise of 1% atomic hydrogen concentration in the alloy.

Using MRI to detect and differentiate calcium oxalate and calcium hydroxyapatite crystals in air-bubble-free phantom

PubMed Central

Mustafi, Devkumar; Fan, Xiaobing; Peng, Bo; Foxley, Sean; Palgen, Jeremy; Newstead, Gillian M.

2015-01-01

Calcium oxalate (CaOX) crystals and calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) crystals were commonly associated with breast benign and malignant lesions, respectively. In this research, CaOX (n = 6) and CaHA (n = 6) crystals in air-bubble-free agarose phantom were studied and characterized by using MRI at 9.4 Tesla scanner. Calcium micro-crystals sizes ranged from 200 – 500 microns were made with either 99% pure CaOX or CaHA powder and embedded in agar to mimic the dimensions and calcium content of breast microcalcifications in vivo. MRI data were acquired with high spatial resolution T2-weighted (T2W) images and gradient echo images with five different echo times (TEs). The crystals areas were determined by setting the threshold relative to agarose signal. The ratio of crystals areas were calculated by the measurements from gradient echo images divided by T2W images. Then the ratios as a function of TE were fitted with the radical function. The results showed that the blooming artifacts due to magnetic susceptibility between agar and CaHA crystals were more than twice as large as the susceptibility in CaOX crystals (p < 0.05). In addition, larger bright rings were observed on gradient echo images around CaHA crystals compared to CaOX crystals. Our results suggest that MRI may provide useful information regarding breast microcalcifications by evaluating the apparent area of crystals ratios obtained between gradient echo and T2W images. PMID:26392170

21 CFR 884.2982 - Liquid crystal thermographic system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered liquid crystal... for detection of breast cancer or other uses is a nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered device... screening for detection of breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an...

21 CFR 884.2982 - Liquid crystal thermographic system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered liquid crystal... for detection of breast cancer or other uses is a nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered device... screening for detection of breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an...

21 CFR 884.2982 - Liquid crystal thermographic system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered liquid crystal... for detection of breast cancer or other uses is a nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered device... screening for detection of breast cancer or other uses— (1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an...

21 CFR 884.2982 - Liquid crystal thermographic system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered liquid crystal... for detection of breast cancer or other uses is a nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered device... screening for detection of breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an...

21 CFR 884.2982 - Liquid crystal thermographic system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered liquid crystal... for detection of breast cancer or other uses is a nonelectrically powered or an AC-powered device... screening for detection of breast cancer or other uses—(1) Identification. A nonelectrically powered or an...

Rapid and reversible photoinduced switching of a rotaxane crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kai-Jen; Tsai, Ya-Ching; Suzaki, Yuji; Osakada, Kohtaro; Miura, Atsushi; Horie, Masaki

2016-11-01

Crystalline phase transitions caused by external stimuli have been used to detect physical changes in the solid-state properties. This study presents the mechanical switching of crystals of ferrocene-containing rotaxane controlled by focused laser light. The expansion and contraction of the crystals can be driven by turning on and off laser light at 445 nm. The irradiation-induced expansion of the crystal involves elongation along the a, b and c axes at 30 °C, whereas heating of the crystal at 105 °C causes the shortening of c axis. The expansions reversibly occur and have the advantage of a rapid relaxation (reverse) process. Single-crystal X-ray crystallography reveals the detailed structural changes of the molecules, corresponding to a change in the size of the crystals on laser irradiation. This molecular crystal behaviour induced by laser irradiation, is demonstrated for the remote control of objects, namely, microparticle transport and microswitching in an electric circuit.

On the morphological and chemical stability of vitamin C crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halász, Susan; Bodor, Beáta

1993-03-01

Mass cooling crystallization of aqueous vitamin C solution was studied by applying different cooling rates, initial supersaturations and mixing intensity. The morphology of the products (size, habit and colour) well followed the changes of process parameters. Comparing a high purity (99.9%) standard with a yellow coloured heterodisperse product and a slowly grown single crystal, HPLC chromatography detected decreasing purity of the bigger single crystals, while X-ray and NMR analysis did not show any perceptible difference. It has been concluded that not the surface oxidation (chemical degredation), but rather the inclusions are the main sources of impurities within the crystals.

Thermal detection of single e-h pairs in a biased silicon crystal detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romani, R. K.; Brink, P. L.; Cabrera, B.; Cherry, M.; Howarth, T.; Kurinsky, N.; Moffatt, R. A.; Partridge, R.; Ponce, F.; Pyle, M.; Tomada, A.; Yellin, S.; Yen, J. J.; Young, B. A.

2018-01-01

We demonstrate that individual electron-hole pairs are resolved in a 1 cm2 by 4 mm thick silicon crystal (0.93 g) operated at ˜35 mK. One side of the detector is patterned with two quasiparticle-trap-assisted electro-thermal-feedback transition edge sensor arrays held near ground potential. The other side contains a bias grid with 20% coverage. Bias potentials up to ±160 V were used in the work reported here. A fiber optic provides 650 nm (1.9 eV) photons that each produce an electron-hole (e- h+) pair in the crystal near the grid. The energy of the drifting charges is measured with a phonon sensor noise σ ˜0.09 e- h+ pair. The observed charge quantization is nearly identical for h+s or e-s transported across the crystal.

Gypsum crystallization from cadmium-poisoned solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinaudo, C.; Franchini-Angela, M.; Boistelle, R.

1988-06-01

Gypsum crystals, CaSO4⋯2H2O, are grown from solutions containing large amounts of cadmium chloride as an impurity. The initial supersaturations necessary for the gypsum nucleation increase with increasing cadmium concentration. Accordingly, at constant initial supersaturation, the induction periods also increase with increasing cadmium concentration. Cadmium and chlorine are incorporated into the crystals probably as CdCl+ or CdCl2, which are the most abundant complexes in the solutions. Consequently, the gypsum crystals grow curved, distorted and exhibit fractures along the [100] direction. The amount of incorporated cadmium increases with increasing supersaturation. Cadmium is mainly detected near the {120} faces in the area where the fractures release the internal stresses. Supersaturation and concentration of free ions and complexes are calculated for all solutions. Adsorption on {120} is discussed.

Polyvinylpyrrolidone/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites thin films coated on quartz crystal microbalance for NO2 detection at room temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Junlong; Xie, Guangzhong; Zhou, Yong; Xie, Tao; Tai, HuiLing; Yang, Guangjin

2014-08-01

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites are sprayed on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for NO2 sensing. The thin films are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS). The experimental results reveal that PVP/RGO sensor exhibits higher sensitivity and shorter recovery time than those of PVP. Besides, the response to 20 ppm NO2 is higher than other gases such as CO, CO2 and NH3 even at 100ppm. When the PVP/RGO sensor is exposed to these gases, the good selectivity to NO2 makes the sensor ideal for NO2 detection.

Identifying, studying and making good use of macromolecular crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calero, Guillermo; Cohen, Aina E.; Luft, Joseph R.

2014-07-25

As technology advances, the crystal volume that can be used to collect useful X-ray diffraction data decreases. The technologies available to detect and study growing crystals beyond the optical resolution limit and methods to successfully place the crystal into the X-ray beam are discussed. Structural biology has contributed tremendous knowledge to the understanding of life on the molecular scale. The Protein Data Bank, a depository of this structural knowledge, currently contains over 100 000 protein structures, with the majority stemming from X-ray crystallography. As the name might suggest, crystallography requires crystals. As detectors become more sensitive and X-ray sources moremore » intense, the notion of a crystal is gradually changing from one large enough to embellish expensive jewellery to objects that have external dimensions of the order of the wavelength of visible light. Identifying these crystals is a prerequisite to their study. This paper discusses developments in identifying these crystals during crystallization screening and distinguishing them from other potential outcomes. The practical aspects of ensuring that once a crystal is identified it can then be positioned in the X-ray beam for data collection are also addressed.« less

Capillary electrophoresis of chitooligosaccharides in acidic solution: simple determination using a quaternary-ammonium-modified column and indirect photometric detection with crystal violet.

PubMed

Hattori, Toshiaki; Anraku, Nobuhiro; Kato, Ryo

2010-02-01

Five chitosan oligosaccharides were separated in acidic aqueous solution by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with indirect photometric detection using a positively coated capillary. Electrophoretic mobility of the chitooligosaccharides (COSs) depended on the number of monomer units in acidic aqueous solution, similar to other polyelectrolyte oligomers. The separation was developed in nitric acid aqueous solution at pH 3.0 with 1 mM Crystal Violet, using a capillary positively coated with N-trimethoxypropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride. The limit of the detection for chitooligosaccharides with two to six saccharide chains was less than 5 microM. CE determination of an enzymatically hydrolyzed COS agreed with results from HPLC. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

X-ray Scintillation in Lead Halide Perovskite Crystals

PubMed Central

Birowosuto, M. D.; Cortecchia, D.; Drozdowski, W.; Brylew, K.; Lachmanski, W.; Bruno, A.; Soci, C.

2016-01-01

Current technologies for X-ray detection rely on scintillation from expensive inorganic crystals grown at high-temperature, which so far has hindered the development of large-area scintillator arrays. Thanks to the presence of heavy atoms, solution-grown hybrid lead halide perovskite single crystals exhibit short X-ray absorption length and excellent detection efficiency. Here we compare X-ray scintillator characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) MAPbI3 and MAPbBr3 and two-dimensional (2D) (EDBE)PbCl4 hybrid perovskite crystals. X-ray excited thermoluminescence measurements indicate the absence of deep traps and a very small density of shallow trap states, which lessens after-glow effects. All perovskite single crystals exhibit high X-ray excited luminescence yields of >120,000 photons/MeV at low temperature. Although thermal quenching is significant at room temperature, the large exciton binding energy of 2D (EDBE)PbCl4 significantly reduces thermal effects compared to 3D perovskites, and moderate light yield of 9,000 photons/MeV can be achieved even at room temperature. This highlights the potential of 2D metal halide perovskites for large-area and low-cost scintillator devices for medical, security and scientific applications. PMID:27849019

A swing driven by liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Cheng

Angular momentum in liquid crystals exists as flow, director reorientation, etc. However, it is hard to observe and measure angular momentum in liquid crystals by a direct mechanical approach. Torsion pendulum is a general tool to measure angular momentum by torque balance. Our torsion pendulum can harvest the angular momentum in liquid crystals to make it observable. The oscillation of the pendulum keeps increasing by constructively adding a small angular momentum of liquid crystals each period at the resonant frequency of the pendulum. Its similar to a swing driven by a force at its resonant frequency. For the torsion pendulum, a cage made of two aluminum discs, in which a liquid crystal cell is placed, is suspended between two thin tungsten wires. A gold mirror, which is a part of the optical lever system, is attached on one tungsten wire. As first demonstration, we fabricate a circular hybrid liquid crystal cell, which can induce concentric backflows to generate angular momentum. The alignment on the planar substrate is concentric and tangential. Due to the coupling between director rotation and flow, the induced backflow goes around the cell when we add electrical pulses between top and bottom substrates. The oscillation is observed by a position sensitive detector and analyzed on the basis of Eriksen-Leslie theory. With vacuum condition and synchronous driving system, the oscillation signal is improved. We demonstrate that this torsion pendulum can sensitively detect the angular momentum in liquid crystals.

Neutron imaging systems utilizing lithium-containing semiconductor crystals

DOEpatents

Stowe, Ashley C.; Burger, Arnold

2017-04-25

A neutron imaging system, including: a plurality of Li-III-VI.sub.2 semiconductor crystals arranged in an array, wherein III represents a Group III element and VI represents a Group VI element; and electronics operable for detecting and a charge in each of the plurality of crystals in the presence of neutrons and for imaging the neutrons. Each of the crystals is formed by: melting the Group III element; adding the Li to the melted Group III element at a rate that allows the Li and Group III element to react, thereby providing a single phase Li-III compound; and adding the Group VI element to the single phase Li-III compound and heating. Optionally, each of the crystals is also formed by doping with a Group IV element activator.

Crystals of Janus colloids at various interaction ranges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Preisler, Z.; Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht; Vissers, T.

We investigate the effect of interaction range on the phase behaviour of Janus particles with a Kern-Frenkel potential. Specifically, we study interaction ranges Δ = 0.1σ, 0.3σ, 0.4σ, 0.5σ with σ the particle diameter, and use variable box shape simulations to predict crystal structures. We found that changing the interaction range beyond 0.2σ drastically increases the variety of possible crystal structures. In addition to close-packed structures, we find body-centered tetragonal and AA-stacked hexagonal crystals, as well as several lamellar crystals. For long interaction ranges and low temperatures, we also observe an extremely large number of metastable structures which compete withmore » the thermodynamically stable ones. These competing structures hinder the detection of the lowest-energy crystal structures, and are also likely to interfere with the spontaneous formation of the ground-state structure. Finally, we determine the gas-liquid coexistence curves for several interaction ranges, and observe that these are metastable with respect to crystallization.« less

Thermal detection of single e-h pairs in a biased silicon crystal detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romani, R. K.; Brink, P. L.; Cabrera, B.

We demonstrate that individual electron-hole pairs are resolved in a 1 cm 2 by 4 mm thick silicon crystal (0.93 g) operated at ~35 mK. One side of the detector is patterned with two quasiparticle-trap-assisted electro-thermal-feedback transition edge sensor arrays held near ground potential. The other side contains a bias grid with 20% coverage. Bias potentials up to ±160 V were used in the work reported here. A fiber optic provides 650 nm (1.9 eV) photons that each produce an electron-hole (e –h +) pair in the crystal near the grid. The energy of the drifting charges is measured withmore » a phonon sensor noise σ ~0.09 e – h + pair. In conclusion, the observed charge quantization is nearly identical for h +s or e –s transported across the crystal.« less

Thermal detection of single e-h pairs in a biased silicon crystal detector

DOE PAGES

Romani, R. K.; Brink, P. L.; Cabrera, B.; ...

2018-01-23

We demonstrate that individual electron-hole pairs are resolved in a 1 cm 2 by 4 mm thick silicon crystal (0.93 g) operated at ~35 mK. One side of the detector is patterned with two quasiparticle-trap-assisted electro-thermal-feedback transition edge sensor arrays held near ground potential. The other side contains a bias grid with 20% coverage. Bias potentials up to ±160 V were used in the work reported here. A fiber optic provides 650 nm (1.9 eV) photons that each produce an electron-hole (e –h +) pair in the crystal near the grid. The energy of the drifting charges is measured withmore » a phonon sensor noise σ ~0.09 e – h + pair. In conclusion, the observed charge quantization is nearly identical for h +s or e –s transported across the crystal.« less

Compression-induced crystallization of amorphous indomethacin in tablets: characterization of spatial heterogeneity by two-dimensional X-ray diffractometry.

PubMed

Thakral, Naveen K; Mohapatra, Sarat; Stephenson, Gregory A; Suryanarayanan, Raj

2015-01-05

Tablets of amorphous indomethacin were compressed at 10, 25, 50, or 100 MPa using either an unlubricated or a lubricated die and stored individually at 35 °C in sealed Mylar pouches. At selected time points, tablets were analyzed by two-dimensional X-ray diffractometry (2D-XRD), which enabled us to profile the extent of drug crystallization in tablets, in both the radial and axial directions. To evaluate the role of lubricant, magnesium stearate was used as "internal" and/or "external" lubricant. Indomethacin crystallization propensity increased as a function of compression pressure, with 100 MPa pressure causing crystallization immediately after compression (detected using synchrotron radiation). However, the drug crystallization was not uniform throughout the tablets. In unlubricated systems, pronounced crystallization at the radial surface could be attributed to die wall friction. The tablet core remained substantially amorphous, irrespective of the compression pressure. Lubrication of the die wall with magnesium stearate, as external lubricant, dramatically decreased drug crystallization at the radial surface. The spatial heterogeneity in drug crystallization, as a function of formulation composition and compression pressure, was systematically investigated. When formulating amorphous systems as tablets, the potential for compression induced crystallization warrants careful consideration. Very low levels of crystallization on the tablet surface, while profoundly affecting product performance (decrease in dissolution rate), may not be readily detected by conventional analytical techniques. Early detection of crystallization could be pivotal in the successful design of a dosage form where, in order to obtain the desired bioavailability, the drug may be in a high energy state. Specialized X-ray diffractometric techniques (2D; use of high intensity synchrotron radiation) enabled detection of very low levels of drug crystallization and revealed the heterogeneity in

The Pressure induced by salt crystallization in confinement.

PubMed

Desarnaud, J; Bonn, D; Shahidzadeh, N

2016-08-05

Salt crystallization is a major cause of weathering of rocks, artworks and monuments. Damage can only occur if crystals continue to grow in confinement, i.e. within the pore space of these materials, thus generating mechanical stress. We report the direct measurement, at the microscale, of the force exerted by growing alkali halide salt crystals while visualizing their spontaneous nucleation and growth. The experiments reveal the crucial role of the wetting films between the growing crystal and the confining walls for the development of the pressure. Our results suggest that the measured force originates from repulsion between the similarly charged confining wall and the salt crystal separated by a ~1.5 nm liquid film. Indeed, if the walls are made hydrophobic, no film is observed and no repulsive forces are detected. We also show that the magnitude of the induced pressure is system specific explaining why different salts lead to different amounts of damage to porous materials.

Recent Advances in Biosensing With Photonic Crystal Surfaces: A Review

PubMed Central

Cunningham, B.T.; Zhang, M.; Zhuo, Y.; Kwon, L.; Race, C.

2016-01-01

Photonic crystal surfaces that are designed to function as wavelength-selective optical resonators have become a widely adopted platform for label-free biosensing, and for enhancement of the output of photon-emitting tags used throughout life science research and in vitro diagnostics. While some applications, such as analysis of drug-protein interactions, require extremely high resolution and the ability to accurately correct for measurement artifacts, others require sensitivity that is high enough for detection of disease biomarkers in serum with concentrations less than 1 pg/ml. As the analysis of cells becomes increasingly important for studying the behavior of stem cells, cancer cells, and biofilms under a variety of conditions, approaches that enable high resolution imaging of live cells without cytotoxic stains or photobleachable fluorescent dyes are providing new tools to biologists who seek to observe individual cells over extended time periods. This paper will review several recent advances in photonic crystal biosensor detection instrumentation and device structures that are being applied towards direct detection of small molecules in the context of high throughput drug screening, photonic crystal fluorescence enhancement as utilized for high sensitivity multiplexed cancer biomarker detection, and label-free high resolution imaging of cells and individual nanoparticles as a new tool for life science research and single-molecule diagnostics. PMID:27642265

Luminescence of Ga2O3 Crystals Excited with a Runaway Electron Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burachenko, A. G.; Beloplotov, D. V.; Prudaev, I. A.; Sorokin, D. A.; Tarasenko, V. F.; Tolbanov, O. P.

2017-12-01

The spectra and amplitude-time characteristics of the radiation of studied Sn and Fe-doped Ga2O3 crystals excited with a runaway electron beam and an excilamp with a wavelength of 222 nm were investigated. The main contribution to the luminescence of samples in the region of 280-900 nm under excitation with a beam was shown to be made by cathodoluminescence. In the Fe-doped crystal, a new cathodeand photoluminescence band was detected within a wavelength range of 650-850 nm. In the Sn-doped crystal, Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation was detected in the region of 280-300 nm using a monochromator and a photomultiplier.

Steering a crystallization process to reduce crystal polydispersity; case study of insulin crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanev, Christo N.; Petrov, Kostadin P.

2017-12-01

The use of the classical nucleation-growth-separation principle (NGSP) was restricted hitherto to nucleation kinetics studies only. A novel application of the NGSP is proposed. To reduce crystal polydispersity internal seeding of equally-sized crystals is suggested, the advantage being avoidance of crystal grinding, sieving and any introduction of impurities. In the present study, size distributions of grown insulin crystals are interpreted retrospectively to select the proper nucleation stage parameters. The conclusion is that when steering a crystallization process aimed at reducing crystal polydispersity, the shortest possible nucleation stage duration has to be chosen because it renders the closest size distribution of the nucleated crystal seeds. Causes of inherent propensity to increasing crystal polydispersity during prolonged growth are also explored. Step sources of increased activity, present in some crystals while absent in others, are pointed as the major polydispersity cause. Insulin crystal morphology is also considered since it determines the dissolution rate of a crystalline medicine.

Selective detection of Cu2 + and Co2 + in aqueous media: Asymmetric chemosensors, crystal structure and spectroscopic studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogaheh, Samira Gholizadeh; Khanmohammadi, Hamid; Carolina Sañudo, E.

2017-05-01

Two new azo-azomethine receptors, H2L1 and H2L2, containing hydrazine, naphthalene and different electron withdrawing groups, Cl and NO2, have been designed and synthesized for qualitative and quantitative detection of Cu2 + and Co2 + in aqueous media. The crystal structure of H2L1is reported. The H2L1was used as a chemosensor for selective detection of trace amount of Cu2 + in aqueous media. H2L2 was also applied to naked-eye distinction of Cu2 + and Co2 + from other transition metal ions in aqueous media. Detection limit of Cu2 + is 1.13 μM and 1.26 μM, in water, for H2L1 and H2L2, respectively, which are lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended level. The binuclear Cu2 + and Co2 + complexes of the receptors have been also prepared and characterized using spectroscopic methods and MALDI-TOF mass analysis. Furthermore, the binding stoichiometry between the receptors upon the addition Cu2 + and Co2 + has been investigated using Job's plot. Moreover, the fluorescence emission spectra of the receptors and their metal complexes are also reported.

Do protein crystals nucleate within dense liquid clusters?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maes, Dominique, E-mail: dommaes@vub.ac.be; Vorontsova, Maria A.; Potenza, Marco A. C.

2015-06-27

The evolution of protein-rich clusters and nucleating crystals were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), confocal depolarized dynamic light scattering (cDDLS) and depolarized oblique illumination dark-field microscopy. Newly nucleated crystals within protein-rich clusters were detected directly. These observations indicate that the protein-rich clusters are locations for crystal nucleation. Protein-dense liquid clusters are regions of high protein concentration that have been observed in solutions of several proteins. The typical cluster size varies from several tens to several hundreds of nanometres and their volume fraction remains below 10{sup −3} of the solution. According to the two-step mechanism of nucleation, the protein-rich clustersmore » serve as locations for and precursors to the nucleation of protein crystals. While the two-step mechanism explained several unusual features of protein crystal nucleation kinetics, a direct observation of its validity for protein crystals has been lacking. Here, two independent observations of crystal nucleation with the proteins lysozyme and glucose isomerase are discussed. Firstly, the evolutions of the protein-rich clusters and nucleating crystals were characterized simultaneously by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and confocal depolarized dynamic light scattering (cDDLS), respectively. It is demonstrated that protein crystals appear following a significant delay after cluster formation. The cDDLS correlation functions follow a Gaussian decay, indicative of nondiffusive motion. A possible explanation is that the crystals are contained inside large clusters and are driven by the elasticity of the cluster surface. Secondly, depolarized oblique illumination dark-field microscopy reveals the evolution from liquid clusters without crystals to newly nucleated crystals contained in the clusters to grown crystals freely diffusing in the solution. Collectively, the observations indicate that the protein

Method for detecting an image of an object

DOEpatents

Chapman, Leroy Dean; Thomlinson, William C.; Zhong, Zhong

1999-11-16

A method for detecting an absorption, refraction and scatter image of an object by independently analyzing, detecting, digitizing, and combining images acquired on a high and a low angle side of a rocking curve of a crystal analyzer. An x-ray beam which is generated by any suitable conventional apparatus can be irradiated upon either a Bragg type crystal analyzer or a Laue type crystal analyzer. Images of the absorption, refraction and scattering effects are detected, such as on an image plate, and then digitized. The digitized images are simultaneously solved, preferably on a pixel-by-pixel basis, to derive a combined visual image which has dramatically improved contrast and spatial resolution over an image acquired through conventional radiology methods.

Immunosensors using a quartz crystal microbalance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurosawa, Shigeru; Aizawa, Hidenobu; Tozuka, Mitsuhiro; Nakamura, Miki; Park, Jong-Won

2003-11-01

Better analytical technology has been demanded for accurate and rapid determination of trace amounts of chemical compounds, such as marker proteins for disease or endocrine disrupters like dioxin, which might be contained in blood, food and the environment. The study of immunosensors using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has recently focused on conventional detection methods for the determination of chemical compounds together with the development of reagents and processes. This paper introduces the principle of the detection method of QCM immunosensors developed at AIST and its application to the detection of trace amounts of chemical compounds.

Employing a hydrazine linked asymmetric double naphthalene hybrid for efficient naked eye detection of F-: Crystal structure with real application for F-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Arghyadeep; Makhal, Subhash Chandra; Ghosh, Soumen; Guchhait, Nikhil

2018-06-01

An asymmetric hydrazide, (12E, 13E)-2-((naphthalen-1-yl) methylene)-1-(1-(2-hydroxynaphthalen-6-yl) ethylidene) hydrazine (abbreviated as AH) is synthesized and characterized by standard techniques and crystal structure of AH has been obtained. The naked eye detection of F- in aqueous acetonitrile (acetonitrile: water = 7:3/v:v) by AH has been investigated by UV-Visible titration and in presence of other anions, the limit of detection being 1.31 × 10-6(M). The mechanism of F- sensing has been explored by 1H NMR titration. AH undergoes hydrogen bonding with F- followed by deprotonation. The practical utility of AH has been explored by successful test kit response and color change in toothpaste solution.

Method for detecting a mass density image of an object

DOEpatents

Wernick, Miles N [Chicago, IL; Yang, Yongyi [Westmont, IL

2008-12-23

A method for detecting a mass density image of an object. An x-ray beam is transmitted through the object and a transmitted beam is emitted from the object. The transmitted beam is directed at an angle of incidence upon a crystal analyzer. A diffracted beam is emitted from the crystal analyzer onto a detector and digitized. A first image of the object is detected from the diffracted beam emitted from the crystal analyzer when positioned at a first angular position. A second image of the object is detected from the diffracted beam emitted from the crystal analyzer when positioned at a second angular position. A refraction image is obtained and a regularized mathematical inversion algorithm is applied to the refraction image to obtain a mass density image.

Fugitive methane leak detection using mid-infrared hollow-core photonic crystal fiber containing ultrafast laser drilled side-holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karp, Jason; Challener, William; Kasten, Matthias; Choudhury, Niloy; Palit, Sabarni; Pickrell, Gary; Homa, Daniel; Floyd, Adam; Cheng, Yujie; Yu, Fei; Knight, Jonathan

2016-05-01

The increase in domestic natural gas production has brought attention to the environmental impacts of persistent gas leakages. The desire to identify fugitive gas emission, specifically for methane, presents new sensing challenges within the production and distribution supply chain. A spectroscopic gas sensing solution would ideally combine a long optical path length for high sensitivity and distributed detection over large areas. Specialty micro-structured fiber with a hollow core can exhibit a relatively low attenuation at mid-infrared wavelengths where methane has strong absorption lines. Methane diffusion into the hollow core is enabled by machining side-holes along the fiber length through ultrafast laser drilling methods. The complete system provides hundreds of meters of optical path for routing along well pads and pipelines while being interrogated by a single laser and detector. This work will present transmission and methane detection capabilities of mid-infrared photonic crystal fibers. Side-hole drilling techniques for methane diffusion will be highlighted as a means to convert hollow-core fibers into applicable gas sensors.

Metal-Coated <100>-Cut GaAs Coupled to Tapered Parallel-Plate Waveguide for Cherenkov-Phase-Matched Terahertz Detection: Influence of Crystal Thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

delos Santos, Ramon; Mag-usara, Valynn; Tuico, Anthony; Copa, Vernalyn; Salvador, Arnel; Yamamoto, Kohji; Somintac, Armando; Kurihara, Kazuyoshi; Kitahara, Hideaki; Tani, Masahiko; Estacio, Elmer

2018-04-01

The influence of crystal thickness of metal-coated <100>-cut GaAs (M-G-M) on Cherenkov-phase-matched terahertz (THz) pulse detection was studied. The M-G-M detectors were utilized in conjunction with a metallic tapered parallel-plate waveguide (TPPWG). Polarization-sensitive measurements were carried out to exemplify the efficacy of GaAs in detecting transverse magnetic (TM)- and transverse electric (TE)-polarized THz waves. The reduction of GaAs' thickness increased the THz amplitude spectra of the detected TM-polarized THz electro-optic (EO) signal due to enhanced electric field associated with a more tightly-focused and well-concentrated THz radiation on the thinner M-G-M. The higher-fluence THz beam coupled to the thinner M-G-M improved the integrated intensity of the detected THz amplitude spectrum. This trend was not observed for TE-polarized THz waves, wherein the integrated intensities were almost comparable. Nevertheless, good agreement of spectral line shapes of the superposed TM- and TE-polarized THz-EO signals with that of elliptically polarized THz-EO signal demonstrates excellent polarization-resolved detection capabilities of M-G-M via Cherenkov-phase-matched EO sampling technique.

Metal-Coated <100>-Cut GaAs Coupled to Tapered Parallel-Plate Waveguide for Cherenkov-Phase-Matched Terahertz Detection: Influence of Crystal Thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

delos Santos, Ramon; Mag-usara, Valynn; Tuico, Anthony; Copa, Vernalyn; Salvador, Arnel; Yamamoto, Kohji; Somintac, Armando; Kurihara, Kazuyoshi; Kitahara, Hideaki; Tani, Masahiko; Estacio, Elmer

2018-06-01

The influence of crystal thickness of metal-coated <100>-cut GaAs (M-G-M) on Cherenkov-phase-matched terahertz (THz) pulse detection was studied. The M-G-M detectors were utilized in conjunction with a metallic tapered parallel-plate waveguide (TPPWG). Polarization-sensitive measurements were carried out to exemplify the efficacy of GaAs in detecting transverse magnetic (TM)- and transverse electric (TE)-polarized THz waves. The reduction of GaAs' thickness increased the THz amplitude spectra of the detected TM-polarized THz electro-optic (EO) signal due to enhanced electric field associated with a more tightly-focused and well-concentrated THz radiation on the thinner M-G-M. The higher-fluence THz beam coupled to the thinner M-G-M improved the integrated intensity of the detected THz amplitude spectrum. This trend was not observed for TE-polarized THz waves, wherein the integrated intensities were almost comparable. Nevertheless, good agreement of spectral line shapes of the superposed TM- and TE-polarized THz-EO signals with that of elliptically polarized THz-EO signal demonstrates excellent polarization-resolved detection capabilities of M-G-M via Cherenkov-phase-matched EO sampling technique.

Photonic crystals at visible, x-ray, and terahertz frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, Tushar

Photonic crystals are artificial structures with a periodically varying refractive index. This property allows photonic crystals to control the propagation of photons, making them desirable components for novel photonic devices. Photonic crystals are also termed as "semiconductors of light", since they control the flow of electromagnetic radiation similar to the way electrons are excited in a semiconductor crystal. The scale of periodicity in the refractive index determines the frequency (or wavelength) of the electromagnetic waves that can be manipulated. This thesis presents a detailed analysis of photonic crystals at visible, x-ray, and terahertz frequencies. Self-assembly and spin-coating methods are used to fabricate colloidal photonic crystals at visible frequencies. Their dispersion characteristics are examined through theoretical as well as experimental studies. Based on their peculiar dispersion property called the superprism effect, a sensor that can detect small quantities of chemical substances is designed. A photonic crystal that can manipulate x-rays is fabricated by using crystals of a non-toxic plant virus as templates. Calculations show that these metallized three-dimensional crystals can find utility in x-ray optical systems. Terahertz photonic crystal slabs are fabricated by standard lithographic and etching techniques. In-plane superprism effect and out-of-plane guided resonances are studied by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, and verified by numerical simulations.

Using channelized Hotelling observers to quantify temporal effects of medical liquid crystal displays on detection performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Platiša, Ljiljana; Goossens, Bart; Vansteenkiste, Ewout; Badano, Aldo; Philips, Wilfried

2010-02-01

Clinical practice is rapidly moving in the direction of volumetric imaging. Often, radiologists interpret these images in liquid crystal displays at browsing rates of 30 frames per second or higher. However, recent studies suggest that the slow response of the display can compromise image quality. In order to quantify the temporal effect of medical displays on detection performance, we investigate two designs of a multi-slice channelized Hotelling observer (msCHO) model in the task of detecting a single-slice signal in multi-slice simulated images. The design of msCHO models is inspired by simplifying assumptions about how humans observe while viewing in the stack-browsing mode. For comparison, we consider a standard CHO applied only on the slice where the signal is located, recently used in a similar study. We refer to it as a single-slice CHO (ssCHO). Overall, our results confirm previous findings that the slow response of displays degrades the detection performance of the observers. More specifically, the observed performance range of msCHO designs is higher compared to the ssCHO suggesting that the extent and rate of degradation, though significant, may be less drastic than previously estimated by the ssCHO. Especially, the difference between msCHO and ssCHO is more significant for higher browsing speeds than for slow image sequences or static images. This, together with their design criteria driven by the assumptions about humans, makes the msCHO models promising candidates for further studies aimed at building anthropomorphic observer models for the stack-mode image presentation.

Anti-solvent crystallization of L-threonine in Taylor crystallizers and MSMPR crystallizer: Effect of fluid dynamic motions on crystal size, shape, and recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sooyun; Lee, Choul-Ho; Kim, Woo-Sik

2017-07-01

The influence of the fluid dynamic motions of a periodic Taylor vortex and random turbulent eddy on the anti-solvent crystallization of L-threonine was investigated. The Taylor vortex flow and random turbulent eddy flow were generated by the inner cylinder rotation in a Couette-Taylor (CT) crystallizer and the impeller agitation in a mixed-suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer, respectively. Furthermore, the circumferentially sinusoidal fluctuation of a Taylor vortex was induced in an elliptical Couette-Taylor (ECT) crystallizer . The periodic Taylor vortex flows in the CT and ECT crystallizers resulted in a smaller crystal size and higher crystal recovery ratio of L-threonine than the random turbulent flow in the MSMPR crystallizer due to induction of a higher supersaturation, resulting in a higher nucleation in the CT and ECT crystallizers than in the MSMPR crystallizer. Thus, the crystal size was reduced and the crystal recovery ratio enhanced when increasing the rotation/agitation speed and feed flow rate in the CT, ECT, and MSMPR crystallizers. When increasing the temperature, the crystal size and crystal recovery ratio were both increased due an enhanced mass transfer for crystal growth. The crystal morphology changes according to the fluid dynamic motion with various crystallization conditions were well correlated in terms of the supersaturation.

Label-free detection of protein-ligand interactions by the quartz crystal microbalance.

PubMed

Janshoff, Andreas; Steinem, Claudia

2005-01-01

In recent years the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has been accepted as a powerful technique to monitor adsorption processes at interfaces in different chemical and biological research areas. In the last decade, the investigation of adsorption of biomolecules on functionalized surfaces turned out to be one of the paramount applications of the QCM comprising the interaction of nucleic acids, specific molecular recognition of protein-receptor couples, and antigen-antibody reactions realized in immunosensors. The advantage of the QCM technique is that it allows for a label free detection of molecules. This is a result of the fact that the frequency response of the quartz resonator is proportional to the increase in thickness of the adsorbed layer. However, in recent years it became more and more evident that quartz resonators used in fluids are more than mere mass or thickness sensors. The sensor response is also influenced by viscoelastic properties of the adhered biomaterial, surface charges of adsorbed molecules and surface roughness. These phenomena have been used to get new insights in the adhesion process of living cells and to understand their response to pharmacological substances by determining morphological changes of the cells. In this chapter we describe a protocol to explore the kinetics and thermodynamics of specific interactions of different proteins such as lectins and annexins with their ligands using receptor bearing solid supported lipid bilayers.

Iron single crystal growth from a lithium-rich melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fix, M.; Schumann, H.; Jantz, S. G.; Breitner, F. A.; Leineweber, A.; Jesche, A.

2018-03-01

α -Fe single crystals of rhombic dodecahedral habit were grown from a Li84N12Fe∼3 melt. Crystals of several millimeter along a side form at temperatures around T ≈ 800 ° C. Upon further cooling the growth competes with the formation of Fe-doped Li3N. The b.c.c. structure and good sample quality of α -Fe single crystals were confirmed by X-ray and electron diffraction as well as magnetization measurements and chemical analysis. A nitrogen concentration of 90 ppm was detected by means of carrier gas hot extraction. Scanning electron microscopy did not reveal any sign of iron nitride precipitates.

Photonic Paint Developed with Metallic Three-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

PubMed Central

Sun, Po; Williams, John D.

2012-01-01

This work details the design and simulation of an inconspicuous photonic paint that can be applied onto an object for anticounterfeit and tag, track, and locate (TTL) applications. The paint consists of three-dimensional metallic tilted woodpile photonic crystals embedded into a visible and infrared transparent polymer film, which can be applied to almost any surface. The tilted woodpile photonic crystals are designed with a specific pass band detectable at nearly all incident angles of light. When painted onto a surface, these crystals provide a unique reflective infra-red optical signature that can be easily observed and recorded to verify the location or contents of a package.

Abundant Cool Magnesium-Rich Pyroxene Crystals in Comet Hale-Bopp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wooden, D. H.

1999-01-01

Modeling of the observed dust emission from Comet Hale-Bopp over a large range of heliocentric distances (2.8 AU - 0.93 AU -1.7 AU) led to the discovery of Mg-rich pyroxene crystals in the coma These pyroxene crystals are apparent in the 10 micron spectrum only when the comet is close to perihelion (r(sub h) = 1.2 AU) because they are cooler than the other silicate minerals. The pyroxene crystals are cooler than the other species because of their high Mg-content. They do not absorb as efficiently as the other silicate minerals. Given the same high Mg content of Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.9, radiative equilibrium computations show that pyroxene crystals are expected to be 150 K cooler than olivine crystals. The pyroxene crystals are also about 10x more abundant than the other silicate mineral species. Their high Mg content and relatively large abundance are in agreement with the preponderance of pyroxene interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and the recent reanalysis of the PUMA-I flyby of Comet Halley. Before Hale-Bopp, only olivine crystals were detected spectroscopically in comets, probably because the pyroxene crystals are less optically active, hence significantly cooler and harder to detect in contrast to the warmer silicate species. Determining the relative abundances of silicate minerals depends on their Mg contents. If the pyroxene crystals in Comet Hale-Bopp are solar nebula condensates, then they probably had to form during the early FU Orionis epoch when the inner disk was hot enough and be transported out to the region of formation of icy planetesimals without being reheated. Reheating events appear to reincorporate Fe back into the crystals or form Fe-rich rims, which are not consistent with the high-Mg-content crystals. The condensation of Mg-rich pyroxene crystals is expected from solar nebula thermal equilibrium computations. However, their subsequent transport to the outer solar nebula unaltered has yet to be theoretically demonstrated. The discovery of Mg

1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate Film as a Highly Selective Sensing Material for Non-Invasive Detection of Acetone Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance.

PubMed

Tao, Wenyan; Lin, Peng; Liu, Sili; Xie, Qingji; Ke, Shanming; Zeng, Xierong

2017-01-20

Breath acetone serves as a biomarker for diabetes. This article reports 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim][BF₄]), a type of room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), as a selective sensing material for acetone. The RTIL sensing layer was coated on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for detection. The sensing mechanism is based on a decrease in viscosity and density of the [bmim][BF₄] film due to the solubilization of acetone leading to a positive frequency shift in the QCM. Acetone was detected with a linear range from 7.05 to 750 ppmv. Sensitivity and limit of detection were found to be 3.49 Hz/ppmv and 5.0 ppmv, respectively. The [bmim][BF₄]-modified QCM sensor demonstrated anti-interference ability to commonly found volatile organic compounds in breath, e.g., isoprene, 1,2-pentadiene, d -limonene, and dl -limonene. This technology is useful for applications in non-invasive early diabetic diagnosis.

Label-Free Biosensor Imaging on Photonic Crystal Surfaces.

PubMed

Zhuo, Yue; Cunningham, Brian T

2015-08-28

We review the development and application of nanostructured photonic crystal surfaces and a hyperspectral reflectance imaging detection instrument which, when used together, represent a new form of optical microscopy that enables label-free, quantitative, and kinetic monitoring of biomaterial interaction with substrate surfaces. Photonic Crystal Enhanced Microscopy (PCEM) has been used to detect broad classes of materials which include dielectric nanoparticles, metal plasmonic nanoparticles, biomolecular layers, and live cells. Because PCEM does not require cytotoxic stains or photobleachable fluorescent dyes, it is especially useful for monitoring the long-term interactions of cells with extracellular matrix surfaces. PCEM is only sensitive to the attachment of cell components within ~200 nm of the photonic crystal surface, which may correspond to the region of most interest for adhesion processes that involve stem cell differentiation, chemotaxis, and metastasis. PCEM has also demonstrated sufficient sensitivity for sensing nanoparticle contrast agents that are roughly the same size as protein molecules, which may enable applications in "digital" diagnostics with single molecule sensing resolution. We will review PCEM's development history, operating principles, nanostructure design, and imaging modalities that enable tracking of optical scatterers, emitters, absorbers, and centers of dielectric permittivity.

Label-Free Biosensor Imaging on Photonic Crystal Surfaces

PubMed Central

Zhuo, Yue; Cunningham, Brian T.

2015-01-01

We review the development and application of nanostructured photonic crystal surfaces and a hyperspectral reflectance imaging detection instrument which, when used together, represent a new form of optical microscopy that enables label-free, quantitative, and kinetic monitoring of biomaterial interaction with substrate surfaces. Photonic Crystal Enhanced Microscopy (PCEM) has been used to detect broad classes of materials which include dielectric nanoparticles, metal plasmonic nanoparticles, biomolecular layers, and live cells. Because PCEM does not require cytotoxic stains or photobleachable fluorescent dyes, it is especially useful for monitoring the long-term interactions of cells with extracellular matrix surfaces. PCEM is only sensitive to the attachment of cell components within ~200 nm of the photonic crystal surface, which may correspond to the region of most interest for adhesion processes that involve stem cell differentiation, chemotaxis, and metastasis. PCEM has also demonstrated sufficient sensitivity for sensing nanoparticle contrast agents that are roughly the same size as protein molecules, which may enable applications in “digital” diagnostics with single molecule sensing resolution. We will review PCEM’s development history, operating principles, nanostructure design, and imaging modalities that enable tracking of optical scatterers, emitters, absorbers, and centers of dielectric permittivity. PMID:26343684

Cancer biomarker detection in serum samples using surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance sensors with nanoparticle signal amplification.

PubMed

Uludag, Yildiz; Tothill, Ibtisam E

2012-07-17

Early detection of cancer is vital for the successful treatment of the disease. Hence, a rapid and sensitive diagnosis is essential before the cancer is spread out to the other body organs. Here we describe the development of a point-of-care immunosensor for the detection of the cancer biomarker (total prostate-specific antigen, tPSA) using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor platforms in human serum samples. K(D) of the antibody used toward PSA was calculated as 9.46 × 10(-10) M, indicating high affinity of the antibody used in developing the assay. By performing a sandwich assay using antibody-modified nanoparticles concentrations of 2.3 ng mL(-1) (Au, 20 nm) and 0.29 ng mL(-1) (8.5 pM) (Au, 40 nm) tPSA in 75% human serum were detected using the developed assay on an SPR sensor chip. The SPR sensor results were found to be comparable to that achieved using a QCM sensor platform, indicating that both systems can be applied for disease biomarkers screening. The clinical applicability of the developed immunoassay can therefore be successfully applied to patient's serum samples. This demonstrates the high potential of the developed sensor devices as platforms for clinical prostate cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Defect studies of ZnO single crystals electrochemically doped with hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čížek, J.; Žaludová, N.; Vlach, M.; Daniš, S.; Kuriplach, J.; Procházka, I.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Grambole, D.; Skorupa, W.; Gemma, R.; Kirchheim, R.; Pundt, A.

2008-03-01

Various defect studies of hydrothermally grown (0001) oriented ZnO crystals electrochemically doped with hydrogen are presented. The hydrogen content in the crystals is determined by nuclear reaction analysis and it is found that already 0.3at.% H exists in chemically bound form in the virgin ZnO crystals. A single positron lifetime of 182ps is detected in the virgin crystals and attributed to saturated positron trapping at Zn vacancies surrounded by hydrogen atoms. It is demonstrated that a very high amount of hydrogen (up to ˜30at.%) can be introduced into the crystals by electrochemical doping. More than half of this amount is chemically bound, i.e., incorporated into the ZnO crystal lattice. This drastic increase of the hydrogen concentration is of marginal impact on the measured positron lifetime, whereas a contribution of positrons annihilated by electrons belonging to O-H bonds formed in the hydrogen doped crystal is found in coincidence Doppler broadening spectra. The formation of hexagonal shape pyramids on the surface of the hydrogen doped crystals by optical microscopy is observed and discussed.

Quartz-like Crystals Found in Planetary Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has, for the first time, detected tiny quartz-like crystals sprinkled in young planetary systems. The crystals, which are types of silica minerals called cristobalite and tridymite, can be seen close-up in the black-and-white insets (cristobalite is on the left, and tridymite on the right). The main picture is an artist's concept of a young star and its swirling disk of planet-forming materials.

Cristobalite and tridymite are thought to be two of many planet ingredients. On Earth, they are normally found as tiny crystals in volcanic lava flows and meteorites from space. These minerals are both related to quartz. For example, if you were to heat the familiar quartz crystals often sold as mystical tokens, the quartz would transform into cristobalite and tridymite.

Because cristobalite and tridymite require rapid heating and cooling to form, astronomers say they were most likely generated by shock waves traveling through the planetary disks.

The insets are Scanning Electron Microscope pictures courtesy of George Rossman of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.

Crystal growth of cholesterol in hydrogels and its characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manuel Bravo-Arredondo, J.; Moreno, A.; Mendoza, M. E.

2014-09-01

In this work, we report the crystallization of cholesterol in ethanol solution and in three different hydrogel media: tetramethyl orthosilane, sodium metasilicate, and poly(vinyl)alcohol, whose structures are similar to the gel-like polymer structure of mucin, which is found in the mucus present in bile stone formation. The monohydrated triclinic phase was identified in all the samples by means of X-ray powder diffraction. The characteristic polymorphic crystalline transition of the anhydrous cholesterol was detected by differential thermal analysis and modulated differential scanning calorimetry only in crystals grown in ethanol, sodium silicate, and tetramethyl orthosilane. Finally, hysteresis of the phase transition temperature was measured by modulated differential scanning calorimetry in crystals grown in ethanol. The biological implications of the crystallization of cholesterol for bile stones formation are discussed in the last part of this contribution.

Homogeneous crystal nucleation in Ni droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kožíšek, Zdeněk; Demo, Pavel

2017-10-01

Crystal nucleation kinetics is often represented by induction times or metastable zone widths (Kulkarni et al., 2013; Bokeloh et al., 2011). Repeating measurements of supercooling or time delay, at which phase transition is detected, are statistically processed to determine the so-called survivorship function, from which nucleation rate is computed. The size distribution of nuclei is difficult to measure near the critical size directly, and it is not clear which amount of nuclei is formed at the moment when the phase transition is detected. In the present paper, kinetic nucleation equations are solved for the crystal nucleation in Ni liquid droplet to determine the number of nuclei formed within a considered system. Analysis of supercooling experimental data, based on the classical nucleation theory CNT), computes appropriate values of the nucleation rate. However, CNT underestimates the number of nuclei F (F ≪ 1 for supercritical sizes). Taking into account the dependence of the surface energy on nucleus size to data analysis overcomes this discrepancy and leads to reasonable values of the size distribution of nuclei.

Electrical detection and analysis of surface acoustic wave in line-defect two-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Feida; Li, Honglang; Tian, Yahui; Ke, Yabing; Cheng, Lina; Lou, Wei; He, Shitang

2018-03-01

Line-defect piezoelectric phononic crystals (PCs) show good potential applications in surface acoustic wave (SAW) MEMS devices for RF communication systems. To analyze the SAW characteristics in line-defect two-dimensional (2D) piezoelectric PCs, optical methods are commonly used. However, the optical instruments are complex and expensive, whereas conventional electrical methods can only measure SAW transmission of the whole device and lack spatial resolution. In this paper, we propose a new electrical experimental method with multiple receiving interdigital transducers (IDTs) to detect the SAW field distribution, in which an array of receiving IDTs of equal aperture was used to receive the SAW. For this new method, SAW delay lines with perfect and line-defect 2D Al/128°YXLiNbO3 piezoelectric PCs on the transmitting path were designed and fabricated. The experimental results showed that the SAW distributed mainly in the line-defect region, which agrees with the theoretical results.

1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate Film as a Highly Selective Sensing Material for Non-Invasive Detection of Acetone Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance

PubMed Central

Tao, Wenyan; Lin, Peng; Liu, Sili; Xie, Qingji; Ke, Shanming; Zeng, Xierong

2017-01-01

Breath acetone serves as a biomarker for diabetes. This article reports 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim][BF4]), a type of room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), as a selective sensing material for acetone. The RTIL sensing layer was coated on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for detection. The sensing mechanism is based on a decrease in viscosity and density of the [bmim][BF4] film due to the solubilization of acetone leading to a positive frequency shift in the QCM. Acetone was detected with a linear range from 7.05 to 750 ppmv. Sensitivity and limit of detection were found to be 3.49 Hz/ppmv and 5.0 ppmv, respectively. The [bmim][BF4]-modified QCM sensor demonstrated anti-interference ability to commonly found volatile organic compounds in breath, e.g., isoprene, 1,2-pentadiene, d-limonene, and dl-limonene. This technology is useful for applications in non-invasive early diabetic diagnosis. PMID:28117697

Crystal-to-Crystal Transition of Ultrasoft Colloids under Shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Franco, J.; Marakis, J.; Gnan, N.; Kohlbrecher, J.; Gauthier, M.; Lettinga, M. P.; Vlassopoulos, D.; Zaccarelli, E.

2018-02-01

Ultrasoft colloids typically do not spontaneously crystallize, but rather vitrify, at high concentrations. Combining in situ rheo-small-angle-neutron-scattering experiments and numerical simulations we show that shear facilitates crystallization of colloidal star polymers in the vicinity of their glass transition. With increasing shear rate well beyond rheological yielding, a transition is found from an initial bcc-dominated structure to an fcc-dominated one. This crystal-to-crystal transition is not accompanied by intermediate melting but occurs via a sudden reorganization of the crystal structure. Our results provide a new avenue to tailor colloidal crystallization and the crystal-to-crystal transition at the molecular level by coupling softness and shear.

Mechanisms for pressure-induced crystal-crystal transition, amorphization, and devitrification of Snl 4

DOE PAGES

Liu, Hanyu; Tse, John S.; Hu, Michael Y.; ...

2015-10-27

The pressure-induced amorphization and subsequent recrystallization of SnI 4 have been investigated using first principles molecular dynamics calculations together with high-pressure 119Sn nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements. Above ~8 GPa, we observe a transformation from an ambient crystalline phase to an intermediate crystal structure and a subsequent recrystallization into a cubic phase at ~64 GPa. The crystalline-to-amorphous transition was identified on the basis of elastic compatibility criteria. The measured tin vibrational density of states shows large amplitude librations of SnI 4 under ambient conditions. Although high pressure structures of SnI 4 were thought to be determined by random packingmore » of equal-sized spheres, we detected electron charge transfer in each phase. As a result, this charge transfer results in a crystal structure packing determined by larger than expected iodine atoms. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.« less

Mechanisms for pressure-induced crystal-crystal transition, amorphization, and devitrification of SnI4.

PubMed

Liu, H; Tse, J S; Hu, M Y; Bi, W; Zhao, J; Alp, E E; Pasternak, M; Taylor, R D; Lashley, J C

2015-10-28

The pressure-induced amorphization and subsequent recrystallization of SnI4 have been investigated using first principles molecular dynamics calculations together with high-pressure (119)Sn nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements. Above ∼8 GPa, we observe a transformation from an ambient crystalline phase to an intermediate crystal structure and a subsequent recrystallization into a cubic phase at ∼64 GPa. The crystalline-to-amorphous transition was identified on the basis of elastic compatibility criteria. The measured tin vibrational density of states shows large amplitude librations of SnI4 under ambient conditions. Although high pressure structures of SnI4 were thought to be determined by random packing of equal-sized spheres, we detected electron charge transfer in each phase. This charge transfer results in a crystal structure packing determined by larger than expected iodine atoms.

Direct detection of density of gap states in C60 single crystals by photoemission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bussolotti, Fabio; Yang, Janpeng; Hiramoto, Masahiro; Kaji, Toshihiko; Kera, Satoshi; Ueno, Nobuo

2015-09-01

We report on the direct and quantitative evaluation of density of gap states (DOGS) in large-size C60 single crystals by using ultralow-background, high-sensitivity ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. The charging of the crystals during photoionization was overcome using photoconduction induced by simultaneous laser irradiation. By comparison with the spectra of as-deposited and gas exposed C60 thin films the following results were found: (i) The DOGS near the highest occupied molecular orbital edge in the C60 single crystals (1019-1021states e V-1c m-3) mainly originates from the exposure to inert and ambient gas atmosphere during the sample preparation, storage, and transfer; (ii) the contribution of other sources of gap states such as structural imperfections at grain boundaries is negligible (<1018states e V-1c m-3) .

Luminescence and radiation resistance of undoped NaI crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shiran, N., E-mail: shiran@isc.kharkov.com; Boiaryntseva, I.; Gektin, A.

2014-11-15

Highlights: • The performance of NaI scintillators depends on luminescence properties. • A criterion of crystals’ purity level is radiation colorability at room temperature. • The traces of the most dangerous impurities were detected. • Crucial role in efficiency of pure NaI scintillator play the crystal perfection. - Abstract: Undoped NaI single crystal is an excellent scintillator at low temperature. However, scintillation parameters of different quality crystals vary in a wide range, significantly exceeding measurement error. Experimental data demonstrate the features of luminescence, radiation induced coloration, and afterglow dependence on the quality of nominally pure crystals. It is found thatmore » defects level that allows to elucidate artefacts introduced by traces of harmful impurities corresponds to 3 × 10{sup 15} cm{sup −3} that significantly overhead accuracy of chemical and absorption analysis. It is shown that special raw material treatment before and during the single crystal growth allows to reach NaI purity level that avoids impurities influence to the basic luminescence data.« less

YAP:Ce scintillator characteristics for neutron detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Viererbl, L.; Klupak, V.; Vins, M.

2015-07-01

YAP:Ce (YAlO{sub 3}:Ce{sup +}, Yttrium Aluminum Perovskite, Ce{sup +} doped) crystals with appropriate converters seem like prospective scintillators for neutron detection. An important aspect for neutron detection with inorganic scintillators is the ability to discriminate neutron radiation from gamma radiation by pulse height of signals. For a detailed measurement of the aspect, a YAP:Ce crystal scintillator with lithium or hydrogen converters and a photomultiplier was used. A plutonium-beryllium neutron source and horizontal neutron channel beams of the LVR-15 research reactor were used as neutron sources. The measurement confirmed the possibility to use the YAP:Ce scintillator for neutron radiation detection. Themore » degree of discrimination between neutron and gamma radiation for different detection configurations was studied. (authors)« less

A generalized crystal-cutting method for modeling arbitrarily oriented crystals in 3D periodic simulation cells with applications to crystal-crystal interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroonblawd, Matthew P.; Mathew, Nithin; Jiang, Shan; Sewell, Thomas D.

2016-10-01

A Generalized Crystal-Cutting Method (GCCM) is developed that automates construction of three-dimensionally periodic simulation cells containing arbitrarily oriented single crystals and thin films, two-dimensionally (2D) infinite crystal-crystal homophase and heterophase interfaces, and nanostructures with intrinsic N-fold interfaces. The GCCM is based on a simple mathematical formalism that facilitates easy definition of constraints on cut crystal geometries. The method preserves the translational symmetry of all Bravais lattices and thus can be applied to any crystal described by such a lattice including complicated, low-symmetry molecular crystals. Implementations are presented with carefully articulated combinations of loop searches and constraints that drastically reduce computational complexity compared to simple loop searches. Orthorhombic representations of monoclinic and triclinic crystals found using the GCCM overcome some limitations in standard distributions of popular molecular dynamics software packages. Stability of grain boundaries in β-HMX was investigated using molecular dynamics and molecular statics simulations with 2D infinite crystal-crystal homophase interfaces created using the GCCM. The order of stabilities for the four grain boundaries studied is predicted to correlate with the relative prominence of particular crystal faces in lab-grown β-HMX crystals. We demonstrate how nanostructures can be constructed through simple constraints applied in the GCCM framework. Example GCCM constructions are shown that are relevant to some current problems in materials science, including shock sensitivity of explosives, layered electronic devices, and pharmaceuticals.

Structure of bovine cytochrome c oxidase crystallized at a neutral pH using a fluorinated detergent.

PubMed

Luo, Fangjia; Shinzawa-Itoh, Kyoko; Hagimoto, Kaede; Shimada, Atsuhiro; Shimada, Satoru; Yamashita, Eiki; Yoshikawa, Shinya; Tsukihara, Tomitake

2017-07-01

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) couples proton pumping to O 2 reduction. Its enzymatic activity depends sensitively on pH over a wide range. However, owing to difficulty in crystallizing this protein, X-ray structure analyses of bovine CcO aimed at understanding its reaction mechanism have been conducted using crystals prepared at pH 5.7, which is significantly lower than that in the cell. Here, oxidized CcO at pH 7.3 was crystallized using a fluorinated octyl-maltoside derivative, and the structure was determined at 1.77 Å resolution. No structural differences between crystals obtained at the neutral pH and the acidic pH were detected within the molecules. On the other hand, some differences in intermolecular interactions were detected between the two types of crystal. The influence of pH on the molecular surface is likely to contribute to the pH dependency of the aerobic oxidation of ferrocytochrome c.

Crystalline structures, thermal properties and crystallizing mechanism of polyamide 6 nanotubes in confined space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoru; Peng, Zhi; Yang, Chao; Han, Ping; Song, Guojun; Cong, Longliang

2016-09-01

The polyamide 6 (PA6) nanotubes were prepared by infiltrating the anodic aluminum oxide templates with polymer solution. Crystalline regions in the nanotube walls were detected by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques were employed to investigate crystallization, crystal faces and thermodynamics. It was found that the crystals were transformed from α-form in bulk to γ-form in nanotubes. It was made a detailed analysis in this article. Moreover, schematic diagram for the crystallizing mechanism of PA6 nanotubes was given to explain PA6 molecules how to crystallize in the nano-pores.

Protein purification and crystallization artifacts: The tale usually not told.

PubMed

Niedzialkowska, Ewa; Gasiorowska, Olga; Handing, Katarzyna B; Majorek, Karolina A; Porebski, Przemyslaw J; Shabalin, Ivan G; Zasadzinska, Ewelina; Cymborowski, Marcin; Minor, Wladek

2016-03-01

The misidentification of a protein sample, or contamination of a sample with the wrong protein, may be a potential reason for the non-reproducibility of experiments. This problem may occur in the process of heterologous overexpression and purification of recombinant proteins, as well as purification of proteins from natural sources. If the contaminated or misidentified sample is used for crystallization, in many cases the problem may not be detected until structures are determined. In the case of functional studies, the problem may not be detected for years. Here several procedures that can be successfully used for the identification of crystallized protein contaminants, including: (i) a lattice parameter search against known structures, (ii) sequence or fold identification from partially built models, and (iii) molecular replacement with common contaminants as search templates have been presented. A list of common contaminant structures to be used as alternative search models was provided. These methods were used to identify four cases of purification and crystallization artifacts. This report provides troubleshooting pointers for researchers facing difficulties in phasing or model building. © 2016 The Protein Society.

Mechanism of radiative recombination in acceptor-doped bulk GaN crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godlewski, M.; Suski, T.; Grzegory, I.; Porowski, S.; Bergman, J. P.; Chen, W. M.; Monemar, B.

1999-12-01

Optical and electrical properties of acceptor-doped bulk GaN crystals are discussed. Though introducing Zn and Ca to bulk GaN does not significantly change electron concentration, it results in the appearance of a blue photoluminescence band accompanying the relatively strong yellow band usually present. Highly resistive GaN : Mg crystals are obtained when high amount of Mg is introduced to the Ga melt during high-pressure synthesis. Change of electrical properties of Mg-doped bulk crystals is accompanied by the appearance of a strong blue emission of GaN similar to that in Ca- and Zn-doped crystals. Optically detected magnetic resonance investigations indicate a multi-band character of this blue emission and suggest possible mechanism of compensation in acceptor-doped bulk GaN.

Infrared Signal Detection by Upconversion Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Teh-Hwa; Yu, Jirong; Bai, Yingxin; Johnson, William E.

2014-01-01

We demonstrated up-conversion assisted detection of a 2.05-micron signal by using a bulk periodically poled Lithium niobate crystal. The 94% intrinsic up-conversion efficiency and 22.58% overall detection efficiency at pW level of 2.05-micron was achieved.

Crystal-defect-induced facet-dependent electrocatalytic activity of 3D gold nanoflowers for the selective nanomolar detection of ascorbic acid.

PubMed

De, Sandip Kumar; Mondal, Subrata; Sen, Pintu; Pal, Uttam; Pathak, Biswarup; Rawat, Kuber Singh; Bardhan, Munmun; Bhattacharya, Maireyee; Satpati, Biswarup; De, Amitabha; Senapati, Dulal

2018-06-14

Understanding and exploring the decisive factors responsible for superlative catalytic efficiency is necessary to formulate active electrode materials for improved electrocatalysis and high-throughput sensing. This research demonstrates the ability of bud-shaped gold nanoflowers (AuNFs), intermediates in the bud-to-blossom gold nanoflower synthesis, to offer remarkable electrocatalytic efficiency in the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) at nanomolar concentrations. Multicomponent sensing in a single potential sweep is measured using differential pulse voltammetry while the kinetic parameters are estimated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The outstanding catalytic activity of bud-structured AuNF [iAuNFp(Bud)/iGCp ≅ 100] compared with other bud-to-blossom intermediate nanostructures is explained by studying their structural transitions, charge distributions, crystalline patterns, and intrinsic irregularities/defects. Detailed microscopic analysis shows that density of crystal defects, such as edges, terraces, steps, ledges, kinks, and dislocation, plays a major role in producing the high catalytic efficiency. An associated ab initio simulation provides necessary support for the projected role of different crystal facets as selective catalytic sites. Density functional theory corroborates the appearance of inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonding within AA molecules to control the resultant fingerprint peak potentials at variable concentrations. Bud-structured AuNF facilitates AA detection at nanomolar levels in a multicomponent pathological sample.

The Biological Macromolecule Crystallization Database and NASA Protein Crystal Growth Archive

PubMed Central

Gilliland, Gary L.; Tung, Michael; Ladner, Jane

1996-01-01

The NIST/NASA/CARB Biological Macromolecule Crystallization Database (BMCD), NIST Standard Reference Database 21, contains crystal data and crystallization conditions for biological macromolecules. The database entries include data abstracted from published crystallographic reports. Each entry consists of information describing the biological macromolecule crystallized and crystal data and the crystallization conditions for each crystal form. The BMCD serves as the NASA Protein Crystal Growth Archive in that it contains protocols and results of crystallization experiments undertaken in microgravity (space). These database entries report the results, whether successful or not, from NASA-sponsored protein crystal growth experiments in microgravity and from microgravity crystallization studies sponsored by other international organizations. The BMCD was designed as a tool to assist x-ray crystallographers in the development of protocols to crystallize biological macromolecules, those that have previously been crystallized, and those that have not been crystallized. PMID:11542472

Multiplexed DNA detection using spectrally encoded porous SiO2 photonic crystal particles.

PubMed

Meade, Shawn O; Chen, Michelle Y; Sailor, Michael J; Miskelly, Gordon M

2009-04-01

A particle-based multiplexed DNA assay based on encoded porous SiO(2) photonic crystal disks is demonstrated. A "spectral barcode" is generated by electrochemical etch of a single-crystal silicon wafer using a programmed current-time waveform. A lithographic procedure is used to isolate cylindrical microparticles 25 microm in diameter and 10 microm thick, which are then oxidized, modified with a silane linker, and conjugated to various amino-functionalized oligonucleotide probes via cyanuric chloride. It is shown that the particles can be decoded based on their reflectivity spectra and that a multiple analyte assay can be performed in a single sample with a modified fluorescence microscope. The homogeneity of the reflectivity and fluorescence spectra, both within and across the microparticles, is also reported.

Photonic time crystals.

PubMed

Zeng, Lunwu; Xu, Jin; Wang, Chengen; Zhang, Jianhua; Zhao, Yuting; Zeng, Jing; Song, Runxia

2017-12-07

When space (time) translation symmetry is spontaneously broken, the space crystal (time crystal) forms; when permittivity and permeability periodically vary with space (time), the photonic crystal (photonic time crystal) forms. We proposed the concept of photonic time crystal and rewritten the Maxwell's equations. Utilizing Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, we simulated electromagnetic wave propagation in photonic time crystal and photonic space-time crystal, the simulation results show that more intensive scatter fields can obtained in photonic time crystal and photonic space-time crystal.

Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction from a crystal with subsurface defects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gaevskii, A. Yu., E-mail: transilv@mail.ru; Golentus, I. E.

2015-03-15

The diffraction of X rays incident on a crystal surface under grazing angles under conditions of total external reflection has been investigated. An approach is proposed in which exact solutions to the dynamic problem of grazing-incidence diffraction in an ideal crystal are used as initial functions to calculate the diffuse component of diffraction in a crystal with defects. The diffuse component of diffraction is calculated for a crystal with surface defects of a dilatation-center type. Exact formulas of the continuum theory which take into account the mirror-image forces are used for defect-induced atomic displacements. Scattering intensity maps near Bragg peaksmore » are constructed for different scan modes, and the conditions for detecting primarily the diffuse component are determined. The results of dynamic calculations of grazing-incidence diffraction in defect-containing crystals are compared with calculations in the kinematic approximation.« less

Noncovalent Polymerization of Mesogens Crystallizes Lysozyme: Correlation between Nonamphiphilic Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Phase and Protein Crystal Formation

PubMed Central

Simon, Karen A.; Shetye, Gauri S.; Englich, Ulrich; Wu, Lei; Luk, Yan-Yeung

2011-01-01

Crystallization of proteins is important for fundamental studies and biopharmaceutical development but remains largely an empirical science. Here, we report the use of organic salts that can form a class of unusual non-amphiphilic lyotropic liquid crystals to crystallize the protein lysozyme. Certain non-amphiphilic organic molecules with fused aromatic rings and two charges can assemble into stable thread-like noncovalent polymers that may further form liquid crystal phases in water, traditionally termed chromonic liquid crystals. Using five of these mesogenic molecules as additives to induce protein crystallization, we discover that molecules that can form liquid crystal phases in water are highly effective at inducing the crystal formation of lysozyme, even at concentrations significantly lower than that required for forming liquid crystal phases. This result reveals an example of inducing protein crystallization by the molecular assembly of the additives, and is consistent with a new mechanism by which the strong hydration of an assembly process provides a gradual means to compete for the water molecules to enable solvated proteins to form crystals. PMID:21786812

Mutual interaction between high and low stereo-regularity components for crystallization and melting behaviors of polypropylene blend fibers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawai, Kouya; Takarada, Wataru; Kikutani, Takeshi, E-mail: kikutani.t.aa@m.titech.ac.jp

Crystallization and melting behaviors of blend fibers of two types of polypropylene (PP), i.e. high stereo-regularity/high molecular weight PP (HPP) and low stereo-regularity/low molecular weight PP (LPP), was investigated. Blend fibers consisting of various HPP/LPP compositions were prepared through the melt spinning process. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis were applied for clarifying the crystallization and melting behaviors of individual components. In the DSC measurement of blend fibers with high LPP composition, continuous endothermic heat was detected between the melting peaks of LPP at around 40 °C and that of HPP atmore » around 160 °C. Such endothermic heat was more distinct for the blend fibers with higher LPP composition indicating that the melting of LPP in the heating process was hindered because of the presence of HPP crystals. On the other hand, heat of crystallization was detected at around 90 °C in the case of blend fibers with LPP content of 30 to 70 wt%, indicating that the crystallization of HPP component was taking place during the heating of as-spun blend fibers in the DSC measurement. Through the TMDSC analysis, re-organization of the crystalline structure through the simultaneous melting and re-crystallization was detected in the cases of HPP and blend fibers, whereas re-crystallization was not detected during the melting of LPP fibers. In the WAXD analysis during the heating of fibers, amount of a-form crystal was almost constant up to the melting in the case of single component HPP fibers, whereas there was a distinct increase of the intensity of crystalline reflections from around 100 °C, right after the melting of LPP in the case of blend fibers. These results suggested that the crystallization of HPP in the spinning process as well as during the conditioning process after spinning was hindered by the presence of LPP.« less

Sensitive X-ray detectors made of methylammonium lead tribromide perovskite single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Haotong; Fang, Yanjun; Mulligan, Padhraic; Chuirazzi, William; Fang, Hong-Hua; Wang, Congcong; Ecker, Benjamin R.; Gao, Yongli; Loi, Maria Antonietta; Cao, Lei; Huang, Jinsong

2016-05-01

The large mobilities and carrier lifetimes of hybrid perovskite single crystals and the high atomic numbers of Pb, I and Br make them ideal for X-ray and gamma-ray detection. Here, we report a sensitive X-ray detector made of methylammonium lead bromide perovskite single crystals. A record-high mobility-lifetime product of 1.2 × 10-2 cm2 V-1 and an extremely small surface charge recombination velocity of 64 cm s-1 are realized by reducing the bulk defects and passivating surface traps. Single-crystal devices with a thickness of 2-3 mm show 16.4% detection efficiency at near zero bias under irradiation with continuum X-ray energy up to 50 keV. The lowest detectable X-ray dose rate is 0.5 μGyair s-1 with a sensitivity of 80 μC Gy-1air cm-2, which is four times higher than the sensitivity achieved with α-Se X-ray detectors. This allows the radiation dose applied to a human body to be reduced for many medical and security check applications.

Lysozyme Crystal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

To the crystallographer, this may not be a diamond but it is just as priceless. A Lysozyme crystal grown in orbit looks great under a microscope, but the real test is X-ray crystallography. The colors are caused by polarizing filters. Proteins can form crystals generated by rows and columns of molecules that form up like soldiers on a parade ground. Shining X-rays through a crystal will produce a pattern of dots that can be decoded to reveal the arrangement of the atoms in the molecules making up the crystal. Like the troops in formation, uniformity and order are everything in X-ray crystallography. X-rays have much shorter wavelengths than visible light, so the best looking crystals under the microscope won't necessarily pass muster under the X-rays. In order to have crystals to use for X-ray diffraction studies, crystals need to be fairly large and well ordered. Scientists also need lots of crystals since exposure to air, the process of X-raying them, and other factors destroy them. Growing protein crystals in space has yielded striking results. Lysozyme's structure is well known and it has become a standard in many crystallization studies on Earth and in space.

Intangible pointlike tracers for liquid-crystal-based microsensors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brasselet, Etienne; Juodkazis, Saulius

2010-12-15

We propose an optical detection technique for liquid-crystal-based sensors that is based on polarization-resolved tracking of optical singularities and does not rely on standard observation of light-intensity changes caused by modifications of the liquid crystal orientational ordering. It uses a natural two-dimensional network of polarization singularities embedded in the transverse cross section of a probe beam that passes through a liquid crystal sample, in our case, a nematic droplet held in laser tweezers. The identification and spatial evolution of such a topological fingerprint is retrieved from subwavelength polarization-resolved imaging, and the mechanical constraint exerted on the molecular ordering by themore » trapping beam itself is chosen as the control parameter. By restricting our analysis to one type of point singularity, C points, which correspond to location in space where the polarization azimuth is undefined, we show that polarization singularities appear as intangible pointlike tracers for liquid-crystal-based three-dimensional microsensors. The method has a superresolution potential and can be used to visualize changes at the nanoscale.« less

Simple and label-free liquid crystal-based sensor for detecting trypsin coupled to the interaction between cationic surfactant and BSA.

PubMed

Wang, Yi; Zhou, Lele; Kang, Qi; Yu, Li

2018-06-01

Trypsin plays a central role in catalyzing the hydrolysis of peptide bonds, so a technique with simple operation is needed to monitor the activity of trypsin. Here a simple and label-free senor based on liquid crystals (LCs) was developed by employing bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the enzyme substrate and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) as the controller for the alignment of LC. It was found that DTAB could form a self-assembled monolayer at the aqueous/LC interface to produce the dark optical images of LCs. And the addition of BSA could disturb the monolayer, so that the optical signal of LCs turned bright from dark. But the hydrolysis of BSA by trypsin resulted in the dark appearance. The sensing platform allows detection as low as 1 U/mL under the polarized light microscope based on at least three measurements. Moreover, this method was successfully applied in the detection of trypsin in human urines, suggesting its potential applications in clinic diagnosis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly selective detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms using a quartz crystal microbalance biosensor based on the toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction.

PubMed

Wang, Dingzhong; Tang, Wei; Wu, Xiaojie; Wang, Xinyi; Chen, Gengjia; Chen, Qiang; Li, Na; Liu, Feng

2012-08-21

Toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction (SDR) is first introduced to develop a simple quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor without an enzyme or label at normal temperature for highly selective and sensitive detection of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the p53 tumor suppressor gene. A hairpin capture probe with an external toehold is designed and immobilized on the gold electrode surface of QCM. A successive SDR is initiated by the target sequence hybridization with the toehold domain and ends with the unfolding of the capture probe. Finally, the open-loop capture probe hybridizes with the streptavidin-coupled reporter probe as an efficient mass amplifier to enhance the QCM signal. The proposed biosensor displays remarkable specificity to target the p53 gene fragment against single-base mutant sequences (e.g., the largest discrimination factor is 63 to C-C mismatch) and high sensitivity with the detection limit of 0.3 nM at 20 °C. As the crucial component of the fabricated biosensor for providing the high discrimination capability, the design rationale of the capture probe is further verified by fluorescence sensing and atomic force microscopy imaging. Additionally, a recovery of 84.1% is obtained when detecting the target sequence in spiked HeLa cells lysate, demonstrating the feasibility of employing this biosensor in detecting SNPs in biological samples.

Lead(ii) soaps: crystal structures, polymorphism, and solid and liquid mesophases.

PubMed

Martínez-Casado, F J; Ramos-Riesco, M; Rodríguez-Cheda, J A; Redondo-Yélamos, M I; Garrido, L; Fernández-Martínez, A; García-Barriocanal, J; da Silva, I; Durán-Olivencia, M; Poulain, A

2017-07-05

The long-chain members of the lead(ii) alkanoate series or soaps, from octanoate to octadecanoate, have been thoroughly characterized by means of XRD, PDF analysis, DSC, FTIR, ssNMR and other techniques, in all their phases and mesophases. The crystal structures at room temperature of all of the members of the series are now solved, showing the existence of two polymorphic forms in the room temperature crystal phase, different to short and long-chain members. Only nonanoate and decanoate present both forms, and this polymorphism is proven to be monotropic. At higher temperature, these compounds present a solid mesophase, defined as rotator, a liquid crystal phase and a liquid phase, all of which have a similar local arrangement. Since some lead(ii) soaps appear as degradation compounds in oil paintings, the solved crystal structures of lead(ii) soaps can now be used as fingerprints for their detection using X-ray diffraction. Pair distribution function analysis on these compounds is very similar in the same phases and mesophases for the different members, showing the same short range order. This observation suggests that this technique could also be used in the detection of these compounds in disordered phases or in the initial stages of formation in paintings.

Protein Crystallization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chernov, Alexander A.

2005-01-01

Nucleation, growth and perfection of protein crystals will be overviewed along with crystal mechanical properties. The knowledge is based on experiments using optical and force crystals behave similar to inorganic crystals, though with a difference in orders of magnitude in growing parameters. For example, the low incorporation rate of large biomolecules requires up to 100 times larger supersaturation to grow protein, rather than inorganic crystals. Nucleation is often poorly reproducible, partly because of turbulence accompanying the mixing of precipitant with protein solution. Light scattering reveals fluctuations of molecular cluster size, its growth, surface energies and increased clustering as protein ages. Growth most often occurs layer-by-layer resulting in faceted crystals. New molecular layer on crystal face is terminated by a step where molecular incorporation occurs. Quantitative data on the incorporation rate will be discussed. Rounded crystals with molecularly disordered interfaces will be explained. Defects in crystals compromise the x-ray diffraction resolution crucially needed to find the 3D atomic structure of biomolecules. The defects are immobile so that birth defects stay forever. All lattice defects known for inorganics are revealed in protein crystals. Contribution of molecular conformations to lattice disorder is important, but not studied. This contribution may be enhanced by stress field from other defects. Homologous impurities (e.g., dimers, acetylated molecules) are trapped more willingly by a growing crystal than foreign protein impurities. The trapped impurities induce internal stress eliminated in crystals exceeding a critical size (part of mni for ferritin, lysozyme). Lesser impurities are trapped from stagnant, as compared to the flowing, solution. Freezing may induce much more defects unless quickly amorphysizing intracrystalline water.

Magnesium-binding architectures in RNA crystal structures: validation, binding preferences, classification and motif detection

PubMed Central

Zheng, Heping; Shabalin, Ivan G.; Handing, Katarzyna B.; Bujnicki, Janusz M.; Minor, Wladek

2015-01-01

The ubiquitous presence of magnesium ions in RNA has long been recognized as a key factor governing RNA folding, and is crucial for many diverse functions of RNA molecules. In this work, Mg2+-binding architectures in RNA were systematically studied using a database of RNA crystal structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Due to the abundance of poorly modeled or incorrectly identified Mg2+ ions, the set of all sites was comprehensively validated and filtered to identify a benchmark dataset of 15 334 ‘reliable’ RNA-bound Mg2+ sites. The normalized frequencies by which specific RNA atoms coordinate Mg2+ were derived for both the inner and outer coordination spheres. A hierarchical classification system of Mg2+ sites in RNA structures was designed and applied to the benchmark dataset, yielding a set of 41 types of inner-sphere and 95 types of outer-sphere coordinating patterns. This classification system has also been applied to describe six previously reported Mg2+-binding motifs and detect them in new RNA structures. Investigation of the most populous site types resulted in the identification of seven novel Mg2+-binding motifs, and all RNA structures in the PDB were screened for the presence of these motifs. PMID:25800744

Computational crystallization.

PubMed

Altan, Irem; Charbonneau, Patrick; Snell, Edward H

2016-07-15

Crystallization is a key step in macromolecular structure determination by crystallography. While a robust theoretical treatment of the process is available, due to the complexity of the system, the experimental process is still largely one of trial and error. In this article, efforts in the field are discussed together with a theoretical underpinning using a solubility phase diagram. Prior knowledge has been used to develop tools that computationally predict the crystallization outcome and define mutational approaches that enhance the likelihood of crystallization. For the most part these tools are based on binary outcomes (crystal or no crystal), and the full information contained in an assembly of crystallization screening experiments is lost. The potential of this additional information is illustrated by examples where new biological knowledge can be obtained and where a target can be sub-categorized to predict which class of reagents provides the crystallization driving force. Computational analysis of crystallization requires complete and correctly formatted data. While massive crystallization screening efforts are under way, the data available from many of these studies are sparse. The potential for this data and the steps needed to realize this potential are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computational crystallization

PubMed Central

Altan, Irem; Charbonneau, Patrick; Snell, Edward H.

2016-01-01

Crystallization is a key step in macromolecular structure determination by crystallography. While a robust theoretical treatment of the process is available, due to the complexity of the system, the experimental process is still largely one of trial and error. In this article, efforts in the field are discussed together with a theoretical underpinning using a solubility phase diagram. Prior knowledge has been used to develop tools that computationally predict the crystallization outcome and define mutational approaches that enhance the likelihood of crystallization. For the most part these tools are based on binary outcomes (crystal or no crystal), and the full information contained in an assembly of crystallization screening experiments is lost. The potential of this additional information is illustrated by examples where new biological knowledge can be obtained and where a target can be sub-categorized to predict which class of reagents provides the crystallization driving force. Computational analysis of crystallization requires complete and correctly formatted data. While massive crystallization screening efforts are under way, the data available from many of these studies are sparse. The potential for this data and the steps needed to realize this potential are discussed. PMID:26792536

Crystal Growth Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheel, Hans J.; Fukuda, Tsuguo

2004-06-01

This volume deals with the technologies of crystal fabrication, of crystal machining, and of epilayer production and is the first book on industrial and scientific aspects of crystal and layer production. The major industrial crystals are treated: Si, GaAs, GaP, InP, CdTe, sapphire, oxide and halide scintillator crystals, crystals for optical, piezoelectric and microwave applications and more. Contains 29 contributions from leading crystal technologists covering the following topics:

General aspects of crystal growth technology Silicon Compound semiconductors Oxides and halides Crystal machining Epitaxy and layer deposition Scientific and technological problems of production and machining of industrial crystals are discussed by top experts, most of them from the major growth industries and crystal growth centers. In addition, it will be useful for the users of crystals, for teachers and graduate students in materials sciences, in electronic and other functional materials, chemical and metallurgical engineering, micro-and optoelectronics including nanotechnology, mechanical engineering and precision-machining, microtechnology, and in solid-state sciences.

• Crystal engineering: co-crystals of cinnamic acid derivatives with a pyridyl derivative co-crystallizer.

  PubMed

  Lorenzo, Daniel A; Forrest, Sebastian J K; Sparkes, Hazel A

  2016-02-01

  A number of hydrogen-bonded co-crystals, consisting of a cinnamic acid derivative and a pyridyl co-crystallizer, have been synthesized and their properties investigated by X-ray diffraction. Samples were prepared by recrystallization or solvent drop grinding of trans-cinnamic acid (1), 4-methylcinnamic acid (2), 4-methoxy cinnamic acid (3) or 3,4-methoxy cinnamic acid (4), with 4,4-dipyridyl (A), iso-nicotinamide (B) or nicotinamide (C). The X-ray single-crystal structures of seven novel co-crystals, obtained through recrystallization, are examined and the hydrogen-bonding interactions discussed. Consistent hydrogen-bonding motifs were observed for samples prepared when using 4,4-dipyridyl (A) or iso-nicotinamide (B) as the co-crystallizing agent. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis of the samples prepared by solvent drop grinding suggests the formation of ten co-crystals.

• Characterization of Crystal Chirality in Amino Acids Using Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy.

  PubMed

  Aviv, Hagit; Nemtsov, Irena; Mastai, Yitzhak; Tischler, Yaakov R

  2017-10-19

  We present a new method for differentiating racemic crystals from enantiopure crystals. Recently, developments in optical filters have enabled the facile use of Raman spectroscopy to detect low-frequency vibrational (LFV) modes. Here, for the first time, we use Raman spectroscopy to characterize the LFV modes for crystalline organic materials composed of chiral molecules. The LF-Raman spectra of racemic and enantiopure crystals exhibit a significant variation, which we attribute to different hydrogen-bond networks in the chiral crystal structures. Across a representative set of amino acids, we observed that when comparing racemic versus enantiopure crystals, the available LFV modes and their relative scattering intensity are strong functions of side chain polarity. Thus, LF-Raman can be used as a method that is complementary to the currently used methods for characterizing crystal chirality due to simpler, faster, and more sensitive measurements, along with the small sample size required, which is limited by the laser-beam diameter in the focus.

• Adsorption mechanisms of the nonequilibrium incorporation of admixtures in a growing crystal

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Franke, V. D.; Punin, Yu. O.; Smetannikova, O. G.; Kenunen, D. S.

  2007-12-01

  The nonequilibrium partition of components between a crystal and solution is mainly controlled by impurity adsorption on the surface of the growing crystal. The specificity of adsorption on the faces of various simple forms leads to the sectorial zoning of crystals. This effect was studied experimentally for several crystallizing systems with different impurities, including isomorphous, 2d-isomorphous, and nonisomorphous, readily adsorbed impurities. In all systems, the sectorial selectivity of impurity incorporation into host crystals has been detected with partition coefficients many times higher than in the case of equilibrium partition. Specific capture of impurities by certain faces is accompanied by inhibition of their growth and modification of habit. The decrease in nonequilibrium partition coefficients with degree of oversaturation provides entrapment of impurities in the growing crystals. Thereby, the adsorption mechanism works in much the same mode for impurities of quite different nature. The behavior of partition coefficient differs drastically from impurity capturing by diffusion mechanism.

• Multi-ampoule Bridgman growth of halide scintillator crystals using the self-seeding method

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Lindsey, Adam C.; Wu, Yuntao; Zhuravleva, Mariya; Loyd, Matthew; Koschan, Merry; Melcher, Charles L.

  2017-07-01

  We investigate the multi-ampoule growth at 25 mm diameter of ternary iodide single crystal scintillator KCaI3:Eu using the randomly oriented self-seeded Bridgman method. We compare scintillation performance between cubic inch scale crystals containing small variations of low nominal europium concentrations previously shown to balance light yield with self-absorption in the host crystal. Growth conditions were optimized in the developmental furnace and four 2 in3 KCaI3:Eu crystals were grown simultaneously producing a total of six 25 mm × 25 mm cylinders. Small variations in activator concentration did not result in significant performance differences among the six measured crystals. A range of energy resolutions of 3.5-4.7% at 662 keV was achieved, surpassing that of NaI:Tl crystals commonly used in spectroscopic detection applications. The function and basic design of the multi-ampoule furnace as well as the process of growing single crystals of KCaI3 is included here.

• Dynamically controlled crystallization method and apparatus and crystals obtained thereby

  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

  Arnowitz, Leonard (Inventor); Steinberg, Emanuel (Inventor)

  1999-01-01

  A method and apparatus for dynamically controlling the crystallization of proteins including a crystallization chamber or chambers for holding a protein in a salt solution, one or more salt solution chambers, two communication passages respectively coupling the crystallization chamber with each of the salt solution chambers, and transfer mechanisms configured to respectively transfer salt solution between each of the salt solution chambers and the crystallization chamber. The transfer mechanisms are interlocked to maintain the volume of salt solution in the crystallization chamber substantially constant. Salt solution of different concentrations is transferred into and out of the crystallization chamber to adjust the salt concentration in the crystallization chamber to achieve precise control of the crystallization process.

Improving the Quality of Protein Crystals Using Stirring Crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adachi, Hiroaki; Matsumura, Hiroyoshi; Niino, Ai; Takano, Kazufumi; Kinoshita, Takayoshi; Warizaya, Masaichi; Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Mori, Yusuke; Sasaki, Takatomo

2004-04-01

Recent reports state that a high magnetic field improves the crystal quality of bovine adenosine deaminase (ADA) with an inhibitor [Kinoshita et al.: Acta Cryst. D59 (2003) 1333]. In this paper, we examine the effect of stirring solution on ADA crystallization using a vapor-diffusion technique with rotary and figure-eight motion shakers. The probability of obtaining high-quality crystals is increased with stirring in a figure-eight pattern. Furthermore, rotary stirring greatly increased the probability of obtaining high-quality crystals, however, nucleation time was also increased. The crystal structure with the inhibitor was determined at a high resolution using a crystal obtained from a stirred solution. These results indicate that stirring with simple equipment is as useful as the high magnetic field technique for protein crystallization.

Optical monitoring of protein crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudry, A.

1988-01-01

The possibility of using various optical techniques for detecting the onset of nucleation in protein crystal growth was investigated. Direct microscopy, general metrologic techniques, light scattering, ultraviolet absorption, and interferometry are addressed along with techniques for determining pH value. The necessity for collecting basic data on the optical properties of the growth solution as a prerequisite to the evaluation of monitoring techniques is pointed out.

DDA Computations of Porous Aggregates with Forsterite Crystals: Effects of Crystal Shape and Crystal Mass Fraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wooden, Diane H.; Lindsay, Sean S.; Harker, David; Woodward, Charles; Kelley, Michael S.; Kolokolova, Ludmilla

2015-01-01

Porous aggregate grains are commonly found in cometary dust samples and are needed to model cometary IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Models for thermal emissions from comets require two forms of silicates: amorphous and crystalline. The dominant crystal resonances observed in comet SEDs are from Forsterite (Mg2SiO4). The mass fractions that are crystalline span a large range from 0.0 < or = fcrystal < or = 0.74. Radial transport models that predict the enrichment of the outer disk (>25 AU at 1E6 yr) by inner disk materials (crystals) are challenged to yield the highend-range of cometary crystal mass fractions. However, in current thermal models, Forsterite crystals are not incorporated into larger aggregate grains but instead only are considered as discrete crystals. A complicating factor is that Forsterite crystals with rectangular shapes better fit the observed spectral resonances in wavelength (11.0-11.15 microns, 16, 19, 23.5, 27, and 33 microns), feature asymmetry and relative height (Lindley et al. 2013) than spherically or elliptically shaped crystals. We present DDA-DDSCAT computations of IR absorptivities (Qabs) of 3 micron-radii porous aggregates with 0.13 < or = fcrystal < or = 0.35 and with polyhedral-shaped Forsterite crystals. We can produce crystal resonances with similar appearance to the observed resonances of comet Hale- Bopp. Also, a lower mass fraction of crystals in aggregates can produce the same spectral contrast as a higher mass fraction of discrete crystals; the 11micron and 23 micron crystalline resonances appear amplified when crystals are incorporated into aggregates composed otherwise of spherically shaped amorphous Fe-Mg olivines and pyroxenes. We show that the optical properties of a porous aggregate is not linear combination of its monomers, so aggregates need to be computed. We discuss the consequence of lowering comet crystal mass fractions by modeling IR SEDs with aggregates with crystals, and the implications for radial

Growth of organic crystals via attachment and transformation of nanoscopic precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yuan; Kellermeier, Matthias; Gebaue, Denis; Lu, Zihao; Rosenberg, Rose; Moise, Adrian; Przybylski, Michael; Cölfen, Helmut

2017-06-01

A key requirement for the understanding of crystal growth is to detect how new layers form and grow at the nanoscale. Multistage crystallization pathways involving liquid-like, amorphous or metastable crystalline precursors have been predicted by theoretical work and have been observed experimentally. Nevertheless, there is no clear evidence that any of these precursors can also be relevant for the growth of crystals of organic compounds. Herein, we present a new growth mode for crystals of DL-glutamic acid monohydrate that proceeds through the attachment of preformed nanoscopic species from solution, their subsequent decrease in height at the surface and final transformation into crystalline 2D nuclei that eventually build new molecular layers by further monomer incorporation. This alternative mechanism provides a direct proof for the existence of multistage pathways in the crystallization of molecular compounds and the relevance of precursor units larger than the monomeric constituents in the actual stage of growth.

The improved scintillation crystal lead tungstate scintillation for PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Youbao; WU, Rurong; Xiao, Linrong; Zhang, Jianxin; Yang, Peizhi; Yan, Hui

2009-07-01

As a valuable material for the detecting of γ-ray, PbWO4 and BaF2:PbWO4 crystals were grown by a novel multi-crucible temperature gradient system developed by ourselves. Utilizing a topical partial heating method, this system can form a topical partial high temperature in its hearth. Thus this system could melt raw materials in step by step as requirement. The advantage of this method is that there would be solid obstruct left on the melt in the procedure of the crystal growing up. The left obstruct could prevent the volatilization of the component in the melt. Hence it is helpful for the composition homogenization in the crystal. The system also offers a sustaining device for multi-crucibles and thus it can grow many crystals simultaneity. The optical properties and scintillation properties of the crystals were studied. The results reveal that the ions doping improves the scintillation properties of the crystal. The transmittance spectra show that the transmittance of BaF2:PbWO4 crystals are better than that of PbWO4 crystals. For the PbWO4 crystals, their absorption edge is at 325nm, and their maximum transmittance is 68%. For the BaF2:PbWO4 crystals, their absorption edge is at 325nm and their maximum transmittance is upto76%. The X-ray excited luminescence spectra shows that the luminescence peak is at 420nm for the samples of PbWO4 crystal while the peak is at 430nm for the samples of BaF2:PbWO4 crystal respectively. The luminescence intensity of the samples of BaF2:PbWO4 crystal is about two times than that of PbWO4 crystal. And their peak shape is different for the two kind of crystal. The light yield of BaF2:PbWO4 crystals is about 2.9 times than that of PbWO4 crystal Analyzing these scintillation properties, we find that the VPb 3+ and VO- defects do harm for the optical properties of the crystal. Ions doping method could reduce the defect concentration and improving its illumination performance of the crystal. Specially, the doped F- ions in O2- site can

Sensitive Detection of Protein and miRNA Cancer Biomarkers using Silicon-Based Photonic Crystals and A Resonance Coupling Laser Scanning Platform

PubMed Central

George, Sherine; Chaudhery, Vikram; Lu, Meng; Takagi, Miki; Amro, Nabil; Pokhriyal, Anusha; Tan, Yafang; Ferreira, Placid; Cunningham, Brian T.

2013-01-01

Enhancement of the fluorescent output of surface-based fluorescence assays by performing them upon nanostructured photonic crystal (PC) surfaces has been demonstrated to increase signal intensities by >8000×. Using the multiplicative effects of optical resonant coupling to the PC in increasing the electric field intensity experienced by fluorescent labels (“enhanced excitation”) and the spatially biased funneling of fluorophore emissions through coupling to PC resonances (“enhanced extraction”), PC enhanced fluorescence (PCEF) can be adapted to reduce the limits of detection of disease biomarker assays, and to reduce the size and cost of high sensitivity detection instrumentation. In this work, we demonstrate the first silicon-based PCEF detection platform for multiplexed biomarker assay. The sensor in this platform is a silicon-based PC structure, comprised of a SiO2 grating that is overcoated with a thin film of high refractive index TiO2 and is produced in a semiconductor foundry for low cost, uniform, and reproducible manufacturing. The compact detection instrument that completes this platform was designed to efficiently couples fluorescence excitation from a semiconductor laser to the resonant optical modes of the PC, resulting in elevated electric field strength that is highly concentrated within the region <100 nm from the PC surface. This instrument utilizes a cylindrically focused line to scan a microarray in <1 minute. To demonstrate the capabilities of this sensor-detector platform, microspot fluorescent sandwich immunoassays using secondary antibodies labeled with Cy5 for two cancer biomarkers (TNF-α and IL-3) were performed. Biomarkers were detected at concentrations as low as 0.1 pM. In a fluorescent microarray for detection of a breast cancer miRNA biomarker miR-21, the miRNA was detectable at a concentration of 0.6 pM. PMID:23963502

Inclusion free cadmium zinc tellurium and cadmium tellurium crystals and associated growth method

DOEpatents

Bolotnikov, Aleskey E [South Setauket, NY; James, Ralph B [Ridge, NY

2010-07-20

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for crystal growth of cadmium zinc tellurium (CZT) and cadmium tellurium (CdTe) crystals with an inverted growth reactor chamber. The inverted growth reactor chamber enables growth of single, large, high purity CZT and CdTe crystals that can be used, for example, in X-ray and gamma detection, substrates for infrared detectors, or the like. The inverted growth reactor chamber enables reductions in the presence of Te inclusions, which are recognized as an important limiting factor in using CZT or CdTe as radiation detectors. The inverted growth reactor chamber can be utilized with existing crystal growth techniques such as the Bridgman crystal growth mechanism and the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the inverted growth reactor chamber is a U-shaped ampoule.

Dynamically controlled crystallization method and apparatus and crystals obtained thereby

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnowitz, Leonard (Inventor); Steinberg, Emanuel (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A method and apparatus for dynamically controlling the crystallization of molecules including a crystallization chamber (14) or chambers for holding molecules in a precipitant solution, one or more precipitant solution reservoirs (16, 18), communication passages (17, 19) respectively coupling the crystallization chamber(s) with each of the precipitant solution reservoirs, and transfer mechanisms (20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28) configured to respectively transfer precipitant solution between each of the precipitant solution reservoirs and the crystallization chamber(s). The transfer mechanisms are interlocked to maintain a constant volume of precipitant solution in the crystallization chamber(s). Precipitant solutions of different concentrations are transferred into and out of the crystallization chamber(s) to adjust the concentration of precipitant in the crystallization chamber(s) to achieve precise control of the crystallization process. The method and apparatus can be used effectively to grow crystals under reduced gravity conditions such as microgravity conditions of space, and under conditions of reduced or enhanced effective gravity as induced by a powerful magnetic field.

Molecular detection via hybrid peptide-semiconductor photonic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estephan, E.; Saab, M.-b.; Martin, M.; Cloitre, T.; Larroque, C.; Cuisinier, F. J. G.; Malvezzi, A. M.; Gergely, C.

2011-03-01

The aim of this work was to investigate the possibilities to support device functionality that includes strongly confined and localized light emission and detection processes within nano/micro-structured semiconductors for biosensing applications. The interface between biological molecules and semiconductor surfaces, yet still under-explored is a key issue for improving biomolecular recognition in devices. We report on the use of adhesion peptides, elaborated via combinatorial phage-display libraries for controlled placement of biomolecules, leading to user-tailored hybrid photonic systems for molecular detection. An M13 bacteriophage library has been used to screen 1010 different peptides against various semiconductors to finally isolate specific peptides presenting a high binding capacity for the target surfaces. When used to functionalize porous silicon microcavities (PSiM) and GaAs/AlGaAs photonic crystals, we observe the formation of extremely thin (<1nm) peptide layers, hereby preserving the nanostructuration of the crystals. This is important to assure the photonic response of these tiny structures when they are functionalized by a biotinylated peptide layer and then used to capture streptavidin. Molecular detection was monitored via both linear and nonlinear optical measurements. Our linear reflectance spectra demonstrate an enhanced detection resolution via PSiM devices, when functionalized with the Si-specific peptide. Molecular capture at even lower concentrations (femtomols) is possible via the second harmonic generation of GaAs/AlGaAs photonic crystals when functionalized with GaAs-specific peptides. Our work demonstrates the outstanding value of adhesion peptides as interface linkers between semiconductors and biological molecules. They assure an enhanced molecular detection via both linear and nonlinear answers of photonic crystals.

Mechanisms for pressure-induced crystal-crystal transition, amorphization, and devitrification of SnI{sub 4}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, H.; Tse, J. S., E-mail: john.tse@usask.ca; Hu, M. Y.

2015-10-28

The pressure-induced amorphization and subsequent recrystallization of SnI{sub 4} have been investigated using first principles molecular dynamics calculations together with high-pressure {sup 119}Sn nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements. Above ∼8 GPa, we observe a transformation from an ambient crystalline phase to an intermediate crystal structure and a subsequent recrystallization into a cubic phase at ∼64 GPa. The crystalline-to-amorphous transition was identified on the basis of elastic compatibility criteria. The measured tin vibrational density of states shows large amplitude librations of SnI{sub 4} under ambient conditions. Although high pressure structures of SnI{sub 4} were thought to be determined by randommore » packing of equal-sized spheres, we detected electron charge transfer in each phase. This charge transfer results in a crystal structure packing determined by larger than expected iodine atoms.« less

A novel boundary layer sensor utilizing domain switching in ferroelectric liquid crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parmar, D. S.

1991-01-01

This paper describes the design and the principles of operation of a novel sensor for the optical detection of a shear stress field induced by air or gas flow on a rigid surface. The detection relies on the effects of shear-induced optical switching in ferroelectric liquid crystals. It is shown that the method overcomes many of the limitations of similar measuring techniques including those using cholesteric liquid crystals. The present method offers a preferred alternative for flow visualization and skin friction measurements in wind-tunnel experiments on laminar boundary layer transition investigations. A theoretical model for the optical response to shear stress is presented together with a schematic diagram of the experimental setup.

Real-Time Fluorescence Detection in Aqueous Systems by Combined and Enhanced Photonic and Surface Effects in Patterned Hollow Sphere Colloidal Photonic Crystals.

PubMed

Zhong, Kuo; Wang, Ling; Li, Jiaqi; Van Cleuvenbergen, Stijn; Bartic, Carmen; Song, Kai; Clays, Koen

2017-05-16

Hollow sphere colloidal photonic crystals (HSCPCs) exhibit the ability to maintain a high refractive index contrast after infiltration of water, leading to extremely high-quality photonic band gap effects, even in an aqueous (physiological) environment. Superhydrophilic pinning centers in a superhydrophobic environment can be used to strongly confine and concentrate water-soluble analytes. We report a strategy to realize real-time ultrasensitive fluorescence detection in patterned HSCPCs based on strongly enhanced fluorescence due to the photonic band-edge effect combined with wettability differentiation in the superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic pattern. The orthogonal nature of the two strategies allows for a multiplicative effect, resulting in an increase of two orders of magnitude in fluorescence.

A Novel Method for gamma - text{photons} Depth-of-Interaction Detection in Monolithic Scintillation Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pani, Roberto; Bettiol, Marco; Preziosi, Enrico; Borrazzo, Cristian; Pellegrini, Rosanna; González, Antonio J.; Conde, Pablo; Cinti, Maria Nerina; Fabbri, Andrea; Di Castro, Elisabetta; Majewski, Stan

2016-10-01

Achieved spatial resolution of the PET systems is often limited by the parallax error due to the lack of information about the Depth of Interaction (DoI) inside the crystal of the incoming 511 keV annihilation photons. The smaller the diameter of the PET ring and the thicker the scintillator are, the more this error affects imaging performance. In this work, a DoI calculator suitable for monolithic scintillation crystals and based on the shape of the scintillation light distribution at the photodetector surface has been proposed. To test the estimator performance, a test PET module with a 50 × 50 × 20 mm monolithic LYSO crystal coupled to a 12 × 12 SiPM array has been employed. In addition, for calibration and validation of the method, Geant4 simulations have been also used. The key result of the application of the proposed DoI estimator is obtaining a continuous DoI estimation with an average DoI resolution of about 5 mm in the 20 mm-thick crystal. Benefiting from the DoI estimation capabilities of the method, it has been also possible to achieve additional important goals, first of all reducing the parallax error. First, because the scintillation light collection varies as a function of the 3D position of the interaction of the annihilation photon inside the crystal, a method to correct this response variation via a proper 3D look-up-table is proposed. This has led to an improvement of about 35% in energy resolution. Moreover, a DoI-dependent position algorithm has been proposed, allowing an improvement of both planar (X-Y) position linearity and planar spatial resolution. This algorithm is specifically developed for the rows/columns multi-channel readout logic, that reduces the number of independent channels from N × N to N + N, where N is the number of SiPM photodetection elements (12 in our case) in each row and column. This development was performed in the framework of the MindView PET/MilI brain imaging project.

Crystallization from Gels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayana Kalkura, S.; Natarajan, Subramanian

Among the various crystallization techniques, crystallization in gels has found wide applications in the fields of biomineralization and macromolecular crystallization in addition to crystallizing materials having nonlinear optical, ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, and other properties. Furthermore, by using this method it is possible to grow single crystals with very high perfection that are difficult to grow by other techniques. The gel method of crystallization provides an ideal technique to study crystal deposition diseases, which could lead to better understanding of their etiology. This chapter focuses on crystallization in gels of compounds that are responsible for crystal deposition diseases. The introduction is followed by a description of the various gels used, the mechanism of gelling, and the fascinating phenomenon of Liesegang ring formation, along with various gel growth techniques. The importance and scope of study on crystal deposition diseases and the need for crystal growth experiments using gel media are stressed. The various crystal deposition diseases, viz. (1) urolithiasis, (2) gout or arthritis, (3) cholelithiasis and atherosclerosis, and (4) pancreatitis and details regarding the constituents of the crystal deposits responsible for the pathological mineralization are discussed. Brief accounts of the theories of the formation of urinary stones and gallstones and the role of trace elements in urinary stone formation are also given. The crystallization in gels of (1) the urinary stone constituents, viz. calcium oxalate, calcium phosphates, uric acid, cystine, etc., (2) the constituents of the gallstones, viz. cholesterol, calcium carbonate, etc., (3) the major constituent of the pancreatic calculi, viz., calcium carbonate, and (4) cholic acid, a steroidal hormone are presented. The effect of various organic and inorganic ions, trace elements, and extracts from cereals, herbs, and fruits on the crystallization of major urinary stone and gallstone

Tunable two-dimensional photonic crystals using liquid crystal infiltration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonard, S. W.; Mondia, J. P.; van Driel, H. M.; Toader, O.; John, S.; Busch, K.; Birner, A.; Gösele, U.; Lehmann, V.

2000-01-01

The photonic band gap of a two-dimensional photonic crystal is continuously tuned using the temperature dependent refractive index of a liquid crystal. Liquid crystal E7 was infiltrated into the air pores of a macroporous silicon photonic crystal with a triangular lattice pitch of 1.58 μm and a band gap wavelength range of 3.3-5.7 μm. After infiltration, the band gap for the H polarized field shifted dramatically to 4.4-6.0 μm while that of the E-polarized field collapsed. As the sample was heated to the nematic-isotropic phase transition temperature of the liquid crystal (59 °C), the short-wavelength band edge of the H gap shifted by as much as 70 nm while the long-wavelength edge was constant within experimental error. Band structure calculations incorporating the temperature dependence of the liquid crystal birefringence can account for our results and also point to an escaped-radial alignment of the liquid crystal in the nematic phase.

Photonic crystal wave guide for non-cryogenic cooled carbon nanotube based middle wave infrared sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fung, Carmen Kar Man; Xi, Ning; Lou, Jianyong; Lai, King Wai Chiu; Chen, Hongzhi

2010-10-01

We report high sensitivity carbon nanotube (CNT) based middle wave infrared (MWIR) sensors with a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide. MWIR sensors are of great importance in a variety of current military applications including ballistic missile defense, surveillance and target detection. Unlike other existing MWIR sensing materials, CNTs exhibit low noise level and can be used as new nano sensing materials for MWIR detection where cryogenic cooling is not required. However, the quantum efficiency of the CNT based infrared sensor is still limited by the small sensing area and low incoming electric field. Here, a photonic nanostructure is used as a resonant cavity for boosting the electric field intensity at the position of the CNT sensing element. A two-dimensional photonic crystal with periodic holes in a polymer thin film is fabricated and a resonant cavity is formed by removing holes from the array of the photonic crystal. Based on the design of the photonic crystal topologies, we theoretically study the electric field distribution to predict the resonant behavior of the structure. Numerical simulations reveal the field is enhanced and almost fully confined to the defect region of the photonic crystal. To verify the electric field enhancement effect, experiments are also performed to measure the photocurrent response of the sensor with and without the photonic crystal resonant cavity. Experimental results show that the photocurrent increases ~3 times after adding the photonic crystal resonant cavity.

Crystal Creations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whipple, Nona; Whitmore, Sherry

1989-01-01

Presents a many-faceted learning approach to the study of crystals. Provides instructions for performing activities including crystal growth and patterns, creating miniature simulations of crystal-containing rock formations, charcoal and sponge gardens, and snowflakes. (RT)

Single-crystal silicon optical fiber by direct laser crystallization

DOE PAGES

Ji, Xiaoyu; Lei, Shiming; Yu, Shih -Ying; ...

2016-12-05

Semiconductor core optical fibers with a silica cladding are of great interest in nonlinear photonics and optoelectronics applications. Laser crystallization has been recently demonstrated for crystallizing amorphous silicon fibers into crystalline form. Here we explore the underlying mechanism by which long single-crystal silicon fibers, which are novel platforms for silicon photonics, can be achieved by this process. Using finite element modeling, we construct a laser processing diagram that reveals a parameter space within which single crystals can be grown. Utilizing this diagram, we illustrate the creation of single-crystal silicon core fibers by laser crystallizing amorphous silicon deposited inside silica capillarymore » fibers by high-pressure chemical vapor deposition. The single-crystal fibers, up to 5.1 mm long, have a very welldefined core/cladding interface and a chemically pure silicon core that leads to very low optical losses down to ~0.47-1dB/cm at the standard telecommunication wavelength (1550 nm). Furthermore, tt also exhibits a photosensitivity that is comparable to bulk silicon. Creating such laser processing diagrams can provide a general framework for developing single-crystal fibers in other materials of technological importance.« less

Enhanced light extraction of plastic scintillator using large-area photonic crystal structures fabricated by hot embossing.

PubMed

Chen, Xueye; Liu, Bo; Wu, Qiang; Zhu, Zhichao; Zhu, Jingtao; Gu, Mu; Chen, Hong; Liu, Jinliang; Chen, Liang; Ouyang, Xiaoping

2018-04-30

Plastic scintillators are widely used in various radiation measurement systems. However, detection efficiency and signal-to-noise are limited due to the total internal reflection, especially for weak signal detection situations. In the present investigation, large-area photonic crystals consisting of an array of periodic truncated cone holes were prepared based on hot embossing technology aiming at coupling with the surface of plastic scintillator to improve the light extraction efficiency and directionality control. The experimental results show that a maximum enhancement of 64% at 25° emergence angle along Γ-M orientation and a maximum enhancement of 58% at 20° emergence angle along Γ-K orientation were obtained. The proposed fabrication method of photonic crystal scintillator can avoid complicated pattern transfer processes used in most traditional methods, leading to a simple, economical method for large-area preparation. The photonic crystal scintillator demonstrated in this work is of great value for practical applications of nuclear radiation detection.

Multicolor fluorescence enhancement from a photonics crystal surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokhriyal, A.; Lu, M.; Huang, C. S.; Schulz, S.; Cunningham, B. T.

2010-09-01

A photonic crystal substrate exhibiting resonant enhancement of multiple fluorophores has been demonstrated. The device, fabricated uniformly from plastic materials over a ˜3×5 in.2 surface area by nanoreplica molding, utilizes two distinct resonant modes to enhance electric field stimulation of a dye excited by a λ =632.8 nm laser (cyanine-5) and a dye excited by a λ =532 nm laser (cyanine-3). Resonant coupling of the laser excitation to the photonic crystal surface is obtained for each wavelength at a distinct incident angle. Compared to detection of a dye-labeled protein on an ordinary glass surface, the photonic crystal surface exhibited a 32× increase in fluorescent signal intensity for cyanine-5 conjugated streptavidin labeling, while a 25× increase was obtained for cyanine-3 conjugated streptavidin labeling. The photonic crystal is capable of amplifying the output of any fluorescent dye with an excitation wavelength in the 532 nm<λ<633 nm range by selection of an appropriate incident angle. The device is designed for biological assays that utilize multiple fluorescent dyes within a single imaged area, such as gene expression microarrays.

Multicolor fluorescence enhancement from a photonics crystal surface

PubMed Central

Pokhriyal, A.; Lu, M.; Huang, C. S.; Schulz, S.; Cunningham, B. T.

2010-01-01

A photonic crystal substrate exhibiting resonant enhancement of multiple fluorophores has been demonstrated. The device, fabricated uniformly from plastic materials over a ∼3×5 in.2 surface area by nanoreplica molding, utilizes two distinct resonant modes to enhance electric field stimulation of a dye excited by a λ=632.8 nm laser (cyanine-5) and a dye excited by a λ=532 nm laser (cyanine-3). Resonant coupling of the laser excitation to the photonic crystal surface is obtained for each wavelength at a distinct incident angle. Compared to detection of a dye-labeled protein on an ordinary glass surface, the photonic crystal surface exhibited a 32× increase in fluorescent signal intensity for cyanine-5 conjugated streptavidin labeling, while a 25× increase was obtained for cyanine-3 conjugated streptavidin labeling. The photonic crystal is capable of amplifying the output of any fluorescent dye with an excitation wavelength in the 532 nm<λ<633 nm range by selection of an appropriate incident angle. The device is designed for biological assays that utilize multiple fluorescent dyes within a single imaged area, such as gene expression microarrays. PMID:20957067

The Crystal Hotel: A Microfluidic Approach to Biomimetic Crystallization.

PubMed

Gong, Xiuqing; Wang, Yun-Wei; Ihli, Johannes; Kim, Yi-Yeoun; Li, Shunbo; Walshaw, Richard; Chen, Li; Meldrum, Fiona C

2015-12-02

A "crystal hotel" microfluidic device that allows crystal growth in confined volumes to be studied in situ is used to produce large calcite single crystals with predefined crystallographic orientation, microstructure, and shape by control of the detailed physical environment, flow, and surface chemistry. This general approach can be extended to form technologically important, nanopatterned single crystals. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Carboxylic acids in crystallization of macromolecules: learning from successful crystallization experiments.

PubMed

Offermann, Lesa R; He, John Z; Mank, Nicholas J; Booth, William T; Chruszcz, Maksymilian

2014-03-01

The production of macromolecular crystals suitable for structural analysis is one of the most important and limiting steps in the structure determination process. Often, preliminary crystallization trials are performed using hundreds of empirically selected conditions. Carboxylic acids and/or their salts are one of the most popular components of these empirically derived crystallization conditions. Our findings indicate that almost 40 % of entries deposited to the Protein Data Bank (PDB) reporting crystallization conditions contain at least one carboxylic acid. In order to analyze the role of carboxylic acids in macromolecular crystallization, a large-scale analysis of the successful crystallization experiments reported to the PDB was performed. The PDB is currently the largest source of crystallization data, however it is not easily searchable. These complications are due to a combination of a free text format, which is used to capture information on the crystallization experiments, and the inconsistent naming of chemicals used in crystallization experiments. Despite these difficulties, our approach allows for the extraction of over 47,000 crystallization conditions from the PDB. Initially, the selected conditions were investigated to determine which carboxylic acids or their salts are most often present in crystallization solutions. From this group, selected sets of crystallization conditions were analyzed in detail, assessing parameters such as concentration, pH, and precipitant used. Our findings will lead to the design of new crystallization screens focused around carboxylic acids.

The Morse code effect: A crystal-crystal transformation observed in gel-grown lead (II) oxalate crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisgarten, J. N.; Marks, J. A.

2018-05-01

This paper reports on an unusual crystal-crystal transformation phenomenon, which we have called the Morse Code Effect, based on the change in appearance of lead(II) oxalate crystals grown in agarose gels.

Intercalating dyes for enhanced contrast in second-harmonic generation imaging of protein crystals

PubMed Central

Newman, Justin A.; Scarborough, Nicole M.; Pogranichniy, Nicholas R.; Shrestha, Rashmi K.; Closser, Richard G.; Das, Chittaranjan; Simpson, Garth J.

2015-01-01

The second-harmonic generation (SHG) activity of protein crystals was found to be enhanced by up to ∼1000-fold by the intercalation of SHG phores within the crystal lattice. Unlike the intercalation of fluorophores, the SHG phores produced no significant background SHG from solvated dye or from dye intercalated into amorphous aggregates. The polarization-dependent SHG is consistent with the chromophores adopting the symmetry of the crystal lattice. In addition, the degree of enhancement for different symmetries of dyes is consistent with theoretical predictions based on the molecular nonlinear optical response. Kinetics studies indicate that intercalation arises over a timeframe of several minutes in lysozyme, with detectable enhancements within seconds. These results provide a potential means to increase the overall diversity of protein crystals and crystal sizes amenable to characterization by SHG microscopy. PMID:26143918

Efficient Incorporation of Mg in Solution Grown GaN Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freitas, Jaime A., Jr.; Feigelson, Boris N.; Anderson, Travis J.

2013-11-01

Detailed spectrometry and optical spectroscopy studies carried out on GaN crystals grown in solution detect and identify Mg as the dominant shallow acceptor. Selective etching of crystals with higher Mg levels than that of the donor concentration background indicates that Mg acceptors incorporate preferentially in the N-polar face. Electrical transport measurements verified an efficient incorporation and activation of the Mg acceptors. These results suggest that this growth method has the potential to produce p-type doped epitaxial layers or p-type substrates characterized by high hole concentration and low defect density.

Crystal Growth Rate Dispersion: A Predictor of Crystal Quality in Microgravity?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kephart, Richard D.; Judge, Russell A.; Snell, Edward H.; vanderWoerd, Mark J.

2003-01-01

In theory macromolecular crystals grow through a process involving at least two transport phenomena of solute to the crystal surface: diffusion and convection. In absence of standard gravitational forces, the ratio of these two phenomena can change and explain why crystal growth in microgravity is different from that on Earth. Experimental evidence clearly shows, however, that crystal growth of various systems is not equally sensitive to reduction in gravitational forces, leading to quality improvement in microgravity for some crystals but not for others. We hypothesize that the differences in final crystal quality are related to crystal growth rate dispersion. If growth rate dispersion exists on Earth, decreases in microgravity, and coincides with crystal quality improvements then this dispersion is a predictor for crystal quality improvement. In order to test this hypothesis, we will measure growth rate dispersion both in microgravity and on Earth and will correlate the data with previously established data on crystal quality differences for the two environments. We present here the first crystal growth rate measurement data for three proteins (lysozyme, xylose isomerase and human recombinant insulin), collected on Earth, using hardware identical to the hardware to be used in microgravity and show how these data correlate with crystal quality improvements established in microgravity.

Development of a ten inch manipulators-based, flexible, broadband two-crystal spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steel, A. B.; Dunn, J.; Emig, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G. V.; Shepherd, R.; Marley, E. V.; Hoarty, D. J.

2014-11-01

We have developed and implemented a broadband X-ray spectrometer with a variable energy range for use at the Atomic Weapons Establishment's Orion Laser. The spectrometer covers an energy bandwidth of ˜1-2 keV using two independently mounted, movable Bragg diffraction crystals. Using combinations of cesium hydrogen pthlate, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, and pentaerythritol crystals, spectra covering the 1.4-2.5, 1.85-3.15, or 3.55-5.1 keV energy bands have been measured. Image plate is used for detection owing to its high dynamic range. Background signals caused by high energy X-rays and particles commonly produced in high energy laser experiments are reduced by a series of tantalum baffles and filters installed between the source and crystal and also between the crystals and detector.

Development of a ten inch manipulators-based, flexible, broadband two-crystal spectrometer.

PubMed

Steel, A B; Dunn, J; Emig, J; Beiersdorfer, P; Brown, G V; Shepherd, R; Marley, E V; Hoarty, D J

2014-11-01

We have developed and implemented a broadband X-ray spectrometer with a variable energy range for use at the Atomic Weapons Establishment's Orion Laser. The spectrometer covers an energy bandwidth of ∼1-2 keV using two independently mounted, movable Bragg diffraction crystals. Using combinations of cesium hydrogen pthlate, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, and pentaerythritol crystals, spectra covering the 1.4-2.5, 1.85-3.15, or 3.55-5.1 keV energy bands have been measured. Image plate is used for detection owing to its high dynamic range. Background signals caused by high energy X-rays and particles commonly produced in high energy laser experiments are reduced by a series of tantalum baffles and filters installed between the source and crystal and also between the crystals and detector.

Indigenous Carbonaceous Matter and Boron Associated with Halite Crystals in Nakhla

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas-Keprta, K. L.; Clemett, S. J.; McKay, D. S.; Gibson, E. K.; Wentworth, S. J.

2015-01-01

We report here the observation of indigenous organic matter spatially associated with, and in several cases embedded within, halite crystals located in alteration veins inside the Martian meteorite Nakhla. Further-more, we have also detected enrichments of boron (B) in these halites far in excess of those previously reported in bulk Martian meteorites. Boron in Martian halites has not been detected previously.

Electric-field responsive contrast agent based on liquid crystals and magnetic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mair, Lamar O.; Martinez-Miranda, Luz J.; Kurihara, Lynn K.; Nacev, Aleksandar; Hilaman, Ryan; Chowdhury, Sagar; Jafari, Sahar; Ijanaten, Said; da Silva, Claudian; Baker-McKee, James; Stepanov, Pavel Y.; Weinberg, Irving N.

2018-05-01

The properties of liquid crystal-magnetic nanoparticle composites have potential for sensing in the body. We study the response of a liquid crystal-magnetic nanoparticle (LC-MNP) composite to applied potentials of hundreds of volts per meter. Measuring samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and imaging composites using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we demonstrate that electric potentials applied across centimeter scale LC-MNP composite samples can be detected using XRD and MRI techniques.

Microfluidic platform for optimization of crystallization conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuheng; Gerard, Charline J. J.; Ikni, Aziza; Ferry, Gilles; Vuillard, Laurent M.; Boutin, Jean A.; Ferte, Nathalie; Grossier, Romain; Candoni, Nadine; Veesler, Stéphane

2017-08-01

We describe a universal, high-throughput droplet-based microfluidic platform for crystallization. It is suitable for a multitude of applications, due to its flexibility, ease of use, compatibility with all solvents and low cost. The platform offers four modular functions: droplet formation, on-line characterization, incubation and observation. We use it to generate droplet arrays with a concentration gradient in continuous long tubing, without using surfactant. We control droplet properties (size, frequency and spacing) in long tubing by using hydrodynamic empirical relations. We measure droplet chemical composition using both an off-line and a real-time on-line method. Applying this platform to a complicated chemical environment, membrane proteins, we successfully handle crystallization, suggesting that the platform is likely to perform well in other circumstances. We validate the platform for fine-gradient screening and optimization of crystallization conditions. Additional on-line detection methods may well be integrated into this platform in the future, for instance, an on-line diffraction technique. We believe this method could find applications in fields such as fluid interaction engineering, live cell study and enzyme kinetics.

Raman intensity as a probe of concentration near a crystal growing in solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkinson, R. Allen

1989-01-01

The feasibility of using Raman spectral scattering signals for measurements of concentration profiles near a crystal interface during growth or dissolution is discussed. With KH2PO4 (KDP) as a test material, optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) detection of a solute Raman vibrational band provided direct quantification of solute concentration with band intensity. The intersection of incident laser and Raman collection optics provided 3-D selective point measurements of the solution concentration field. Unlike many other techniques, the Raman band intensity is not sensitive to the typical temperature variations. Precision calibration of Raman intensity versus KDP concentration with less than 1 pct standard deviation error levels was demonstrated. A fiber optic, which sampled incident laser intensity and coupled it to the OMA, provided a fully synchronized monitor of fluctuations in laser power to correlate with observed Raman signals. With 1 W of laser power at the sample, good data statistics required eight repeated data collections at approximately 2.5 min collection. The accumulated time represents the concentration measurement time at one spatial location. Photomicroscopy documented a 30 micrometer diameter by 200 micrometer of laser Raman scattering region in the solution near the crystal surface. The laser beam was able to approach up to 25 micrometer from the crystal surface. However, a crystal surface reflected intensity contribution was weakly detectable. Nucleated microcrystals were seen in the crystal-growing solution. These microcrystals convect right up to the crystal surface and indicate no quiet diffusion region under normal gravity conditions. Translation of the solution cell with respect to the optics caused systematic intensity errors.

Ultrasensitive detection of nucleic acids and proteins using quartz crystal microbalance and surface plasmon resonance sensors based on target-triggering multiple signal amplification strategy.

PubMed

Sun, Wenbo; Song, Weiling; Guo, Xiaoyan; Wang, Zonghua

2017-07-25

In this study, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors were combined with template enhanced hybridization processes (TEHP), rolling circle amplification (RCA) and biocatalytic precipitation (BCP) for ultrasensitive detection of DNA and protein. The DNA complementary to the aptamer was released by the specific binding of the aptamer to the target protein and then hybridized with the capture probe and the assistant DNA to form a ternary "Y" junction structure. The initiation chain was generated by the template-enhanced hybridization process which leaded to the rolling circle amplification reaction, and a large number of repeating unit sequences were formed. Hybridized with the enzyme-labeled probes, the biocatalytic precipitation reaction was further carried out, resulting in a large amount of insoluble precipitates and amplifying the detection signal. Under the optimum conditions, detection limits as low as 43 aM for target DNA and 53 aM for lysozyme were achieved. In addition, this method also showed good selectivity and sensitivity in human serum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecularly imprinted polymer based quartz crystal microbalance sensor system for sensitive and label-free detection of synthetic cannabinoids in urine.

PubMed

Battal, Dilek; Akgönüllü, Semra; Yalcin, M Serkan; Yavuz, Handan; Denizli, Adil

2018-07-15

Herein, we prepared a novel quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor for synthetic cannabinoids (JWH-073, JWH-073 butanoic acid, JWH-018 and JWH-018 pentanoic acid,) detection. Firstly, the synthetic cannabinoid (SCs) imprinted (MIP) and non-imprinted (NIP) nanoparticles were synthesized by mini-emulsion polymerization system. The SCs-imprinted nanoparticles were first characterized by SEM, TEM, zeta-size and FTIR-ATR analysis and then were dropped onto the gold QCM surface. The SCs-imprinted QCM sensor was characterized by an ellipsometer, contact angle, and AFM. The limit of detection was found as 0.3, 0.45, 0.4, 0.2 pg/mL JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-018 pentanoic acid and JWH-073 butanoic acid, respectively. The selectivity of the SCs-imprinted QCM sensor was shown by using JWH-018, JWH-018 pentanoic acid, JWH-073 and JWH-073 butanoic acid. According to the results, the SCs-imprinted QCM sensors show highly selective and sensitive in a broad range of synthetic cannabinoid concentrations (0.0005-1.0 ng/mL) in both aqueous and synthetic urine solutions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on sensing property of one-dimensional ring mirror-defect photonic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ying; Luo, Pei; Cao, Huiying; Zhao, Zhiyong; Zhu, Qiguang

2018-02-01

Based on the photon localization and the photonic bandgap characteristics of photonic crystals (PCs), one-dimensional (1D) ring mirror-defect photonic crystal structure is proposed. Due to the introduction of mirror structure, a defect cavity is formed in the center of the photonic crystal, and then the resonant transmission peak can be obtained in the bandgap of transmission spectrum. The transfer matrix method is used to establish the relationship model between the resonant transmission peak and the structure parameters of the photonic crystals. Using the rectangular air gate photonic crystal structure, the dynamic monitoring of the detected gas sample parameters can be achieved from the shift of the resonant transmission peak. The simulation results show that the Q-value can attain to 1739.48 and the sensitivity can attain to 1642 nm ṡ RIU-1, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the sensing structure. The structure can provide certain theoretical reference for air pollution monitoring and gas component analysis.

Common-path conoscopic interferometry for enhanced picosecond ultrasound detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Liwang; Guillet, Yannick; Audoin, Bertrand

2018-05-01

We report on a common-path implementation of conoscopic interferometry in picosecond pump-probe reflectometry for simple and efficient detection of picosecond ultrasounds. The interferometric configuration proposed here is greatly simplified, involving only the insertion of a birefringent crystal in a standard reflectometry setup. Our approach is demonstrated by the optical detection of coherent acoustic phonons propagating through thin metal films under two representative geometries, one a particular case where the crystal slab is part of a sample as substrate of a metal film, and the other a more general case where the crystal slab is independent of the sample as part of the detection system. We first illustrate the former with a 300 nm thin film of polycrystalline titanium, deposited by physical vapor deposition on top of a 1 mm-thick uniaxial (0001) sapphire crystal. A signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement of more than 15 dB is achieved compared to conventional reflectometry. Next, the general case is demonstrated with a 900 nm-tungsten film sputtered on a silicon wafer substrate. More echoes can be discriminated by using the reported approach compared to standard reflectometry, which confirms the improvement in SNR and suggests broad applications for the reported method.

Crystal-field effects in fluoride crystals for optical refrigeration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hehlen, Markus P

2010-01-01

The field of optical refrigeration of rare-earth-doped solids has recently seen an important breakthrough. The cooling of a YLiF{sub 4} (YLF) crystal doped with 5 mol% Yb3+ to 155 K by Seletskiy et al [NPhot] has surpassed the lowest temperatures ({approx}170 K for {approx}100 mW cooling capacity) that are practical with commercial multi-stage thermoelectric coolers (TEC) [Glaister]. This record performance has advanced laser cooling into an application relevant regime and has put first practical optical cryocoolers within reach. The result is also relevant from a material perspective since for the first time, an Yb3+-doped crystal has outperformed an Yb3+-doped glass.more » The record temperature of 208 K was held by the Yb3+-doped fluorozirconate glass ZBLAN. Advanced purification and glass fabrication methods currently under development are expected to also advance ZBLAN:Yb3+ to sub-TEC temperatures. However, recent achievements with YLF:Yb3+ illustrate that crystalline materials may have two potentially game-changing advantajes over glassy materials. First, the crystalline environment reduces the inhomogeneous broadening of the Yb3+ electronic transitions as compared to a glassy matrix. The respective sharpening of the crystal-field transitions increases the peak absorption cross section at the laser excitation wavelength and allows for more efficient pumping of the Yb3+ ions, particularly at low temperatures. Second, many detrimental impurities present in the starting materials tend to be excluded from the crystal during its slow growth process, in contrast to a glass where all impurities present in the starting materials are included in the glass when it is formed by temperature quenching a melt. The ultra high purity required for laser cooling materials [PRB] therefore may be easier to realize in crystals than in glasses. Laser cooling occurs by laser excitation of a rare-earth ion followed by anti-Stokes luminescence. Each such laser-cooling cycle

The Kinetics of Crystallization of Colloids and Proteins: A Light Scattering Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClymer, Jim

2002-01-01

Hard-sphere colloidal systems serve as model systems for aggregation, nucleation, crystallization and gelation as well as interesting systems in their own right.There is strong current interest in using colloidal systems to form photonic crystals. A major scientific thrust of NASA's microgravity research is the crystallization of proteins for structural determination. The crystallization of proteins is a complicated process that requires a great deal of trial and error experimentation. In spite of a great deal of work, "better" protein crystals cannot always be grown in microgravity and conditions for crystallization are not well understood. Crystallization of colloidal systems interacting as hard spheres and with an attractive potential induced by entropic forces have been studied in a series of static light scattering experiments. Additionally, aggregation of a protein as a function of pH has been studied using dynamic light scattering. For our experiments we used PMMA (polymethylacrylate) spherical particles interacting as hard spheres, with no attractive potential. These particles have a radius of 304 nanometers, a density of 1.22 gm/ml and an index of refraction of 1.52. A PMMA colloidal sample at a volume fraction of approximately 54% was index matched in a solution of cycloheptyl bromide (CHB) and cis-decalin. The sample is in a glass cylindrical vial that is placed in an ALV static and dynamic light scattering goniometer system. The vial is immersed in a toluene bath for index matching to minimize flair. Vigorous shaking melts any colloidal crystals initially present. The sample is illuminated with diverging laser light (632.8 nanometers) from a 4x microscope objective placed so that the beam is approximately 1 cm in diameter at the sample location. The sample is rotated about its long axis at approximately 3.5 revolutions per minute (highest speed) as the colloidal crystal system is non-ergodic. The scattered light is detected at various angles using the

A triple-crystal phoswich detector with digital pulse shape discrimination for alpha/beta/gamma spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Travis L.; Miller, William H.

1999-02-01

Researchers at the University of Missouri - Columbia have developed a three-crystal phoswich detector coupled to a digital pulse shape discrimination system for use in alpha/beta/gamma spectroscopy. Phoswich detectors use a sandwich of scintillators viewed by a single photomultiplier tube to simultaneously detect multiple types of radiation. Separation of radiation types is based upon pulse shape difference among the phosphors, which has historically been performed with analog circuitry. The system uses a GaGe CompuScope 1012, 12 bit, 10 MHz computer-based oscilloscope that digitally captures the pulses from a phoswich detector and subsequently performs pulse shape discrimination with cross-correlation analysis. The detector, based partially on previous phoswich designs by Usuda et al., uses a 10 mg/cm 2 thick layer of ZnS(Ag) for alpha detection, followed by a 0.254 cm CaF 2(Eu) crystal for beta detection, all backed by a 2.54 cm NaI(Tl) crystal for gamma detection. Individual energy spectra and count rate information for all three radiation types are displayed and updated periodically. The system shows excellent charged particle discrimination with an accuracy of greater than 99%. Future development will include a large area beta probe with gamma-ray discrimination, systems for low-energy photon detection (e.g. Bremsstrahlung or keV-range photon emissions), and other health physics instrumentation.

Crystal structures of carbonates up to Mbar pressures determined by single crystal synchrotron radiation diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merlini, M.

2013-12-01

The recent improvements at synchrotron beamlines, currently allow single crystal diffraction experiments at extreme pressures and temperatures [1,2] on very small single crystal domains. We successfully applied such technique to determine the crystal structure adopted by carbonates at mantle pressures. The knowledge of carbon-bearing phases is in fact fundamental for any quantitative modelling of global carbon cycle. The major technical difficulty arises after first order transitions or decomposition reactions, since original crystal (apx. 10x10x5 μm3) is transformed in much smaller crystalline domains often with random orientation. The use of 3D reciprocal space visualization software and the improved resolution of new generation flat panel detectors, however, allow both identification and integration of each single crystal domain, with suitable accuracy for ab-initio structure solution, performed with direct and charge-flipping methods and successive structure refinements. The results obtained on carbonates, indicate two major crystal-chemistry trends established at high pressures. The CO32- units, planar and parallel in ambient pressure calcite and dolomite structures, becomes non parallel in calcite- and dolomite-II and III phases, allowing more flexibility in the structures with possibility to accommodate strain arising from different cation sizes (Ca and Mg in particular). Dolomite-III is therefore also observed to be thermodynamically stable at lower mantle pressures and temperatures, differently from dolomite, which undergoes decomposition into pure end-members in upper mantle. At higher pressure, towards Mbar (lowermost mantle and D'' region) in agreement with theoretical calculations [3,4] and other experimental results [5], carbon coordination transform into 4-fold CO4 units, with different polymerisation in the structure depending on carbonate composition. The second important crystal chemistry feature detected is related to Fe2+ in Fe

Crystal growth and characterization of Hg-based chalcogenide compounds (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yihui; Lin, Wenwen; Syrigos, Jonathan C.; Wang, Peng Li; Islam, Saiful M.; McCall, Kyle M.; Kostina, Svetlana S.; Liu, Zhifu; Wessels, Bruce W.; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G.

2016-09-01

In this work, two Hg-based chalcogenides were investigated in detail to reveal their potential capability of radiation detection at room temperature (RT). Cs2Hg6S7, with a bandgap of 1.63 eV, which is designed by the dimensional reduction theory proposed by our group, were prepared and characterized. α-HgS, with a bandgap of 2.10 eV, as a precursor used for the ternary compound synthesis, was also proposed and further investigated. For Cs2Hg6S7, the crystals tended to crystallize into needle form with small grains. Here, the conditions of Bridgman melt growth were optimized to obtain relatively large single crystals. The slight excess of Cs2S as a fluxing agent during growth was found to facilitate better crystallization and large grains. Interestingly, no inclusion or secondary phase was found in the as-grown single crystals. The improvement of bulk resistivity from 10^6 Ωcm to 10^8 Ωcm was also achieved through the control of stoichiometry during crystal growth. For α-HgS crystals, both physical vapor transport and chemical vapor transport methods have been applied. By modifying the transport temperature and transport agent, single crystal with size about 3x1.5 mm^2 was grown with resistivity higher than 10^11 Ωcm. Photoluminescence (PL) revealed that multiple peaks observed in the 1.6-2.3 eV range and excitonic peak from for α-HgS single crystals were observed indicating good crystalline quality. Finally, the planar detectors for both crystals were tested under Co57 gamma ray source. Both of the crystals showed reasonable gamma ray response, while α-HgS crystals could respond at a relatively higher counting rate.

Liquid Crystals in Chromatography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witkiewicz, Zygfryd

The following sections are included: * INTRODUCTION * LIQUID CRYSTALS SUITABLE FOR GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY * Monomeric Liquid Crystal Stationary Phases * Polymeric Liquid Crystal Stationary Phases * Polymeric Liquid Crystal Stationary Phases * Conventional Analytical Columns * Capillary Columns * FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATIONS ON LIQUID CRYSTAL STATIONARY PHASES * Kind of Mesophase of the Liquid Crystal * Molecular Structure of the Liquid Crystals and of the Chromatographed Substances * Substrate on which the Liquid Crystal is Deposited * ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS OF LIQUID CRYSTAL STATIONARY PHASES IN GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY * Separation of Isomers of Benzene and Naphthalene Derivatives * Separation of Alkane and Alkene Isomers * Separation of Mixtures of Benzene and Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Derivatives Containing Heteroatoms * Separation of Polynuclear Hydrocarbons * INVESTIGATION OF THE PROPERTIES OF LIQUID CRYSTALS BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY * APPLICATION OF LIQUID CRYSTALS IN LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY * Column Chromatography * Thin-Layer Chromatography * APPLICATION OF LIQUID CRYSTAL STATIONARY PHASES IN SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGRAPHY * FINAL REMARKS * References

RNA Crystallization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golden, Barbara L.; Kundrot, Craig E.

2003-01-01

RNA molecules may be crystallized using variations of the methods developed for protein crystallography. As the technology has become available to syntheisize and purify RNA molecules in the quantities and with the quality that is required for crystallography, the field of RNA structure has exploded. The first consideration when crystallizing an RNA is the sequence, which may be varied in a rational way to enhance crystallizability or prevent formation of alternate structures. Once a sequence has been designed, the RNA may be synthesized chemically by solid-state synthesis, or it may be produced enzymatically using RNA polymerase and an appropriate DNA template. Purification of milligram quantities of RNA can be accomplished by HPLC or gel electrophoresis. As with proteins, crystallization of RNA is usually accomplished by vapor diffusion techniques. There are several considerations that are either unique to RNA crystallization or more important for RNA crystallization. Techniques for design, synthesis, purification, and crystallization of RNAs will be reviewed here.

Laboratory multiple-crystal X-ray topography and reciprocal-space mapping of protein crystals: influence of impurities on crystal perfection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Z. W.; Thomas, B. R.; Chernov, A. A.

2001-01-01

Double-axis multiple-crystal X-ray topography, rocking-curve measurements and triple-axis reciprocal-space mapping have been combined to characterize protein crystals using a laboratory source. Crystals of lysozyme and lysozyme crystals doped with acetylated lysozyme impurities were examined. It was shown that the incorporation of acetylated lysozyme into crystals of lysozyme induces mosaic domains that are responsible for the broadening and/or splitting of rocking curves and diffraction-space maps along the direction normal to the reciprocal-lattice vector, while the overall elastic lattice strain of the impurity-doped crystals does not appear to be appreciable in high angular resolution reciprocal-space maps. Multiple-crystal monochromatic X-ray topography, which is highly sensitive to lattice distortions, was used to reveal the spatial distribution of mosaic domains in crystals which correlates with the diffraction features in reciprocal space. Discussions of the influence of acetylated lysozyme on crystal perfection are given in terms of our observations.

Laboratory multiple-crystal X-ray topography and reciprocal-space mapping of protein crystals: influence of impurities on crystal perfection.

PubMed

Hu, Z W; Thomas, B R; Chernov, A A

2001-06-01

Double-axis multiple-crystal X-ray topography, rocking-curve measurements and triple-axis reciprocal-space mapping have been combined to characterize protein crystals using a laboratory source. Crystals of lysozyme and lysozyme crystals doped with acetylated lysozyme impurities were examined. It was shown that the incorporation of acetylated lysozyme into crystals of lysozyme induces mosaic domains that are responsible for the broadening and/or splitting of rocking curves and diffraction-space maps along the direction normal to the reciprocal-lattice vector, while the overall elastic lattice strain of the impurity-doped crystals does not appear to be appreciable in high angular resolution reciprocal-space maps. Multiple-crystal monochromatic X-ray topography, which is highly sensitive to lattice distortions, was used to reveal the spatial distribution of mosaic domains in crystals which correlates with the diffraction features in reciprocal space. Discussions of the influence of acetylated lysozyme on crystal perfection are given in terms of our observations.

Liquid Crystal Based Sensor to Detect Beta-Sheet Formation of Peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadati, Monirosadat; Izmitli Apik, Aslin; Abbott, Nicholas L.; de Pablo, Juan J.

2015-03-01

Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is involved in the progression of Alzheimer's, typeII diabetes and Huntington's diseases. Although larger aggregates remain important for clinical determination, small oligomers are of great interest due to their potentially toxic nature. It is therefore crucial to develop methods that probe the aggregation process at early stages and in the vicinity of biological membranes. Here, we present a simple method that relies on liquid crystalline materials and a Langmuir monolayer at the aqueous-liquid crystal (LC) interface. The approach is based on the LC's specific response to β-sheet structures, which abound in amyloid fibrils. When the system is observed under polarized light, the fibrils formed by amyloidogenic peptides give rise to the formation of elongated and branched structures in the LCs. Moreover, the PolScope measurements prove that the LCs are predominantly aligned along the fibrils when exposed to a β-sheet forming peptide. In contrast, non-amyloidogenic peptides form ellipsoidal domains of irregularly tilted LCs. This method is capable of reporting aggregation at lipid-aqueous interfaces at nanomolar concentrations of the peptide, and much earlier than commonly used fluorescence-based techniques. We thank Prof. Oleg D. Levrentovich and Young-Ki Kim from the Liquid Crystal Institute of Kent State University for the use of their PolScope instrument. This work was partially supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (P300P2_151342).

Growth of GaN single crystals by a Ca- and Ba-added Na flux method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ukegawa, H.; Konishi, Y.; Fujimori, T.; Miyoshi, N.; Imade, M.; Yoshimura, M.; Kitaoka, Y.; Sasaki, T.; Mori, Y.

2011-02-01

GaN substrates are desirable for fabricating ultra-violet LEDs and LDs, and high-power and high-frequency transistors. High-quality GaN single crystals can be obtained by using Na flux method, but the growth habit of bulk crystals must be controlled. In this study, we investigated the effects of additives (Ca, Ba) on the growth habit and impurity concentration in the crystals. The aspect ratio (c/a) of the crystals was increased by increasing the amount of additives, showing that the growth habit could be changed from the pyramidal shape to the prism shape. Ba concentration was below the detection limit (1x1015 atoms/cm3).

Ultrasensitive Detection of Methylmercaptan Gas Using Layered Manganese Oxide Nanosheets with a Quartz Crystal Microbalance Sensor.

PubMed

Tokura, Yuki; Nakada, Gentoku; Moriyama, Yukari; Oaki, Yuya; Imai, Hiroaki; Shiratori, Seimei

2017-11-21

Methylmercaptan (MM) is a marker of periodontal disease; however, the required sensitivity for MM is parts per billion, which has been challenging to realize with a simple sensor. Here, we report the capability to detect MM at concentrations as low as 20 ppb using layered manganese oxide nanosheets with a quartz crystal microbalance sensor. The sensing capabilities of the manganese oxide nanosheets are promoted by adsorbed water present on and between the nanosheets. The strong adsorption of MM to the sensor, which is necessary for the high sensitivity, leads to significant hysteresis in the response on cycling due to irreversible adsorption. However, the sensor can be readily reset by heating to 80 °C, which leads to highly reproducible response to MM vapor at low concentrations. A key aspect of this sensor design is the high selectivity toward MM in comparison to other compounds such as ethanol, ammonia, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, toluene, and pyridine. This layered nanosheets design for high-sensitivity sensors, demonstrated here for dilute MM, holds significant promise for addressing needs to identify sulfur compounds associated for environmental protection and medical diagnostics.

Effects of impurities on crystal growth in fructose crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Y. D.; Shiau, L. D.; Berglund, K. A.

1989-10-01

The influence of impurities on the crystallization of anhydrous fructose from aqueous solution was studied. The growth kinetics of fructose crystals in the fructose-water-glucose and fructose-water-difructose dianhydrides systems were investigated using photomicroscopic contact nucleation techniques. Glucose is the major impurity likely to be present in fructose syrup formed during corn wet milling, while several difructose dianhydrides are formed in situ under crystallization conditions and have been proposed as a cause in the decrease of overall yields. Both sets of impurities were found to cause inhibition of crystal growth, but the mechanisms responsible in each case are different. It was found that the presence of glucose increases the solubility of fructose in water and thus lowers the supersaturation of the solution. This is probably the main effect responsible for the decrease of crystal growth. Since the molecular structures of difructose dianhydrides are similar to that of fructose, they are probably "tailor-made" impurities. The decrease of crystal growth is probably caused by the incorporation of these impurities into or adsorption to the crystal surface which would accept fructose molecules in the orientation that existed in the difructose dianhydride.

High-throughput crystallization screening.

PubMed

Skarina, Tatiana; Xu, Xiaohui; Evdokimova, Elena; Savchenko, Alexei

2014-01-01

Protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography is dependent on obtaining a single protein crystal suitable for diffraction data collection. Due to this requirement, protein crystallization represents a key step in protein structure determination. The conditions for protein crystallization have to be determined empirically for each protein, making this step also a bottleneck in the structure determination process. Typical protein crystallization practice involves parallel setup and monitoring of a considerable number of individual protein crystallization experiments (also called crystallization trials). In these trials the aliquots of purified protein are mixed with a range of solutions composed of a precipitating agent, buffer, and sometimes an additive that have been previously successful in prompting protein crystallization. The individual chemical conditions in which a particular protein shows signs of crystallization are used as a starting point for further crystallization experiments. The goal is optimizing the formation of individual protein crystals of sufficient size and quality to make them suitable for diffraction data collection. Thus the composition of the primary crystallization screen is critical for successful crystallization.Systematic analysis of crystallization experiments carried out on several hundred proteins as part of large-scale structural genomics efforts allowed the optimization of the protein crystallization protocol and identification of a minimal set of 96 crystallization solutions (the "TRAP" screen) that, in our experience, led to crystallization of the maximum number of proteins.

Crystal structure and density of helium to 232 kbar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mao, H. K.; Wu, Y.; Jephcoat, A. P.; Hemley, R. J.; Bell, P. M.; Bassett, W. A.

1988-01-01

The properties of helium and hydrogen at high pressure are topics of great interest to the understanding of planetary interiors. These materials constitute 95 percent of the entire solar system. A technique was presented for the measurement of X-ray diffraction from single-crystals of low-Z condenses gases in a diamond-anvil cell at high pressure. The first such single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements on solid hydrogen to 26.5 GPa were presented. The application of this technique to the problem of the crystal structure, equation of state, and phase diagram of solid helium is reported. Crucial for X-ray diffraction studies of these materials is the use of a synchrotron radiation source which provides high brillance, narrow collimation of the incident and diffracted X-ray beams to reduce the background noise, and energy-dispersive diffraction techniques with polychromatic (white) radiation, which provides high detection efficiency.

Protein crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Atomic force microscopy uses laser technology to reveal a defect, a double-screw dislocation, on the surface of this crystal of canavalin, a major source of dietary protein for humans and domestic animals. When a crystal grows, attachment kinetics and transport kinetics are competing for control of the molecules. As a molecule gets close to the crystal surface, it has to attach properly for the crystal to be usable. NASA has funded investigators to look at those attachment kinetics from a theoretical standpoint and an experimental standpoint. Dr. Alex McPherson of the University of California, Irvine, is one of those investigators. He uses X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy in his laboratory to answer some of the many questions about how protein crystals grow. Atomic force microscopy provides a means of looking at how individual molecules are added to the surface of growing protein crystals. This helps McPherson understand the kinetics of protein crystal growth. McPherson asks, How fast do crystals grow? What are the forces involved? Investigators funded by NASA have clearly shown that such factors as the level of supersaturation and the rate of growth all affect the habit [characteristic arrangement of facets] of the crystal and the defects that occur in the crystal.

Electro-Optic Generation and Detection of Femtosecond Electromagnetic Pulses

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-11-20

electromagnetic pulses from an electro - optic crystal following their generation by electro - optic Cherenkov radiation, and their subsequent propagation and detection...in free space; (4) The measurement of subpicosecond electrical response of a new organic electrooptic material (polymer); (5) The observation of terahertz transition radiation from the surfaces of electro - optic crystals.

Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals for Sensitive Microscale Chemical and Biochemical Sensing

PubMed Central

Miller, Benjamin L.

2015-01-01

Photonic crystals – optical devices able to respond to changes in the refractive index of a small volume of space – are an emerging class of label-free chemical-and bio-sensors. This review focuses on one class of photonic crystal, in which light is confined to a patterned planar material layer of sub-wavelength thickness. These devices are small (on the order of tens to 100s of microns square), suitable for incorporation into lab-on-a-chip systems, and in theory can provide exceptional sensitivity. We introduce the defining characteristics and basic operation of two-dimensional photonic crystal sensors, describe variations of their basic design geometry, and summarize reported detection results from chemical and biological sensing experiments. PMID:25563402

Microgravity protein crystallization

PubMed Central

McPherson, Alexander; DeLucas, Lawrence James

2015-01-01

Over the past 20 years a variety of technological advances in X-ray crystallography have shortened the time required to determine the structures of large macromolecules (i.e., proteins and nucleic acids) from several years to several weeks or days. However, one of the remaining challenges is the ability to produce diffraction-quality crystals suitable for a detailed structural analysis. Although the development of automated crystallization systems combined with protein engineering (site-directed mutagenesis to enhance protein solubility and crystallization) have improved crystallization success rates, there remain hundreds of proteins that either cannot be crystallized or yield crystals of insufficient quality to support X-ray structure determination. In an attempt to address this bottleneck, an international group of scientists has explored use of a microgravity environment to crystallize macromolecules. This paper summarizes the history of this international initiative along with a description of some of the flight hardware systems and crystallization results. PMID:28725714

Sensitive Infrared Signal Detection by Upconversion Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Teh-Hwa; Yu, Jirong; Bai, Yingxin; Johnson, William; Chen, Songsheng; Petros, Mulugeta; Singh, Upendra N.

2014-01-01

We demonstrated upconversion assisted detection of a 2.05-micron signal by sum frequency generation to generate a 700-nm light using a bulk periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. The achieved 94% intrinsic upconversion efficiency and 22.58% overall detection efficiency at a pW level of 2.05 micron pave the path to detect extremely weak infrared (IR) signals for remote sensing applications.

Study on structural, morphological, optical and thermal properties of guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate hexahydrate crystal.

PubMed

Silambarasan, A; Rajesh, P; Ramasamy, P

2015-01-05

The single crystal of guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate hexahydrate was grown from solution for ultraviolet filters. The single crystal XRD confirms that the grown single crystal belongs to the tetragonal system with the space group of P4₁2₁2. The crystallinity of the grown crystal was estimated by powder X-ray diffraction studies. The optical transmission and thermal stability of as-grown guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate single crystals have been studied. The optical transmission spectrum demonstrates the characteristics of ultraviolet filters. The TG/DTA studies confirm the thermal properties of grown crystals. Thermo-gravimetric analysis showed that the dehydration temperature of the guanidine carbonate doped nickel sulfate crystal is about 100 °C, which is much higher than that of pure nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NSH) crystals which is 72 °C. The growth behaviors and dislocation density were detected under the high resolution XRD and etching studies respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sparsity-based image monitoring of crystal size distribution during crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tao; Huo, Yan; Ma, Cai Y.; Wang, Xue Z.

2017-07-01

To facilitate monitoring crystal size distribution (CSD) during a crystallization process by using an in-situ imaging system, a sparsity-based image analysis method is proposed for real-time implementation. To cope with image degradation arising from in-situ measurement subject to particle motion, solution turbulence, and uneven illumination background in the crystallizer, sparse representation of a real-time captured crystal image is developed based on using an in-situ image dictionary established in advance, such that the noise components in the captured image can be efficiently removed. Subsequently, the edges of a crystal shape in a captured image are determined in terms of the salience information defined from the denoised crystal images. These edges are used to derive a blur kernel for reconstruction of a denoised image. A non-blind deconvolution algorithm is given for the real-time reconstruction. Consequently, image segmentation can be easily performed for evaluation of CSD. The crystal image dictionary and blur kernels are timely updated in terms of the imaging conditions to improve the restoration efficiency. An experimental study on the cooling crystallization of α-type L-glutamic acid (LGA) is shown to demonstrate the effectiveness and merit of the proposed method.

The Crystal Zero Degree Detector at BESIII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, L.; Denig, A.; Drexler, P.; Garillon, B.; Johansson, T.; Kühn, W.; Lange, S.; Lauth, W.; Liang, Y.; Marciniewski, P.; Rathmann, T.; Redmer, C.

2017-07-01

The BESIII experiment at the BEPCII electron positron collider at IHEP (Beijing) is collecting data in the charm-τ mass region. Electron positron collisions are a very well suited environment for the study of initial state radiation (ISR). However, the photons from ISR are strongly peaked towards small polar angles and are currently detected with limited efficiency. In order to increase the detection efficiency of ISR photons, we are developing small-size calorimeters to be placed in the very forward and backward regions. Each detector will consist of two 4×3 arrays of 1×1×14 cm3 LYSO crystals. A 1 cm gap separating each of the two arrays will reduce the contamination from background at very low angles. The scintillation light will be collected by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The expected event rate in the MHz range requires flash ADCs recording the preamplified SiPM outputs.The digitized waveforms will be analyzed in realtime yielding data reduction and pile-up detection. This high bandwidth data stream will be transmitted via optical fibers to FPGA-based hardware performing sub-event building, buffering, and event correlation with the BESIII trigger. The sub-events with a corresponding trigger will be sent to the BESIII event builder via TCP/IP. A single crystal equipped with a SiPM was instrumented as a prototype detector. Tests with radioactive sources were performed successfully.

Summary of experimental studies, at CERN, on a positron source using crystal effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artru, X.; Baier, V.; Beloborodov, K.; Bogdanov, A.; Bukin, A.; Burdin, S.; Chehab, R.; Chevallier, M.; Cizeron, R.; Dauvergne, D.; Dimova, T.; Druzhinin, V.; Dubrovin, M.; Gatignon, L.; Golubev, V.; Jejcic, A.; Keppler, P.; Kirsch, R.; Kulibaba, V.; Lautesse, Ph.; Major, J.; Poizat, J.-C.; Potylitsin, A.; Remillieux, J.; Serednyakov, S.; Shary, V.; Strakhovenko, V.; Sylvia, C.

2005-11-01

A new kind of positron sources for future linear colliders, where the converter is an aligned tungsten crystal, oriented on the <1 1 1>-axis, has been studied at CERN in the WA103 experiment with tertiary electron beams from the SPS. In such sources the photons resulting from channeling radiation and coherent bremsstrahlung create the e+e- pairs. Electron beams, of 6 and 10 GeV, were impinging on different kinds of targets: a 4 mm thick crystal, a 8 mm thick crystal and a compound target made of 4 mm crystal followed by 4 mm amorphous disk. An amorphous tungsten target 20 mm thick was also used for the sake of comparison with the 8 mm crystal and to check the ability of the detection system to provide the correct track reconstruction. The charged particles coming out from the target were detected in a drift chamber immersed partially in a magnetic field. The reconstruction of the particle trajectories provided the energy and angular spectrum of the positrons in a rather wide energy range (up to 150 MeV) and angular domain (up to 30°). The experimental approach presented in this article provides a full description of this kind of source. A presentation of the measured positron distribution in momentum space (longitudinal versus transverse) is given to allow an easy determination of the available yield for a given momentum acceptance. Results on photons, measured downstream of the positron detector, are also presented. A significant enhancement of photon and positron production is clearly observed. This enhancement, for a 10 GeV incident beam, is of 4 for the 4 mm thick crystal and larger than 2 for the 8 mm thick crystal. Another important result concerns the validation of the simulations for the crystals, for which a quite good agreement was met between the simulations and the experiment, for positrons as well as for photons. These results are presented after a short presentation of the experimental setup and of the track reconstruction procedure.

Characterization of the Polycaprolactone Melt Crystallization: Complementary Optical Microscopy, DSC, and AFM Studies

PubMed Central

Speranza, V.; Sorrentino, A.; De Santis, F.; Pantani, R.

2014-01-01

The first stages of the crystallization of polycaprolactone (PCL) were studied using several techniques. The crystallization exotherms measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were analyzed and compared with results obtained by polarized optical microscopy (POM), rheology, and atomic force microscope (AFM). The experimental results suggest a strong influence of the observation scale. In particular, the AFM, even if limited on time scale, appears to be the most sensitive technique to detect the first stages of crystallization. On the contrary, at least in the case analysed in this work, rheology appears to be the least sensitive technique. DSC and POM provide closer results. This suggests that the definition of induction time in the polymer crystallization is a vague concept that, in any case, requires the definition of the technique used for its characterization. PMID:24523644

Characterization of the polycaprolactone melt crystallization: complementary optical microscopy, DSC, and AFM studies.

PubMed

Speranza, V; Sorrentino, A; De Santis, F; Pantani, R

2014-01-01

The first stages of the crystallization of polycaprolactone (PCL) were studied using several techniques. The crystallization exotherms measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were analyzed and compared with results obtained by polarized optical microscopy (POM), rheology, and atomic force microscope (AFM). The experimental results suggest a strong influence of the observation scale. In particular, the AFM, even if limited on time scale, appears to be the most sensitive technique to detect the first stages of crystallization. On the contrary, at least in the case analysed in this work, rheology appears to be the least sensitive technique. DSC and POM provide closer results. This suggests that the definition of induction time in the polymer crystallization is a vague concept that, in any case, requires the definition of the technique used for its characterization.

Investigation of the unique degradation phenomenon observed in CsSrBr3: Eu 5% scintillator crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gokhale, S. S.; Loyd, M.; Stand, L.; Lindsey, A.; Swider, S.; Zhuravleva, M.; Melcher, C. L.

2016-10-01

CsSrBr3: Eu 5% is a promising compound scintillator for radiation detection and imaging applications. Light output and energy resolution measured for a crystal of volume 5×5×5 mm3 were 55,000±2000 ph/MeV and 5.6% at 662 keV respectively which is a significant improvement over previous reports. The hygroscopicity of the compound and the tendency of the scintillator crystals to degrade when exposed to the atmosphere necessitate the proper encapsulation of the crystals. It was observed that unlike other hygroscopic scintillator crystals CsSrBr3 undergoes a unique degradation while encapsulated in mineral oil. The light output of the crystal decreases over time, but there is no visually observed physical degradation of the crystal. This degradation is a reversible process wherein a degraded crystal can be subjected to annealing in vacuum in order to restore its original performance.

Crystallization and X-ray diffraction of crystals formed in water-plasticized amorphous lactose.

PubMed

Jouppila, K; Kansikas, J; Roos, Y H

1998-01-01

Effects of storage time and relative humidity on crystallization and crystal forms produced from amorphous lactose were investigated. Crystallization was observed from time-dependent loss of sorbed water and increasing intensities of peaks in X-ray diffraction patterns. The rate of crystallization increased with increasing storage relative humidity. Lactose crystallized mainly as alpha-lactose monohydrate and anhydrous crystals with alpha- and beta-lactose in a molar ratio of 5:3. The results suggested that the crystal form was defined by the early nucleation process. The crystallization data are important in modeling of crystallization phenomena and prediction of stability of lactose-containing food and pharmaceutical materials.

Ambient air contamination: Characterization and detection techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nulton, C. P.; Silvus, H. S.

1985-01-01

Techniques to characterize and detect sources of ambient air contamination are described. Chemical techniques to identify indoor contaminants are outlined, they include gas chromatography, or colorimetric detection. Organics generated from indoor materials at ambient conditions and upon combustion are characterized. Piezoelectric quartz crystals are used as precision frequency determining elements in electronic oscillators.

Crystal Growth and Scintillation Properties of Ho-Doped Lu3Al5O12 Single Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, Makoto; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Totsuka, Daisuke; Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Futami, Yoshisuke; Yoshikawa, Akira

2012-10-01

The crystals of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 3% Ho doped Lu3Al5O12 (Ho:LuAG) grown by the micro-pulling-down method were examined for their scintillation properties. At wavelengths longer than 300 nm, Ho:LuAG crystals demonstrated around 60% transparency with many absorption peaks attributed to Ho3+ 4f10-4 f10 transitions. When excited by 241Am α-ray to obtain radio luminescence spectra, broad host emission and four sharp Ho3+ 4f10-4 f10 emission peaks were detected in the visible region. Light yields and decay time profiles of the samples irradiated by 137Cs γ-ray were measured using photomultiplier tubes R7600 (Hamamatsu). Ho 0.5%:LuAG showed the highest light yield of 3100 ±310 photons/MeV among the present samples. The decay time profiles were well reproduced by two components exponential approximation consisting of 0.5-1 μs and 3-6 μs.

Kinetics and pathways for crystallization of amorphous mullite and YAG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Bradley Richard

The crystallization behavior of quenched mullite (3Al2O 3•2SiO2) and YAG (Y3Al5O 12) composition glasses (made using containerless methods) were characterized with the ultimate goal of producing single crystal, structural, ceramic oxide fibers from these materials. The kinetics for crystallization were determined from thermal analysis experiments. From the results, time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curves were calculated. The crystallization pathways were determined by examining the crystal structure, microstructure, and chemical composition of heat treated specimens using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A machine was also designed and built to facilitate controlled crystallization of amorphous fibers. Quenched, Y3Al5O12 composition beads crystallized at temperatures as low as 840°C. The as-received specimens contained a few, small YAG crystals, in addition to a mixture of different amorphous phases. The coexistence of two different amorphous phases of the same composition, but having different densities is termed polyamorphism, and this has been reported to occur in Y3Al5O12 composition quenched melts. Although various crystallization pathways have been reported for chemically synthesized YAG precursors, these specimens crystallized directly into YAG, which was the only phase formed. Quenched, 3Al2O3•2SiO2 composition mullite beads and fibers crystallized at temperatures as low as 920°C. Due to phase separation in the quenched melts, multiple phases with slightly different compositions and different crystallization activation energies crystallized. These phases were not equilibrium, 3:2 mullite, but metastable, alumina-rich, pseudotetragonal mullite. The residual, amorphous, silica-rich phase existed as numerous, 7--10 nm sized inclusions embedded within pseudotetragonal mullite. A large amount of internal strain was detected in pseudotetragonal mullite, and the source of this

Laboratory studies on the uptake of aromatic hydrocarbons by ice crystals during vapor depositional crystal growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fries, Elke; Starokozhev, Elena; Haunold, Werner; Jaeschke, Wolfgang; Mitra, Subir K.; Borrmann, Stephan; Schmidt, Martin U.

Uptake of aromatic hydrocarbons (AH) by ice crystals during vapor deposit growth was investigated in a walk-in cold chamber at temperatures of 242, 251, and 260 K, respectively. Ice crystals were grown from ambient air in the presence of gaseous AH namely: benzene (C 6H 6), toluene (methylbenzene, C 7H 8), the C 8H 10 isomers ethylbenzene, o-, m-, p-xylene (dimethylbenzenes), the C 9H 12 isomers n-propylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (1,3,5-TMB), 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (1,2,4-TMB), 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene (1,2,3-TMB), and the C 10H 14 compound tert.-butylbenzene. Gas-phase concentrations calculated at 295 K were 10.3-20.8 μg m -3. Uptake of AH was detected by analyzing vapor deposited ice with a very sensitive method composed of solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME), followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Ice crystal size was lower than 1 cm. At water vapor extents of 5.8, 6.0 and 8.1 g m -3, ice crystal shape changed with decreasing temperatures from a column at a temperature of 260 K, to a plate at 251 K, and to a dendrite at 242 K. Experimentally observed ice growth rates were between 3.3 and 13.3×10 -3 g s -1 m -2 and decreased at lower temperatures and lower value of water vapor concentration. Predicted growth rates were mostly slightly higher. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) were not detected in ice above their detection limits (DLs) of 25 pg g ice-1 (toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) and 125 pg g ice-1 (benzene) over the entire temperature range. Median concentrations of n-propylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, 1,3,5-TMB, tert.-butylbenzene, 1,2,4-TMB, and 1,2,3-TMB were between 4 and 176 pg g ice-1 at gas concentrations of 10.3-10.7 μg m -3 calculated at 295 K. Uptake coefficients ( K) defined as the product of concentration of AH in ice and density of ice related to the product of their concentration in the gas phase and ice mass varied between 0.40 and 10.23. K increased with decreasing temperatures. Values of

Single Crystal Membranes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stormont, R. W.; Morrison, A.

1974-01-01

Single crystal a- and c-axis tubes and ribbons of sodium beta-alumina and sodium magnesium beta-alumina were grown from sodium oxide rich melts. Additional experiments grew ribbon crystals containing sodium magnesium beta, beta double prime, beta triple prime, and beta quadruple prime. A high pressure crystal growth chamber, sodium oxide rich melts, and iridium for all surfaces in contact with the melt were combined with the edge-defined, film-fed growth technique to grow the single crystal beta-alumina tubes and ribbons. The crystals were characterized using metallographic and X-ray diffraction techniques, and wet chemical analysis was used to determine the sodium, magnesium, and aluminum content of the grown crystals.

Scanning electron microscope view of iron crystal growing on pyroxene crystal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A scanning electron microscope photograph of a four-micron size iron crystal growing on a pyroxene crystal (calcium-magnesium-iron silicate) from the Apollo 15 Hadley-Apennino lunar landing site. The well developed crystal faces indicate that the crystal was formed from a hot vapor as the rock was cooling.

Nanoparticles in liquid crystals, and liquid crystals in nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Pablo, Juan

2015-03-01

Liquid crystals are remarkably sensitive to interfacial interactions. Small perturbations at a liquid crystal interface, for example, can be propagated over relatively long length scales, thereby providing the basis for a wide range of applications that rely on amplification of molecular events into macroscopic observables. Our recent research efforts have focused on the reverse phenomenon; that is, we have sought to manipulate the interfacial assembly of nanoparticles or the organization of surface active molecules by controlling the structure of a liquid crystal. This presentation will consist of a review of the basic principles that are responsible for liquid crystal-mediated interactions, followed by demonstrations of those principles in the context of two types of systems. In the first, a liquid crystal is used to direct the assembly of nanoparticles; through a combination of molecular and continuum models, it is found that minute changes in interfacial energy and particle size lead to liquid-crystal induced attractions that can span multiple orders of magnitude. Theoretical predictions are confirmed by experimental observations, which also suggest that LC-mediated assembly provides an effective means for fabrication of plasmonic devices. In the second type of system, the structure of a liquid crystal is controlled by confinement in submicron droplets. The morphology of the liquid crystal in a drop depends on a delicate balance between bulk and interfacial contributions to the free energy; that balance can be easily perturbed by adsorption of analytes or nanoparticles at the interface, thereby providing the basis for development of hierarchical assembly of responsive, anisotropic materials. Theoretical predictions also indicate that the three-dimensional order of a liquid crystal can be projected onto a two-dimensional interface, and give rise to novel nanostructures that are not found in simple isotropic fluids.

A micromotor based on polymer single crystals and nanoparticles: toward functional versatility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Mei; Liu, Limei; Gao, Wenlong; Su, Miaoda; Ge, Ya; Shi, Lili; Zhang, Hui; Dong, Bin; Li, Christopher Y.

2014-07-01

We report a multifunctional micromotor fabricated by the self-assembly technique using multifunctional materials, i.e. polymer single crystals and nanoparticles, as basic building blocks. Not only can this micromotor achieve autonomous and directed movement, it also possesses unprecedented functions, including enzymatic degradation-induced micromotor disassembly, sustained release and molecular detection.We report a multifunctional micromotor fabricated by the self-assembly technique using multifunctional materials, i.e. polymer single crystals and nanoparticles, as basic building blocks. Not only can this micromotor achieve autonomous and directed movement, it also possesses unprecedented functions, including enzymatic degradation-induced micromotor disassembly, sustained release and molecular detection. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental section, Fig. S1-S8 and Video S1-S4. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02593h

Crystal growth and characterization of Ce:Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 single crystal using floating zone method in different O2 partial pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, Akira; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yamaji, Akihiro; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Pejchal, Jan; Sugiyama, Makoto; Wakahara, Shingo; Futami, Yoshisuke; Yokota, Yuui; Kamada, Kei; Yubuta, Kunio; Shishido, Toetsu; Nikl, Martin

2013-09-01

Multicomponent garnet Ce:Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 (Ce:GAGG) single crystals show very high light yield with reasonably fast scintillation response. Therefore, they can be promising scintillators for gamma-ray detection. However, in the decay curve a very slow component does exist. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize further the crystal growth technology of Ce:GAGG. In this study, Ce:GAGG single crystals were grown by the floating zone (FZ) method under atmospheres of various compositions such as Ar 100%, Ar 80% + O2 20%, Ar 60% + O2 40% and O2 100%. Radioluminescence spectra are dominated by the band at about 540 nm due to Ce3+ 5d1-4f transition. The Ce:GAGG single crystal grown under Ar atmosphere shows an intense slower decay component. It can be related to the processes of the delayed radiative recombination and thermally induced ionization of 5d1 level of Ce3+ center possibly further affected by oxygen vacancies. This slower decay process is significantly suppressed in the samples grown under the O2 containing atmosphere.

Lanthanide-doped NaScF4 nanoprobes: crystal structure, optical spectroscopy and biodetection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Yu; Tu, Datao; Zheng, Wei; Liu, Yongsheng; Kong, Jintao; Hu, Ping; Chen, Zhuo; Huang, Mingdong; Chen, Xueyuan

2013-06-01

Trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln3+)-doped inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) as potential luminescent bioprobes have been attracting tremendous interest because of their unique upconversion (UC) and downconversion (DC) luminescence properties. NaScF4, as an important host material, has been rarely reported and its crystal structure remains unclear. Herein, based on the single crystal X-ray diffraction, the space group of NaScF4 crystals was determined to be P31 containing multiple sites of Sc3+ with crystallographic site symmetry of C1, which was verified by high-resolution photoluminescence spectroscopy of Eu3+ at low temperature (10 K). Furthermore, monodisperse and size-controllable NaScF4:Ln3+ NPs were synthesized via a facile thermal decomposition method. The biotinylated NaScF4:Er3+/Yb3+ NPs were demonstrated for their applications as a heterogeneous UC luminescence bioprobe to detect avidin with a detection limit of 180 pM. After bioconjugation with amino-terminal fragment (ATF) of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), NaScF4:Ln3+ NPs also exhibited specific recognition of cancer cells overexpressed with uPA receptor (uPAR, an important marker of tumor biology and metastasis), showing great potentials in tumor-targeted bioimaging.Trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln3+)-doped inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) as potential luminescent bioprobes have been attracting tremendous interest because of their unique upconversion (UC) and downconversion (DC) luminescence properties. NaScF4, as an important host material, has been rarely reported and its crystal structure remains unclear. Herein, based on the single crystal X-ray diffraction, the space group of NaScF4 crystals was determined to be P31 containing multiple sites of Sc3+ with crystallographic site symmetry of C1, which was verified by high-resolution photoluminescence spectroscopy of Eu3+ at low temperature (10 K). Furthermore, monodisperse and size-controllable NaScF4:Ln3+ NPs were synthesized via a facile thermal

Diagnostic of protein crystallization by dynamic light scattering; an application to an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikol, Vincent; Vincendon, Pascale; Eriani, Gilbert; Hirsch, Ernest; Giegé, Richard

1991-03-01

The apparent hydrodynamic radius of a truncated form of baker's yeast aspartyl-tRNA synthetase has been measured in various precipitating agent solutions as a function of the protein concentration by dynamic light scattering. In solvents containing ammonium sulfate or 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol as the precipitating agent the protein remains essentially monodisperse, whereas in the presence of polyethylene glycol interactions and aggregations between protein molecules are detected before reaching supersaturation. These data are indications of possible crystallizations of the protein by the two former precipitants and no crystallization by the latter one. Crystallization experiments indeed have shown that the truncated synthetase crystallizes in the presence of ammonium sulfate and that no crystals grow in solvents containing polyethylene glycol.

A Test of Macromolecular Crystallization in Microgravity: Large, Well-Ordered Insulin Crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borgstahl, Gloria E. O.; Vahedi-Faridi, Ardeschir; Lovelace, Jeff; Bellamy, Henry D.; Snell, Edward H.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Crystals of insulin grown in microgravity on space shuttle mission STS-95 were extremely well-ordered and unusually large (many > 2 mm). The physical characteristics of six microgravity and six earth-grown crystals were examined by X-ray analysis employing superfine f slicing and unfocused synchrotron radiation. This experimental setup allowed hundreds of reflections to be precisely examined for each crystal in a short period of time. The microgravity crystals were on average 34 times larger, had 7 times lower mosaicity, had 54 times higher reflection peak heights and diffracted to significantly higher resolution than their earth grown counterparts. A single mosaic domain model could account for reflections in microgravity crystals whereas reflections from earth crystals required a model with multiple mosaic domains. This statistically significant and unbiased characterization indicates that the microgravity environment was useful for the improvement of crystal growth and resultant diffraction quality in insulin crystals and may be similarly useful for macromolecular crystals in general.

Protein crystal growth in microgravity: Temperature induced large scale crystallization of insulin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long, Marianna M.; Delucas, Larry J.; Smith, C.; Carson, M.; Moore, K.; Harrington, Michael D.; Pillion, D. J.; Bishop, S. P.; Rosenblum, W. M.; Naumann, R. J.

1994-01-01

One of the major stumbling blocks that prevents rapid structure determination using x-ray crystallography is macro-molecular crystal growth. There are many examples where crystallization takes longer than structure determination. In some cases, it is impossible to grow useful crystals on earth. Recent experiments conducted in conjuction with NASA on various Space Shuttle missions have demonstrated that protein crystals often grow larger and display better internal molecular order than their earth-grown counterparts. This paper reports results from three Shuttle flights using the Protein Crystallization Facility (PCF). The PCF hardware produced large, high-quality insulin crystals by using a temperature change as the sole means to affect protein solubility and thus, crystallization. The facility consists of cylinders/containers with volumes of 500, 200, 100, and 50 ml. Data from the three Shuttle flights demonstrated that larger, higher resolution crystals (as evidenced by x-ray diffraction data) were obtained from the microgravity experiments when compared to earth-grown crystals.

Protein crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bugg, Charles E.

1993-01-01

Proteins account for 50% or more of the dry weight of most living systems and play a crucial role in virtually all biological processes. Since the specific functions of essentially all biological molecules are determined by their three-dimensional structures, it is obvious that a detailed understanding of the structural makeup of a protein is essential to any systematic research pertaining to it. At the present time, protein crystallography has no substitute, it is the only technique available for elucidating the atomic arrangements within complicated biological molecules. Most macromolecules are extremely difficult to crystallize, and many otherwise exciting and promising projects have terminated at the crystal growth stage. There is a pressing need to better understand protein crystal growth, and to develop new techniques that can be used to enhance the size and quality of protein crystals. There are several aspects of microgravity that might be exploited to enhance protein crystal growth. The major factor that might be expected to alter crystal growth processes in space is the elimination of density-driven convective flow. Another factor that can be readily controlled in the absence of gravity is the sedimentation of growing crystal in a gravitational field. Another potential advantage of microgravity for protein crystal growth is the option of doing containerless crystal growth. One can readily understand why the microgravity environment established by Earth-orbiting vehicles is perceived to offer unique opportunities for the protein crystallographer. The near term objectives of the Protein Crystal Growth in a Microgravity Environment (PCG/ME) project is to continue to improve the techniques, procedures, and hardware systems used to grow protein crystals in Earth orbit.

Liquid encapsulated crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Andrew D. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

Low-defect crystals are grown in a closed ampoule under a layer of encapsulant. After crystal growth, the crystal is separated from the melt and moved into the layer of encapsulant and cooled to a first temperature at which crystal growth stops. The crystal is then moved into the inert gas ambient in the ampoule and further cooled. The crystal can be separated from the melt by decanting the melt into an adjacent reservoir or by rotating the ampoule to rotate the crystal into the encapsulant layer.

Liquid encapsulated crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Andrew D. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

Low-defect crystals are grown in a closed ampoule under a layer of encapsulant. After crystal growth, the crystal is separated from the melt and moved into the layer of encapsulant and cooled to a first temperature at which crystal growth stops. The crystal is then moved into the inert gas ambient in the ampoule and further cooled. The crystal can be separated from the melt by decanting the melt into and adjacent reservoir or by rotating the ampoule to rotate the crystal into the encapsulant layer.

Molecular imprinted opal closest-packing photonic crystals for the detection of trace 17β-estradiol in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Sai, Na; Wu, Yuntang; Sun, Zhong; Huang, Guowei; Gao, Zhixian

2015-11-01

A novel opal closest-packing (OCP) photonic crystal (PC) was prepared by the introduction of molecular imprinting technique into the OCP PC. This molecular imprinted (MI)-OCP PC was fabricated via a vertical convective self-assembly method using 17β-estradiol (E2) as template molecules for monitoring E2 in aqueous solution. Morphology characterization showed that the MI-OCP PC possessed a highly ordered three-dimensional (3D) periodically-ordered structure, showing the desired structural color. The proposed PC material displayed a reduced reflection intensity when detecting E2 in water environment, because the molecular imprinting recognition events make the optical characteristics of PC change. The Bragg diffraction intensity decreased by 19.864 a.u. with the increase of E2 concentration from 1.5 ng mL(-1) to 364.5 ng mL(-1) within 6 min, whereas there were no obvious peak intensity changes for estriol, estrone, cholesterol, testosterone and diethylstilbestrol, indicating that the MI-OCP PC had selective and rapid response for E2 molecules. The adsorption results showed that the OCP structure and homogeneous layers were created in the MI-OCP PC with higher adsorption capacity. Thus, it was learned the MI-OCP PC is a simple prepared, sensitive, selective, and easy operative material, which shows promising use in routine supervision for residue detection in food and environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The polymorphic weddellite crystals in three species of Cephalocereus (Cactaceae).

PubMed

Bárcenas-Argüello, María-Luisa; Gutiérrez-Castorena, Ma C-del-Carmen; Terrazas, Teresa

2015-10-01

Mineral inclusions in plant cells are genetically regulated, have an ecological function and are used as taxonomic characters. In Cactaceae, crystals in epidermal and cortical tissues have been reported; however, few studies have conducted chemical and morphological analyses on these crystals, and even fewer have reported non-mineral calcium to determine its systematic value. Cephalocereus apicicephalium, C. totolapensis and C. nizandensis are Cactaceae species endemic to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico with abundant epidermal prismatic crystals. In the present study, we characterize the mineral cell inclusions, including their chemical composition and their morphology, for three species of Cephalocereus. Crystals of healthy branches of the three species were isolated and studied. The crystals were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), their morphology was described using a petrographic and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and their elemental composition was measured with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDXAR). The three species synthesized weddellite with different degrees of hydration depending on the species. The optical properties of calcium oxalate crystals were different from the core, which was calcium carbonate. We observed a large diversity of predominantly spherical forms with SEM. EDXAR analysis detected different concentrations of Ca and significant amounts of elements, such as Si, Mg, Na, K, Cl, and Fe, which may be related to the edaphic environment of these cacti. The occurrence of weddellite is novel for the genus according to previous reports. The morphological diversity of the crystals may be related to their elemental composition and may be a source of phylogenetic characters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crystal Growth and Characterization of THO2 and UxTh1-xO2

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

bulk actinide crystals would open up new possibilities for the detection of weapons of mass destruction, the study of the effect of aging on...way of growing bulk actinide materials of optical quality. These refractory oxide single crystals offer potential applications in thorium nuclear...fuel technology, wide-band-gap uranium-based direct-conversion solid state neutron detectors, and understanding how actinide fuels age with time. ThO2

EDITORIAL: Photonic Crystal Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Pallab K.

2007-05-01

The engineering of electromagnetic modes at optical frequencies in artificial dielectric structures with periodic and random variation of the refractive index, enabling control of the radiative properties of the materials and photon localization, was first proposed independently by Yablonovitch and John in 1987. It is possible to control the flow of light in the periodic dielectric structures, known as photonic crystals (PC). As light waves scatter within the photonic crystal, destructive interference cancels out light of certain wavelengths, thereby forming a photonic bandgap, similar to the energy bandgap for electron waves in a semiconductor. Photons whose energies lie within the gap cannot propagate through the periodic structure. This property can be used to make a low-loss cavity. If a point defect, such as one or more missing periods, is introduced into the periodic structure a region is obtained within which the otherwise forbidden wavelengths can be locally trapped. This property can be used to realize photonic microcavities. Similarly, a line of defects can serve as a waveguide. While the realization of three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals received considerable attention initially, planar two-dimensional (2D) structures are currently favoured because of their relative ease of fabrication. 2D photonic crystal structures provide most of the functionality of 3D structures. These attributes have generated worldwide research and development of sub-μm and μm size active and passive photonic devices such as single-mode and non- classical light sources, guided wave devices, resonant cavity detection, and components for optical communication. More recently, photonic crystal guided wave devices are being investigated for application in microfludic and biochemical sensing. Photonic crystal devices have been realized with bulk, quantum well and quantum dot active regions. The Cluster of articles in this issue of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics provides a

Nonlinear dielectric spectroscopy in a fragile plastic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michl, M.; Bauer, Th.; Lunkenheimer, P.; Loidl, A.

2016-03-01

In this work we provide a thorough examination of the nonlinear dielectric properties of a succinonitrile-glutaronitrile mixture, representing one of the rare examples of a plastic crystal with fragile glassy dynamics. The detected alteration of the complex dielectric permittivity under high fields can be explained considering the heterogeneous nature of glassy dynamics and a field-induced variation of entropy. While the first mechanism was also found in structural glass formers, the latter effect seems to be more pronounced in plastic crystals. Moreover, the third harmonic component of the dielectric susceptibility is reported, revealing a hump-like spectral shape as predicted, e.g., within a model considering cooperative molecular dynamics. If assuming the validity of this model, one can deduce the temperature dependence of the number of correlated molecules Ncorr from these data. In accord with the fragile nature of the glass transition in this plastic crystal, we obtain a relatively strong temperature dependence of Ncorr, in contrast to the much weaker temperature dependence in plastic-crystalline cyclo-octanol, whose glass transition is of strong nature.

Crystallization of Macromolecules

PubMed Central

Friedmann, David; Messick, Troy; Marmorstein, Ronen

2014-01-01

X-ray crystallography has evolved into a very powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules and macromolecular complexes. The major bottleneck in structure determination by X-ray crystallography is the preparation of suitable crystalline samples. This unit outlines steps for the crystallization of a macromolecule, starting with a purified, homogeneous sample. The first protocols describe preparation of the macromolecular sample (i.e., proteins, nucleic acids, and macromolecular complexes). The preparation and assessment of crystallization trials is then described, along with a protocol for confirming whether the crystals obtained are composed of macromolecule as opposed to a crystallization reagent . Next, the optimization of crystallization conditions is presented. Finally, protocols that facilitate the growth of larger crystals through seeding are described. PMID:22045560

Multicenter evaluation of crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for rapid detection of isoniazid and rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Coban, Ahmet Yilmaz; Akbal, Ahmet Ugur; Bicmen, Can; Albay, Ali; Sig, Ali Korhan; Uzun, Meltem; Selale, Deniz Sertel; Ozkutuk, Nuri; Surucuoglu, Suheyla; Albayrak, Nurhan; Ucarman, Nilay; Ozkutuk, Aydan; Esen, Nuran; Ceyhan, Ismail; Ozyurt, Mustafa; Bektore, Bayhan; Aslan, Gonul; Delialioğlu, Nuran; Alp, Alpaslan

2016-01-01

The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the performance of the crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for detection of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). This study was performed in 11 centers in two phases. A total of 156 isolates were tested for INH and RIF resistance. In the phase I, 106 clinical isolates were tested in the Center 1–7. In the phase 2, 156 clinical isolates were tested in the center 1–6, center 8–11. Eighty six of 156 tested isolates were the same in phase I. Agreements were 96.2–96.8% for INH and 98.1–98.7% for RIF in the phase I-II, respectively. Mean time to obtain the results in the phase I was 14.3 ± 5.4 days. In the phase II, mean time to obtain the results was 11.6 ± 3.5 days. Test results were obtained within 14days for 62.3% (66/106) of isolates in the phase I and 81.4% (127/156) of isolates in the phase II. In conclusion, CVDA is rapid, reliable, inexpensive, and easy to perform for rapid detection of MDR-TB isolates. In addition, it could be adapted for drug susceptibility testing with all drugs both in developed and developing countries. PMID:27982061

Multicenter evaluation of crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for rapid detection of isoniazid and rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Coban, Ahmet Yilmaz; Akbal, Ahmet Ugur; Bicmen, Can; Albay, Ali; Sig, Ali Korhan; Uzun, Meltem; Selale, Deniz Sertel; Ozkutuk, Nuri; Surucuoglu, Suheyla; Albayrak, Nurhan; Ucarman, Nilay; Ozkutuk, Aydan; Esen, Nuran; Ceyhan, Ismail; Ozyurt, Mustafa; Bektore, Bayhan; Aslan, Gonul; Delialioğlu, Nuran; Alp, Alpaslan

2016-12-16

The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the performance of the crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for detection of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). This study was performed in 11 centers in two phases. A total of 156 isolates were tested for INH and RIF resistance. In the phase I, 106 clinical isolates were tested in the Center 1-7. In the phase 2, 156 clinical isolates were tested in the center 1-6, center 8-11. Eighty six of 156 tested isolates were the same in phase I. Agreements were 96.2-96.8% for INH and 98.1-98.7% for RIF in the phase I-II, respectively. Mean time to obtain the results in the phase I was 14.3 ± 5.4 days. In the phase II, mean time to obtain the results was 11.6 ± 3.5 days. Test results were obtained within 14days for 62.3% (66/106) of isolates in the phase I and 81.4% (127/156) of isolates in the phase II. In conclusion, CVDA is rapid, reliable, inexpensive, and easy to perform for rapid detection of MDR-TB isolates. In addition, it could be adapted for drug susceptibility testing with all drugs both in developed and developing countries.

Protein Crystal Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

In order to rapidly and efficiently grow crystals, tools were needed to automatically identify and analyze the growing process of protein crystals. To meet this need, Diversified Scientific, Inc. (DSI), with the support of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center, developed CrystalScore(trademark), the first automated image acquisition, analysis, and archiving system designed specifically for the macromolecular crystal growing community. It offers automated hardware control, image and data archiving, image processing, a searchable database, and surface plotting of experimental data. CrystalScore is currently being used by numerous pharmaceutical companies and academic and nonprofit research centers. DSI, located in Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded the patent Method for acquiring, storing, and analyzing crystal images on March 4, 2003. Another DSI product made possible by Marshall SBIR funding is VaporPro(trademark), a unique, comprehensive system that allows for the automated control of vapor diffusion for crystallization experiments.

In-Situ Optical Determination of Thermomechanical Properties of ZnSe and ZnTe Crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burger, A.; Ndap, J.-O.; Chattopadhyay, K.; Ma, X.; Silberman, E.; Feth, S.; Palosz, W.; Su, C.-H.

1999-01-01

At temperatures above 1/2 T(sub m), the generation and movement of dislocations may result due to the load created by the weight of the crystal itself The deformation may be expected to increase the line defect density and may result in generation of low angle grain boundaries, especially in the regions of the crystal attached to the ampule. It has often been suspected that elimination of this effect in space can improve crystallinity of crystals grown under microgravity conditions, however, a direct experimental proof of such relation is still missing. In this work we have designed and built a system of in-situ optical detection and measurement of the mechanical deformations of a crystal wafer under its own weight, and studied the deformation effects as a function of temperature. The results of the measurements for ZnSe and ZnTe crystal wafers will be presented.

Crystallization of the Large Membrane Protein Complex Photosystem I in a Microfluidic Channel

PubMed Central

Abdallah, Bahige G.; Kupitz, Christopher; Fromme, Petra; Ros, Alexandra

2014-01-01

Traditional macroscale protein crystallization is accomplished non-trivially by exploring a range of protein concentrations and buffers in solution until a suitable combination is attained. This methodology is time consuming and resource intensive, hindering protein structure determination. Even more difficulties arise when crystallizing large membrane protein complexes such as photosystem I (PSI) due to their large unit cells dominated by solvent and complex characteristics that call for even stricter buffer requirements. Structure determination techniques tailored for these ‘difficult to crystallize’ proteins such as femtosecond nanocrystallography are being developed, yet still need specific crystal characteristics. Here, we demonstrate a simple and robust method to screen protein crystallization conditions at low ionic strength in a microfluidic device. This is realized in one microfluidic experiment using low sample amounts, unlike traditional methods where each solution condition is set up separately. Second harmonic generation microscopy via Second Order Nonlinear Imaging of Chiral Crystals (SONICC) was applied for the detection of nanometer and micrometer sized PSI crystals within microchannels. To develop a crystallization phase diagram, crystals imaged with SONICC at specific channel locations were correlated to protein and salt concentrations determined by numerical simulations of the time-dependent diffusion process along the channel. Our method demonstrated that a portion of the PSI crystallization phase diagram could be reconstructed in excellent agreement with crystallization conditions determined by traditional methods. We postulate that this approach could be utilized to efficiently study and optimize crystallization conditions for a wide range of proteins that are poorly understood to date. PMID:24191698

Crystals and Crystals: On the Mythology of Magmatic Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsh, B.

2008-12-01

The intimate records of the deep functioning of magmatic systems reside in the temporal and spatial records of magma flux, composition and crystal load. The records for a single system are piecemeal: Plutons show good spatial records, but poor temporal records. Volcanoes give through lava sequences good temporal records, but no spatial context. Because of this dichotomy, two, almost mutually exclusive, branches of magmatology have developed, whereas in Nature there is only a single process. The processes envisioned in these schools necessary to deliver the end rock record are distinct. It is our tools and historic perspectives that have steered the science, not the subject itself. Due to this approach an almost mythical conception of how magmas function has become commonplace. The circumvention of this dilemma rests in carefully evaluating the records on hand in the light of a broad understanding of the fundamental mechanics of how magma lives and dies. It is these basic principles that promise to unify plutonic and volcanic evidence to reveal the full nature of magmatism on all scales. The two most basic features of all magmatic processes are the universal presence of solidification fronts and the presence or absence of a crystal cargo. Almost without exception (e.g., shallow pressure quenching) all first generation crystals grow in marginal solidification fronts (SFs) bordering all magmas. The package of isotherms bounded by the liquidus and solidus define SFs, which propagate in response to the rate of cooling. All physical and chemical processes occurring within SFs compete with the advancement or retreat of solidification. SFs are governed by crystallinity regimes: Suspension Zone (<25 % xtals), Capture Front (~25 %), Mush Zone (25-55%), Rigidity Front (~55%; Critical Crystallinity), and Rigid Crust Zone (>55% xtals). Magmas are laced with nuclei that multiply and grow when overtaken. Crystal growth rates are bounded; tiny crystals reside at the front of SFs

Crystal conversion between metal-organic frameworks with different crystal topologies for efficient crystal design on two-dimensional substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuruoka, Takaaki; Inoue, Kohei; Miyanaga, Ayumi; Tobiishi, Kaho; Ohhashi, Takashi; Hata, Manami; Takashima, Yohei; Akamatsu, Kensuke

2018-04-01

Crystal conversion of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) between different crystal topologies on a polymer substrate has been successfully achieved by localized dissolution of MOF crystals followed by a rapid self-assembly of framework components. Upon addition of the desired organic linkers to the reaction system containing MOF crystals on the substrate, reversible crystal conversion between the [Cu2(btc)3]n and [Cu2(ndc)2(dabco)]n frameworks (btc = 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate, ndc = 1,4-naphthalene dicarboxylate, dabco = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) could be routinely achieved in high yields. Most surprisingly, in the case of conversion from the [Cu2(ndc)2(dabco)]n to [Cu2(btc)3]n frameworks, the [Cu2(btc)3]n crystals with unique shapes (cuboctahedron and truncated cube) could be prepared using butanol as a reaction medium.

Direct detection of x-rays for protein crystallography employing a thick, large area CCD

DOEpatents

Atac, Muzaffer; McKay, Timothy

1999-01-01

An apparatus and method for directly determining the crystalline structure of a protein crystal. The crystal is irradiated by a finely collimated x-ray beam. The interaction of the x-ray beam with the crystal produces scattered x-rays. These scattered x-rays are detected by means of a large area, thick CCD which is capable of measuring a significant number of scattered x-rays which impact its surface. The CCD is capable of detecting the position of impact of the scattered x-ray on the surface of the CCD and the quantity of scattered x-rays which impact the same cell or pixel. This data is then processed in real-time and the processed data is outputted to produce a image of the structure of the crystal. If this crystal is a protein the molecular structure of the protein can be determined from the data received.

Structural differences between single crystal and polycrystalline UBe 13

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volz, Heather Michelle; Vogel, Sven C.; Smith, Alice Iulia

Here, we report on observations of structural and chemical differences between samples of UBe 13 that were synthesised using two different methods. Unexplained discrepancies in properties between samples with differing synthesis had previously been found in this heavy fermion superconductor. A polycrystalline UBe13 sample was made by arc-melting the constituents. Single crystals were grown using an aluminium flux and had a consistently slightly larger lattice parameter than the polycrystals, which merited further study. Neutron diffraction data were collected at the Lujan Center at LANSCE on the HIPPO diffractometer. Aluminium was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in themore » flux-grown single crystal (0.803 wt%), and small amounts (~0.2 wt%) of thorium were detected in the UBe 13 polycrystalline sample. In order to probe the implications of the presence of Al, calculations by spin-polarised DFT-GGA+U show that the incorporation of Al onto the 96i site (the lowest symmetry site in the structure) is energetically more favourable than on other sites. In general, the trends calculated by DFT for bond lengths and lattice parameter increases are consistent with bond lengths experimentally observed by neutron diffraction, but specific percentage changes with aluminium incorporation may be obscured by the unexpected thorium in the polycrystalline sample. The aggregate of our initial observations suggests that incorporation of aluminium from the flux into single crystal UBe 13 is significant.« less

Structural differences between single crystal and polycrystalline UBe 13

DOE PAGES

Volz, Heather Michelle; Vogel, Sven C.; Smith, Alice Iulia; ...

2018-05-16

Here, we report on observations of structural and chemical differences between samples of UBe 13 that were synthesised using two different methods. Unexplained discrepancies in properties between samples with differing synthesis had previously been found in this heavy fermion superconductor. A polycrystalline UBe13 sample was made by arc-melting the constituents. Single crystals were grown using an aluminium flux and had a consistently slightly larger lattice parameter than the polycrystals, which merited further study. Neutron diffraction data were collected at the Lujan Center at LANSCE on the HIPPO diffractometer. Aluminium was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in themore » flux-grown single crystal (0.803 wt%), and small amounts (~0.2 wt%) of thorium were detected in the UBe 13 polycrystalline sample. In order to probe the implications of the presence of Al, calculations by spin-polarised DFT-GGA+U show that the incorporation of Al onto the 96i site (the lowest symmetry site in the structure) is energetically more favourable than on other sites. In general, the trends calculated by DFT for bond lengths and lattice parameter increases are consistent with bond lengths experimentally observed by neutron diffraction, but specific percentage changes with aluminium incorporation may be obscured by the unexpected thorium in the polycrystalline sample. The aggregate of our initial observations suggests that incorporation of aluminium from the flux into single crystal UBe 13 is significant.« less

Surface modification of alignment layer by ultraviolet irradiation to dramatically improve the detection limit of liquid-crystal-based immunoassay for the cancer biomarker CA125.

PubMed

Su, Hui-Wen; Lee, Mon-Juan; Lee, Wei

2015-05-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based biosensing has attracted much attention in recent years. We focus on improving the detection limit of LC-based immunoassay techniques by surface modification of the surfactant alignment layer consisting of dimethyloctadecyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ammonium chloride (DMOAP). The cancer biomarker CA125 was detected with an array of anti-CA125 antibodies immobilized on the ultraviolet (UV)-modified DMOAP monolayer. Compared with a pristine counterpart, UV irradiation enhanced the binding affinity of the CA125 antibody and reproducibility of immunodetection in which a detection limit of 0.01 ng∕ml for the cancer biomarker CA125 was achieved. Additionally, the optical texture observed under a crossed polarized microscope was correlated with the analyte concentration. In a proof-of-concept experiment using CA125-spiked human serum as the analyte, specific binding between the CA125 antigen and the anti-CA125 antibody resulted in a distinct and concentration-dependent optical response despite the high background caused by nonspecific binding of other biomolecules in the human serum. Results from this study indicate that UVmodification of the alignment layer, as well as detection with LCs of large birefringence, contributes to the enhanced performance of the label-free LC-based immunodetection, which may be considered a promising alternative to conventional label-based methods.

Photonic Crystal Fibers

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

passive and active versions of each fiber designed under this task. Crystal Fibre shall provide characteristics of the fiber fabricated to include core...passive version of multicore fiber iteration 2. 15. SUBJECT TERMS EOARD, Laser physics, Fibre Lasers, Photonic Crystal, Multicore, Fiber Laser 16...9 00* 0 " CRYSTAL FIBRE INT ODUCTION This report describes the photonic crystal fibers developed under agreement No FA8655-o5-a- 3046. All

Acoustic interference suppression of quartz crystal microbalance sensor arrays utilizing phononic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yung-Yu; Huang, Li-Chung; Wang, Wei-Shan; Lin, Yu-Ching; Wu, Tsung-Tsong; Sun, Jia-Hong; Esashi, Masayoshi

2013-04-01

Acoustic interference suppression of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor arrays utilizing phononic crystals is investigated in this paper. A square-lattice phononic crystal structure is designed to have a complete band gap covering the QCM's resonance frequency. The monolithic sensor array consisting of two QCMs separated by phononic crystals is fabricated by micromachining processes. As a result, 12 rows of phononic crystals with band gap boost insertion loss between the two QCMs by 20 dB and also reduce spurious modes. Accordingly, the phononic crystal is verified to be capable of suppressing the acoustic interference between adjacent QCMs in a sensor array.

Emission from Crystals Irradiated with a Beam of Runaway Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buranchenko, A. G.; Tarasenko, V. F.; Beloplotov, D. V.; Baksht, E. Kh.

2018-01-01

An investigation of the spectral and amplitude-temporal characteristics of emission from different crystals, promising in terms of their application as detectors of runaway electrons, is performed. This emission is excited by subnanosecond electron beams generated in a gas diode. It is found out that at the electron energies of tens-hundreds of kiloelectronvolts, the main contribution into the emission from CsI, ZnS, type IIa artificial and natural diamonds, sapphire, CaF2, ZrO2, Ga2O3, CaCO3, CdS, and ZnSe crystals comes from the cathodoluminescence; the radiation pulse duration depends on the crystal used and sufficiently exceeds the Cherenkov radiation pulse duration. It is demonstrated that the latter radiation exhibits low intensity and can be detected in the short-wave region of the spectrum in the cases where a monochromator and a high-sensitivity photomultiplier tube (PMT) are used.

Optical characterization of single-crystal diamond grown by DC arc plasma jet CVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hei, Li-fu; Zhao, Yun; Wei, Jun-jun; Liu, Jin-long; Li, Cheng-ming; Lü, Fan-xiu

2017-12-01

Optical centers of single-crystal diamond grown by DC arc plasma jet chemical vapor deposition (CVD) were examined using a low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) technique. The results show that most of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) complexes are present as NV- centers, although some H2 and H3 centers and B-aggregates are also present in the single-crystal diamond because of nitrogen aggregation resulting from high N2 incorporation and the high mobility of vacancies under growth temperatures of 950-1000°C. Furthermore, emissions of radiation-induced defects were also detected at 389, 467.5, 550, and 588.6 nm in the PL spectra. The reason for the formation of these radiation-induced defects is not clear. Although a Ni-based alloy was used during the diamond growth, Ni-related emissions were not detected in the PL spectra. In addition, the silicon-vacancy (Si-V)-related emission line at 737 nm, which has been observed in the spectra of many previously reported microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) synthetic diamonds, was absent in the PL spectra of the single-crystal diamond prepared in this work. The high density of NV- centers, along with the absence of Ni-related defects and Si-V centers, makes the single-crystal diamond grown by DC arc plasma jet CVD a promising material for applications in quantum computing.

JAXA protein crystallization in space: ongoing improvements for growing high-quality crystals

PubMed Central

Takahashi, Sachiko; Ohta, Kazunori; Furubayashi, Naoki; Yan, Bin; Koga, Misako; Wada, Yoshio; Yamada, Mitsugu; Inaka, Koji; Tanaka, Hiroaki; Miyoshi, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Tomoyuki; Kamigaichi, Shigeki

2013-01-01

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) started a high-quality protein crystal growth project, now called JAXA PCG, on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2002. Using the counter-diffusion technique, 14 sessions of experiments have been performed as of 2012 with 580 proteins crystallized in total. Over the course of these experiments, a user-friendly interface framework for high accessibility has been constructed and crystallization techniques improved; devices to maximize the use of the microgravity environment have been designed, resulting in some high-resolution crystal growth. If crystallization conditions were carefully fixed in ground-based experiments, high-quality protein crystals grew in microgravity in many experiments on the ISS, especially when a highly homogeneous protein sample and a viscous crystallization solution were employed. In this article, the current status of JAXA PCG is discussed, and a rational approach to high-quality protein crystal growth in microgravity based on numerical analyses is explained. PMID:24121350

Quartz crystal growth

DOEpatents

Baughman, Richard J.

1992-01-01

A process for growing single crystals from an amorphous substance that can undergo phase transformation to the crystalline state in an appropriate solvent. The process is carried out in an autoclave having a lower dissolution zone and an upper crystallization zone between which a temperature differential (.DELTA.T) is maintained at all times. The apparatus loaded with the substance, solvent, and seed crystals is heated slowly maintaining a very low .DELTA.T between the warmer lower zone and cooler upper zone until the amorphous substance is transformed to the crystalline state in the lower zone. The heating rate is then increased to maintain a large .DELTA.T sufficient to increase material transport between the zones and rapid crystallization. .alpha.-Quartz single crystal can thus be made from fused quartz in caustic solvent by heating to 350.degree. C. stepwise with a .DELTA.T of 0.25.degree.-3.degree. C., increasing the .DELTA.T to about 50.degree. C. after the fused quartz has crystallized, and maintaining these conditions until crystal growth in the upper zone is completed.

Mixed crystal organic scintillators

DOEpatents

Zaitseva, Natalia P; Carman, M Leslie; Glenn, Andrew M; Hamel, Sebastien; Hatarik, Robert; Payne, Stephen A; Stoeffl, Wolfgang

2014-09-16

A mixed organic crystal according to one embodiment includes a single mixed crystal having two compounds with different bandgap energies, the organic crystal having a physical property of exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source, wherein the signal response signature does not include a significantly-delayed luminescence characteristic of neutrons interacting with the organic crystal relative to a luminescence characteristic of gamma rays interacting with the organic crystal. According to one embodiment, an organic crystal includes bibenzyl and stilbene or a stilbene derivative, the organic crystal having a physical property of exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source.

A multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal bromodiacetylene dimerization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoheisel, Tobias N.; Schrettl, Stephen; Marty, Roman; Todorova, Tanya K.; Corminboeuf, Clémence; Sienkiewicz, Andrzej; Scopelliti, Rosario; Schweizer, W. Bernd; Frauenrath, Holger

2013-04-01

Packing constraints and precise placement of functional groups are the reason that organic molecules in the crystalline state often display unusual physical or chemical properties not observed in solution. Here we report a single-crystal-to-single-crystal dimerization of a bromodiacetylene that involves unusually large atom displacements as well as the cleavage and formation of several bonds. Density functional theory computations support a mechanism in which the dimerization is initiated by a [2 + 1] photocycloaddition favoured by the nature of carbon-carbon short contacts in the crystal structure. The reaction proceeded up to the theoretical degree of conversion without loss of crystallinity, and it was also performed on a preparative scale with good yield. Moreover, it represents the first synthetic pathway to (E)-1,2-dibromo-1,2-diethynylethenes, which could serve as synthetic intermediates for the preparation of molecular carbon scaffolds. Our findings both extend the scope of single-crystal-to-single-crystal reactions and highlight their potential as a synthetic tool for complex transformations.

Purification, crystal growth and characterization of CdSe single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burger, A.; Henderson, D. O.; Morgan, S. H.; Silberman, E.

1991-02-01

CdSe single crystals have been grown from the stoichiometric melt and from Se rich solutions. Here we report the first mid and far infrared spectra of CdSe crystals free of any known impurity bands. Previous studies of the lattice vibrational properties of CdSe crystals have shown the presence of two bands at 538 and 270 cm -1. Modifications in the purification and crystal growth conditions lead us to assign these two bands to a sulfur impurity. Low temperature photoluminescence spectra are also presented and discussed.

Monitoring industrial pharmaceutical crystallization processes using acoustic emission in pure and impure media.

PubMed

Gherras, Nesrine; Serris, Eric; Fevotte, Gilles

2012-12-15

Acoustic emission (AE) which has been successfully applied for monitoring a rather wide variety of solids elaboration processes was almost never evaluated in the field of industrial pharmaceutical crystallization. Few papers reported that solution crystallization processes give rise to acoustic emission signals that could be related to the development of the basic crystallization phenomena. This study is intended to demonstrate new perspectives opened up by the possible use of acoustic emission (AE) as a non-intrusive and non destructive sensor for monitoring solution crystallization with a particular focus being put on the presence of impurities in real industrial processes. The wealth of acquired AE information is highlighted and it is suggested that such information could allow the design of innovative multipurpose sensing strategies. It is shown notably that AE provides a very early detection of nucleation events, much before the onset of the so-called "nucleation burst". It is also shown that AE brings new insight into the effect of impurities on both the development of the crystallization process and the quality of the crystallized product. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computerized Liquid Crystal Phase Identification by Neural Networks Analysis of Polarizing Microscopy Textures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaszi, Zoltan; Konya, Andrew; Dragan, Feodor; Jakli, Antal; CPIP/LCI; CS Dept. of Kent State University Collaboration

Polarizing optical microscopy (POM) is traditionally the best-established method of studying liquid crystals, and using POM started already with Otto Lehman in 1890. An expert, who is familiar with the science of optics of anisotropic materials and typical textures of liquid crystals, can identify phases with relatively large confidence. However, for unambiguous identification usually other expensive and time-consuming experiments are needed. Replacement of the subjective and qualitative human eye-based liquid crystal texture analysis with quantitative computerized image analysis technique started only recently and were used to enhance the detection of smooth phase transitions, determine order parameter and birefringence of specific liquid crystal phases. We investigate if the computer can recognize and name the phase where the texture was taken. To judge the potential of reliable image recognition based on this procedure, we used 871 images of liquid crystal textures belonging to five main categories: Nematic, Smectic A, Smectic C, Cholesteric and Crystal, and used a Neural Network Clustering Technique included in the data mining software package in Java ``WEKA''. A neural network trained on a set of 827 LC textures classified the remaining 44 textures with 80% accuracy.

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibres for laser dentistry.

PubMed

Konorov, Stanislav O; Mitrokhin, Vladimir P; Fedotov, Andrei B; Sidorov-Biryukov, Dmitrii A; Beloglazov, Valentin I; Skibina, Nina B; Wintner, Ernst; Scalora, Michael; Zheltikov, Aleksei M

2004-04-07

Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibres (PCFs) for the delivery of high-fluence laser radiation capable of ablating tooth enamel are developed. Sequences of picosecond pulses of 1.06 microm Nd:YAG-laser radiation with a total energy of about 2 mJ are transmitted through a hollow-core photonic-crystal fibre with a core diameter of approximately 14 microm and are focused on a tooth surface in vitro to ablate dental tissue. The hollow-core PCF is shown to support the single-fundamental-mode regime for 1.06 microm laser radiation, serving as a spatial filter and allowing the laser beam quality to be substantially improved. The same fibre is used to transmit emission from plasmas produced by laser pulses on the tooth surface in the backward direction for detection and optical diagnostics.

Effect of Cooling Rates on Shape and Crystal Size Distributions of Mefenamic Acid Polymorph in Ethyl Acetate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mudalip, S. K. Abdul; Adam, F.; Parveen, J.; Abu Bakar, M. R.; Amran, N.; Sulaiman, S. Z.; Che Man, R.; Arshad, Z. I. Mohd; Shaarani, S. Md.

2017-06-01

This study investigate the effect of cooling rates on mefenamic acid crystallisation in ethyl acetate. The cooling rate was varied from 0.2 to 5 °C/min. The in-line conductivity system and turbidity system were employed to detect the onset of the crystallization process. The crystals produced were analysed using optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was found that the crystals produced at different cooling rates were needle-like and exhibit polymorphic form type I. However, the aspect ratio and crystal size distributions were varied with the increased of cooling rate. A high crystals aspect ratio and narrower CSD (100-900 μm) was obtained at cooling rate of 0.5 °C/min. Thus, can be suggested as the most suitable cooling rate for crystallization of mefenamic acid in ethyl acetate.

Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility (APCF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This section of the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) publication contains articles entitled: (1) Crystallization of EGFR-EGF; (2) Crystallization of Apocrustacyanin C1; (3) Crystallization and X-ray Analysis of 5S rRNA and the 5S rRNA Domain A; (4) Growth of Lysozyme Crystals at Low Nucleation Density; (5) Comparative Analysis of Aspartyl tRNA-synthetase and Thaumatin Crystals Grown on Earth and In Microgravity; (6) Lysosome Crystal Growth in the Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility Monitored via Mach-Zehnder Interferometry and CCD Video; (7) Analysis of Thaumatin Crystals Grown on Earth and in Microgravity; (8) Crystallization of the Nucleosome Core Particle; (9) Crystallization of Photosystem I; (10) Mechanism of Membrane Protein Crystal Growth: Bacteriorhodopsin-mixed Micelle Packing at the Consolution Boundary, Stabilized in Microgravity; (11) Crystallization in a Microgravity Environment of CcdB, a Protein Involved in the Control of Cell Death; and (12) Crystallization of Sulfolobus Solfataricus

Peptide crystal simulations reveal hidden dynamics

PubMed Central

Janowski, Pawel A.; Cerutti, David S.; Holton, James; Case, David A.

2013-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecular crystals at atomic resolution have the potential to recover information on dynamics and heterogeneity hidden in the X-ray diffraction data. We present here 9.6 microseconds of dynamics in a small helical peptide crystal with 36 independent copies of the unit cell. The average simulation structure agrees with experiment to within 0.28 Å backbone and 0.42 Å all-atom rmsd; a model refined against the average simulation density agrees with the experimental structure to within 0.20 Å backbone and 0.33 Å all-atom rmsd. The R-factor between the experimental structure factors and those derived from this unrestrained simulation is 23% to 1.0 Å resolution. The B-factors for most heavy atoms agree well with experiment (Pearson correlation of 0.90), but B-factors obtained by refinement against the average simulation density underestimate the coordinate fluctuations in the underlying simulation where the simulation samples alternate conformations. A dynamic flow of water molecules through channels within the crystal lattice is observed, yet the average water density is in remarkable agreement with experiment. A minor population of unit cells is characterized by reduced water content, 310 helical propensity and a gauche(−) side-chain rotamer for one of the valine residues. Careful examination of the experimental data suggests that transitions of the helices are a simulation artifact, although there is indeed evidence for alternate valine conformers and variable water content. This study highlights the potential for crystal simulations to detect dynamics and heterogeneity in experimental diffraction data, as well as to validate computational chemistry methods. PMID:23631449

Macromolecular Crystallization in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snell, Edward H.; Helliwell, John R.

2004-01-01

The key concepts that attracted crystal growers, macromolecular or solid state, to microgravity research is that density difference fluid flows and sedimentation of the growing crystals are greatly reduced. Thus, defects and flaws in the crystals can be reduced, even eliminated, and crystal volume can be increased. Macromolecular crystallography differs from the field of crystalline semiconductors. For the latter, crystals are harnessed for their electrical behaviors. A crystal of a biological macromolecule is used instead for diffraction experiments (X-ray or neutron) to determine the three-dimensional structure of the macromolecule. The better the internal order of the crystal of a biological macromolecule then the more molecular structure detail that can be extracted. This structural information that enables an understanding of how the molecule functions. This knowledge is changing the biological and chemical sciences with major potential in understanding disease pathologies. Macromolecular structural crystallography in general is a remarkable field where physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics meet to enable insight to the basic fundamentals of life. In this review, we examine the use of microgravity as an environment to grow macromolecular crystals. We describe the crystallization procedures used on the ground, how the resulting crystals are studied and the knowledge obtained from those crystals. We address the features desired in an ordered crystal and the techniques used to evaluate those features in detail. We then introduce the microgravity environment, the techniques to access that environment, and the theory and evidence behind the use of microgravity for crystallization experiments. We describe how ground-based laboratory techniques have been adapted to microgravity flights and look at some of the methods used to analyze the resulting data. Several case studies illustrate the physical crystal quality improvements and the macromolecular structural

Possible Detection of Solar Neutrons from the ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benker, Nicole; Echeverria-Mora, Elena; Hamblin, Jennifer; Dowben, Peter A.; Enders, Axel; Kananen, Brant; Petrosky, James; McClory, John

2018-06-01

A low energy steady state solar neutron flux has been long predicted [1]. The Detector for the Analysis of Solar Neutrons (DANSON), designed to detect this flux, was launched on the OA-5 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on 17 Oct. 2016, deployed aboard ISS, and returned 19 March 2017. This detector is insensitive to high energy solar neutron events associated with solar flares, which have now been routinely detected in the range of 40 to 140 MeV, but the lower energy steady state solar neutron background has not been thoroughly examined. DANSON is based on boron rich detector elements combined with a plastic moderator to thermalize neutrons at energies above 40 meV, maximizing the B10 capture of epithermal neutrons. The detector elements include boron carbide (B10C2HX) heterojunction diodes on silicon and lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7) single crystals. Three types of lithium tetraborate detector elements are used: crystals with a natural abundance of 10B (approx. 20% 10B, 80% 11B), crystals enriched in 10B, and crystals enriched in 11B. Enrichment in 10B provides a higher cross section for thermal neutron capture, while enrichment in 11B results in a negligible cross section for thermal neutron capture while maintaining a proton capture cross section comparable to that of 10B. The signature of neutron capture in the lithium tetraborate samples is evident in the thermoluminescent spectra. In the boron carbide diodes, the signature is measured in the huge decrease in drift carrier lifetimes compared to pre-flight characterization data, corresponding to about 3×109 neutrons/cm2 exposure. Since the estimated total solar exposure time for deployment is 8×106 seconds, this amounts to about 250 to 375 neutrons and protons/cm2sec. The detector package shows increased detection on the zenith side of ISS, after subtraction of radiation events from energetic protons and other sources, indicating possible detection of solar neutrons. Additionally, detection of

Radiation-induced hydroxyl addition to purine molecules: EPR and ENDOR study of hypoxanthine hydrochloride monohydrate single crystals.

PubMed

Tokdemir, Sibel; Nelson, William H

2005-06-01

Three radical species were detected in an EPR/ENDOR study of X-irradiated hypoxanthine.HCl.H2O single crystals at room temperature: RI was identified as the product of net H addition to C8, RII was identified as the product of net H addition to C2, and RIII was identified as the product of OH addition to C8. The observed set of radicals was the same for room-temperature irradiation as for irradiation at 10 K followed by warming the crystals to room temperature; however, the C2 H-addition and C8 OH-addition radicals were not detectable after storage of the crystals for about 2 months at room temperature. Use of selectively deuterated crystals permitted unique assignment of the observed hyperfine couplings, and results of density functional theory calculations on each of the radical structures were consistent with the experimental results. Comparison of these experimental results with others from previous crystal-based systems and model system computations provides insight into the mechanisms by which the biologically important purine C8 hydroxyl addition products are formed. The evidence from solid systems supports the mechanism of net water addition to one-electron oxidized purine bases and demonstrates the importance of a facial approach between the reactants.

Recent advances in merging photonic crystals and plasmonics for bioanalytical applications.

PubMed

Liu, Bing; Monshat, Hosein; Gu, Zhongze; Lu, Meng; Zhao, Xiangwei

2018-05-29

Photonic crystals (PhCs) and plasmonic nanostructures offer the unprecedented capability to control the interaction of light and biomolecules at the nanoscale. Based on PhC and plasmonic phenomena, a variety of analytical techniques have been demonstrated and successfully implemented in many fields, such as biological sciences, clinical diagnosis, drug discovery, and environmental monitoring. During the past decades, PhC and plasmonic technologies have progressed in parallel with their pros and cons. The merging of photonic crystals with plasmonics will significantly improve biosensor performances and enlarge the linear detection range of analytical targets. Here, we review the state-of-the-art biosensors that combine PhC and plasmonic nanomaterials for quantitative analysis. The optical mechanisms of PhCs, plasmonic crystals, and metal nanoparticles (NPs) are presented, along with their integration and potential applications. By explaining the optical coupling of photonic crystals and plasmonics, the review manifests how PhC-plasmonic hybrid biosensors can achieve the advantages, including high sensitivity, low cost, and short assay time as well. The review also discusses the challenges and future opportunities in this fascinating field.

Laser scattering in a hanging drop vapor diffusion apparatus for protein crystal growth in a microgravity environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Casay, G. A.; Wilson, W. W.

1992-01-01

One type of hardware used to grow protein crystals in the microgravity environment aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle is a hanging drop vapor diffusion apparatus (HDVDA). In order to optimize crystal growth conditions, dynamic control of the HDVDA is desirable. A critical component in the dynamically controlled system is a detector for protein nucleation. We have constructed a laser scattering detector for the HDVDA capable of detecting the nucleation stage. The detector was successfully tested for several scatterers differing in size using dynamic light scattering techniques. In addition, the ability to detect protein nucleation using the HDVDA was demonstrated for lysozyme.

Statistical Analysis of Crystallization Database Links Protein Physico-Chemical Features with Crystallization Mechanisms

PubMed Central

Fusco, Diana; Barnum, Timothy J.; Bruno, Andrew E.; Luft, Joseph R.; Snell, Edward H.; Mukherjee, Sayan; Charbonneau, Patrick

2014-01-01

X-ray crystallography is the predominant method for obtaining atomic-scale information about biological macromolecules. Despite the success of the technique, obtaining well diffracting crystals still critically limits going from protein to structure. In practice, the crystallization process proceeds through knowledge-informed empiricism. Better physico-chemical understanding remains elusive because of the large number of variables involved, hence little guidance is available to systematically identify solution conditions that promote crystallization. To help determine relationships between macromolecular properties and their crystallization propensity, we have trained statistical models on samples for 182 proteins supplied by the Northeast Structural Genomics consortium. Gaussian processes, which capture trends beyond the reach of linear statistical models, distinguish between two main physico-chemical mechanisms driving crystallization. One is characterized by low levels of side chain entropy and has been extensively reported in the literature. The other identifies specific electrostatic interactions not previously described in the crystallization context. Because evidence for two distinct mechanisms can be gleaned both from crystal contacts and from solution conditions leading to successful crystallization, the model offers future avenues for optimizing crystallization screens based on partial structural information. The availability of crystallization data coupled with structural outcomes analyzed through state-of-the-art statistical models may thus guide macromolecular crystallization toward a more rational basis. PMID:24988076

Statistical analysis of crystallization database links protein physico-chemical features with crystallization mechanisms.

PubMed

Fusco, Diana; Barnum, Timothy J; Bruno, Andrew E; Luft, Joseph R; Snell, Edward H; Mukherjee, Sayan; Charbonneau, Patrick

2014-01-01

X-ray crystallography is the predominant method for obtaining atomic-scale information about biological macromolecules. Despite the success of the technique, obtaining well diffracting crystals still critically limits going from protein to structure. In practice, the crystallization process proceeds through knowledge-informed empiricism. Better physico-chemical understanding remains elusive because of the large number of variables involved, hence little guidance is available to systematically identify solution conditions that promote crystallization. To help determine relationships between macromolecular properties and their crystallization propensity, we have trained statistical models on samples for 182 proteins supplied by the Northeast Structural Genomics consortium. Gaussian processes, which capture trends beyond the reach of linear statistical models, distinguish between two main physico-chemical mechanisms driving crystallization. One is characterized by low levels of side chain entropy and has been extensively reported in the literature. The other identifies specific electrostatic interactions not previously described in the crystallization context. Because evidence for two distinct mechanisms can be gleaned both from crystal contacts and from solution conditions leading to successful crystallization, the model offers future avenues for optimizing crystallization screens based on partial structural information. The availability of crystallization data coupled with structural outcomes analyzed through state-of-the-art statistical models may thus guide macromolecular crystallization toward a more rational basis.

Isotopic effects on phonon anharmonicity in layered van der Waals crystals: Isotopically pure hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuscó, Ramon; Artús, Luis; Edgar, James H.; Liu, Song; Cassabois, Guillaume; Gil, Bernard

2018-04-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (h -BN) is a layered crystal that is attracting a great deal of attention as a promising material for nanophotonic applications. The strong optical anisotropy of this crystal is key to exploit polaritonic modes for manipulating light-matter interactions in 2D materials. h -BN has also great potential for solid-state neutron detection and neutron imaging devices, given the exceptionally high thermal neutron capture cross section of the boron-10 isotope. A good knowledge of phonons in layered crystals is essential for harnessing long-lived phonon-polariton modes for nanophotonic applications and may prove valuable for developing solid-state 10BN neutron detectors with improved device architectures and higher detection efficiencies. Although phonons in graphene and isoelectronic materials with a similar hexagonal layer structure have been studied, the effect of isotopic substitution on the phonons of such lamellar compounds has not been addressed yet. Here we present a Raman scattering study of the in-plane high-energy Raman active mode on isotopically enriched single-crystal h -BN. Phonon frequency and lifetime are measured in the 80-600-K temperature range for 10B-enriched, 11B-enriched, and natural composition high quality crystals. Their temperature dependence is explained in the light of perturbation theory calculations of the phonon self-energy. The effects of crystal anisotropy, isotopic disorder, and anharmonic phonon-decay channels are investigated in detail. The isotopic-induced changes in the phonon density of states are shown to enhance three-phonon anharmonic decay channels in 10B-enriched crystals, opening the possibility of isotope tuning of the anharmonic phonon decay processes.

A simple method for quantitating the propensity for calcium oxalate crystallization in urine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wabner, C. L.; Pak, C. Y.

1991-01-01

To assess the propensity for spontaneous crystallization of calcium oxalate in urine, the permissible increment in oxalate is calculated. The previous method required visual observation of crystallization with the addition of oxalate, this warranted the need for a large volume of urine and a sacrifice in accuracy in defining differences between small incremental changes of added oxalate. Therefore, this method has been miniaturized and spontaneous crystallization is detected from the depletion of radioactive oxalate. The new "micro" method demonstrated a marked decrease (p < 0.001) in the permissible increment in oxalate in urine of stone formers versus normal subjects. Moreover, crystallization inhibitors added to urine, in vitro (heparin or diphosphonate) or in vivo (potassium citrate administration), substantially increased the permissible increment in oxalate. Thus, the "micro" method has proven reliable and accurate in discriminating stone forming from control urine and in distinguishing changes of inhibitory activity.

Thermally Driven Photonic Actuator Based on Silica Opal Photonic Crystal with Liquid Crystal Elastomer.

PubMed

Xing, Huihui; Li, Jun; Shi, Yang; Guo, Jinbao; Wei, Jie

2016-04-13

We have developed a novel thermoresponsive photonic actuator based on three-dimensional SiO2 opal photonic crystals (PCs) together with liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). In the process of fabrication of such a photonic actuator, the LCE precursor is infiltrated into the SiO2 opal PC followed by UV light-induced photopolymerization, thereby forming the SiO2 opal PC/LCE composite film with a bilayer structure. We find that this bilayer composite film simultaneously exhibits actuation behavior as well as the photonic band gap (PBG) response to external temperature variation. When the SiO2 opal PC/LCE composite film is heated, it exhibits a considerable bending deformation, and its PBG shifts to a shorter wavelength at the same time. In addition, this actuation is quite fast, reversible, and highly repeatable. The thermoresponsive behavior of the SiO2 opal PC/LCE composite films mainly derives from the thermal-driven change of nematic order of the LCE layer which leads to the asymmetric shrinkage/expansion of the bilayer structure. These results will be of interest in designing optical actuator systems for environment-temperature detection.

Carbonate crystals precipitated by freshwater bacteria and their use as a limestone consolidant.

PubMed

Zamarreño, Dania V; Inkpen, Robert; May, Eric

2009-09-01

Bacterial carbonate precipitation is known to be a natural phenomenon associated with a wide range of bacterial species. Recently, the ability of bacteria to produce carbonates has been studied for its value in the conservation of limestone monuments and concrete. This paper describes investigations of carbonate crystals precipitated by freshwater bacteria by means of histological (Loeffler's methylene blue and alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff stain) and fluorescence (CTC [5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride]) stains, determination of cell viability inside carbonate crystals, and pore size reduction in limestone by image analysis. Carbonate crystals were found to be composed of bacteria embedded in a matrix of neutral and acid polysaccharides. Cell viability inside the carbonate crystals decreased with time. On stone, bacteria were found to form carbonate crystals, with only a few bacteria remaining as isolated cells or as cell aggregates. Pore size was reduced by about 50%, but no blockage was detected. Taken together, the results of this research provide some reassurance to conservators that biocalcification by bacteria could be a safe consolidation tool in a restoration strategy for building stone conservation.

Analysis of stochastic crystallization in micron-sized droplets of undercooled liquid l-arabitol.

PubMed

Guinet, Yannick; Carpentier, Laurent; Paccou, Laurent; Derollez, Patrick; Hédoux, Alain

2016-11-29

Kinetics of isothermal crystallization of l-arabitol were analyzed from the undercooled liquid state within micron-sized droplets from micro-Raman spectroscopy. This study reveals that crystallization slightly above T g is controlled by stochastic heterogeneous nucleation inherent to the droplet size. Microscopic Raman investigations performed in droplets give the unique opportunity to analyze the pure metastable Form II of l-arabitol. It was found that Form II is characterized by a molecular packing more compact than that of the stable Form I, inherent to strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Kinetics laws obtained by analyzing several droplets at different temperatures, reveal the transient character of Form II, quasi systematically detected during the crystallization process of form I. Form II appears as the first step of crystallization prior to successive short-living metastable states which is necessary to achieve a complete crystallization in Form I. It was found that the kinetics of conversion between the metastable states (Form II) into Form I is dependent on the amount of strong hydrogen bonding distinctive of Form II. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crystallization Pathways in Biomineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiner, Steve; Addadi, Lia

2011-08-01

A crystallization pathway describes the movement of ions from their source to the final product. Cells are intimately involved in biological crystallization pathways. In many pathways the cells utilize a unique strategy: They temporarily concentrate ions in intracellular membrane-bound vesicles in the form of a highly disordered solid phase. This phase is then transported to the final mineralization site, where it is destabilized and crystallizes. We present four case studies, each of which demonstrates specific aspects of biological crystallization pathways: seawater uptake by foraminifera, calcite spicule formation by sea urchin larvae, goethite formation in the teeth of limpets, and guanine crystal formation in fish skin and spider cuticles. Three representative crystallization pathways are described, and aspects of the different stages of crystallization are discussed. An in-depth understanding of these complex processes can lead to new ideas for synthetic crystallization processes of interest to materials science.

Growth and characterization of crystals for room temperature I.R. detectors and second harmonic generation devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lal, R. B.

1995-01-01

One of the major objectives of this program was to modify the triglycine sulfate (TGS) crystals with suitable dopants and variants to achieve better pyroelectric properties and improved infrared detectivities (D(sup *)), and higher Curie transition temperature compared to undoped TGS crystals. Towards these objectives, many promising dopants, both inorganic and organic, were investigated in the last few years. These dopants gave significant improvement in the D(sup *) value of the infrared detectors fabricated from the grown crystals with no significant increase in the Curie temperature (49 C). The IR detectors were fabricated at EDO/Barnes Engineering Division, Shelton, CT. In the last one year many TGS crystals doped with urea were grown using the low temperature solution crystal growth facility. It is found that doping with urea, the normalized growth yield increased significantly compared to pure TGS crystals and there is an improvement in the pyroelectric and dielectric constant values of doped crystals. This gave a significant increase in the materials figure of merits. The Vicker's hardness of 10 wt percent urea doped crystals is found to be about three times higher in the (010) direction compared to undoped crystals. This report describes in detail the results of urea doped TGS crystals.

Crystal Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schomaker, Verner; Lingafelter, E. C.

1985-01-01

Discusses characteristics of crystal systems, comparing (in table format) crystal systems with lattice types, number of restrictions, nature of the restrictions, and other lattices that can accidently show the same metrical symmetry. (JN)

Artistic Crystal Creations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lange, Catherine

2008-01-01

In this inquiry-based, integrative art and science activity, Grade 5-8 students use multicolored Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) crystallizing solutions to reveal beautiful, cylindrical, 3-dimensional, needle-shaped structures. Through observations of the crystal art, students analyze factors that contribute to crystal size and formation, compare…

Advances in food crystallization.

PubMed

Hartel, Richard W

2013-01-01

Crystals often play an important role in food product quality and shelf life. Controlling crystallization to obtain the desired crystal content, size distribution, shape, and polymorph is key to manufacturing products with desired functionality and shelf life. Technical developments in the field have improved the tools with which we study and characterize crystals in foods. These developments also help our understanding of the physico-chemical phenomena that govern crystallization and improve our ability to control it during processing and storage. In this review, some of the more important recent developments in measuring and controlling crystallization are discussed.

Monitoring of antisolvent crystallization of sodium scutellarein by combined FBRM-PVM-NIR.

PubMed

Liu, Xuesong; Sun, Di; Wang, Feng; Wu, Yongjiang; Chen, Yong; Wang, Longhu

2011-06-01

Antisolvent crystallization can be used as an alternative to cooling or evaporation for the separation and purification of solid product in the pharmaceutical industry. To improve the process understanding of antisolvent crystallization, the use of in-line tools is vital. In this study, the process analytical technology (PAT) tools including focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM), particle video microscope (PVM), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were utilized to monitor antisolvent crystallization of sodium scutellarein. FBRM was used to monitor chord count and chord length distribution of sodium scutellarein particles in the crystallizer, and PVM, as an in-line video camera, provided pictures imaging particle shape and dimension. In addition, a quantitative model of PLS was established by in-line NIRS to detect the concentration of sodium scutellarein in the solvent and good calibration statistics were obtained (r(2) = 0.976) with the residual predictive deviation value of 11.3. The discussion over sensitivities, strengths, and weaknesses of the PAT tools may be helpful in selection of suitable PAT techniques. These in-line techniques eliminate the need for sample preparation and offer a time-saving approach to understand and monitor antisolvent crystallization process. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Label-free, real-time interaction and adsorption analysis 2: quartz crystal microbalance.

PubMed

Fee, Conan J

2013-01-01

In this chapter, a second biosensor technique is described: the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The quartz crystal microbalance is a physical technique that detects changes in the resonance frequency of an electrically driven quartz crystal with changes in mass. Unlike surface plasmon resonance (SPR), QCM is affected by both the water that may be associated with the adsorbed layer and by conformational changes in the adsorbed species, while SPR is insensitive to both effects. Thus QCM can both corroborate the findings of an SPR experiment and provide some complementary information. Also, the QCM surface is highly versatile and can range from plain quartz, through gold and other metal surfaces (e.g., titanium or stainless steel) to polymeric materials. Thus, the QCM technique has wide utility in tracking interactions with a variety of materials.

Micromachined quartz crystal resonator arrays for bioanalytical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Ping

This work presents the design, fabrication and investigation of high frequency quartz crystal resonator arrays and their application for analyzing interfacial layers and sensing purposes. An 8-pixel micromachined quartz crystal resonator array with a fundamental resonance frequency of ˜66 MHz has been fabricated, tested and used in this work. One dimensional model for the characterization of resonator behavior for single or multiple viscoelastic layers under liquid ambient are developed by continuum mechanics approach as well as using an equivalent electrical admittance analysis approach. The investigation of thin interfacial layer between solid (electrode) and liquid phases are reported in terms of the improved resolution of viscoelasitc characteristics of adsorbed layer arising from the use of high frequency resonators. Analyzed layers include globular proteins layer under phosphate buffer solution (PBS) with molecular weights spanning three orders of magnitude, multilayers of avidin and biotin labeled bovine albumin under PBS and diffuse double layer induced by DC bias under 0.5 M sulfuric acid solution. The second half of the dissertation focuses on biosensing applications of quartz resonator arrays. The selective functionalization of 3,3'-Dithiobis (sulfosuccinimidylpropionate) (DTSSP) by physical masking method was first used for specifically detecting avidin molecules. The selective immobilization of thiol modified single stranded DNA probes via electrochemical methods was used for the specific detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) G-gene. The work demonstrates that micromachined quartz crystal resonator arrays could be a powerful analytical tool of investigating interfacial region and can be readily configured as biosenors that can be used for label-free, quantitative assays using extremely small volumes of analytes.

Growth and characterization of Na2Mo2O7 crystal scintillators for rare event searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Indra Raj; Kim, H. J.; Kim, Y. D.

2017-12-01

Disodium dimolybdate (Na2Mo2O7) crystals were grown using the Czochralski technique. The thermal characteristics of the compound were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The crystal structure of the grown sample was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Luminescence properties were measured at room and low temperatures, using a light emitting diode (LED) source. Very weak luminescence was observed at room temperature; however, the luminescence intensity was enhanced at low temperatures. The crystal's transmittance spectrum was measured for estimating its optical quality and energy band gap. The grown crystal exhibited a luminescence light yield of 55% compared with CaMoO4 crystals at 10 K, when excited by a 280-nm-wavelength LED source, but does not have the drawbacks of radioactive Ca isotopes. These results suggest that at cryogenic temperatures, Na2Mo2O7 crystal scintillators are promising for the detection of dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay of 100Mo.

Recognition unit-free and self-cleaning photoelectrochemical sensing platform on TiO2 nanotube photonic crystals for sensitive and selective detection of dopamine release from mouse brain.

PubMed

Xin, Yanmei; Li, Zhenzhen; Wu, Wenlong; Fu, Baihe; Wu, Hongjun; Zhang, Zhonghai

2017-01-15

For implementing sensitive and selective detection of biological molecules, the biosensors are been designed more and more complicated. The exploration of detection platform in a simple way without loss their sensitivity and selectivity is always a big challenge. Herein, a prototype of recognition biomolecule unit-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing platform with self-cleaning activity is proposed with TiO 2 nanotube photonic crystal (TiO 2 NTPCs) materials as photoelectrode, and dopamine (DA) molecule as both sensitizer and target analyte. The unique adsorption between DA and TiO 2 NTPCs induces the formation of charge transfer complex, which not only expends the optical absorption of TiO 2 into visible light region, thus significantly boosts the PEC performance under illumination of visible light, but also implements the selective detection of DA on TiO 2 photoelectrode. This simple but efficient PEC analysis platform presents a low detection limit of 0.15nm for detection of DA, which allows to realize the sensitive and selective determination of DA release from the mouse brain for its practical application after coupled with a microdialysis probe. The DA functionalized TiO 2 NTPCs PEC sensing platform opens up a new PEC detection model, without using extra-biomolecule auxiliary, just with target molecule naturally adsorbed on the electrode for sensitive and selective detection, and paves a new avenue for biosensors design with minimalism idea. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystal Growth, Characterization and Fabrication of Cadmium Zinc Telluride-based Nuclear Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishna, Ramesh M.

In today's world, nuclear radiation is seeing more and more use by humanity as time goes on. Nuclear power plants are being built to supply humanity's energy needs, nuclear medical imaging is becoming more popular for diagnosing cancer and other diseases, and control of weapons-grade nuclear materials is becoming more and more important for national security. All of these needs require high-performance nuclear radiation detectors which can accurately measure the type and amount of radiation being used. However, most current radiation detection materials available commercially require extensive cooling, or simply do not function adequately for high-energy gamma-ray emitting nuclear materials such as uranium and plutonium. One of the most promising semiconductor materials being considered to create a convenient, field-deployable nuclear detector is cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe, or CZT). CZT is a ternary semiconductor compound which can detect high-energy gamma-rays at room temperature. It offers high resistivity (≥ 1010 O-cm), a high band gap (1.55 eV), and good electron transport properties, all of which are required for a nuclear radiation detector. However, one significant issue with CZT is that there is considerable difficulty in growing large, homogeneous, defect-free single crystals of CZT. This significantly increases the cost of producing CZT detectors, making CZT less than ideal for mass-production. Furthermore, CZT suffers from poor hole transport properties, which creates significant problems when using it as a high-energy gamma-ray detector. In this dissertation, a comprehensive investigation is undertaken using a successful growth method for CZT developed at the University of South Carolina. This method, called the solvent-growth technique, reduces the complexity required to grow detector-grade CZT single crystals. It utilizes a lower growth temperature than traditional growth methods by using Te as a solvent, while maintaining the advantages of

Synthesis and single crystal growth of perovskite semiconductor CsPbBr3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mingzhi; Zheng, Zhiping; Fu, Qiuyun; Chen, Zheng; He, Jianle; Zhang, Sen; Chen, Cheng; Luo, Wei

2018-02-01

As a typical representative of all-inorganic lead halide perovskites, cesium lead bromine (CsPbBr3) has attracted significant attention in recent years. The direct band gap semiconductor CsPbBr3 has a wide band gap of 2.25 eV and high average atomic number (Cs: 55, Pb: 82 and Br: 35), which meet most of the requirements for detection of X- and γ-ray radiation, such as high attenuation, high resistivity, and significant photoconductivity response. However, the growth of large volume CsPbBr3 single crystals remains a challenge. In this paper, the synthesis of CsPbBr3 polycrystalline powders by a chemical co-precipitation method was investigated and the optimum synthesis conditions were obtained. A large CsPbBr3 single crystal of 8 mm diameter and 60 mm length was obtained by a creative electronic dynamic gradient (EDG) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and X-ray rocking curve showed that the CsPbBr3 crystal preferentially oriented in the (1 1 0) direction and had a low dislocation density and small residual stress in the crystal. The IR and UV-Vis transmittance and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed the crystal had a good basic optical performance. The almost linear current-voltage (I-V) curves implied good ohmic contact between the electrodes and crystal surfaces. The resistivity of the crystal was calculated 109-1010 Ω cm. The above results showed that the quality of the obtained crystal had met the demand of optoelectronic applications.

Numerical modeling of Czochralski growth of Li2MoO4 crystals for heat-scintillation cryogenic bolometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stelian, Carmen; Velázquez, Matias; Veber, Philippe; Ahmine, Abdelmounaim; Sand, Jean-Baptiste; Buşe, Gabriel; Cabane, Hugues; Duffar, Thierry

2018-06-01

Lithium molybdate Li2MoO4 (LMO) crystals of mass ranging between 350 and 500 g are excellent candidates to build heat-scintillation cryogenic bolometers likely to be used for the detection of rare events in astroparticle physics. In this work, numerical modeling is applied in order to investigate the Czochralski growth of Li2MoO4 crystals in an inductive furnace. The numerical model was validated by comparing the numerical predictions of the crystal-melt interface shape to experimental visualization of the growth interface. Modeling was performed for two different Czochralski furnaces that use inductive heating. The simulation of the first furnace, which was used to grow Li2MoO4 crystals of 3-4 cm in diameter, reveals non-optimal heat transfer conditions for obtaining good quality crystals. The second furnace, which will be used to grow crystals of 5 cm in diameter, was numerically optimized in order to reduce the temperature gradients in the crystal and to avoid fast crystallization of the bath at the later stages of the growth process.

Single crystal, liquid crystal, and hybrid organic semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Twieg, Robert J.; Getmanenko, Y.; Lu, Z.; Semyonov, A. N.; Huang, S.; He, P.; Seed, A.; Kiryanov, A.; Ellman, B.; Nene, S.

2003-07-01

The synthesis and characterization of organic semiconductors is being pursued in three primary structure formats: single crystal, liquid crystal and organic-inorganic hybrid. The strategy here is to share common structures, synthesis methods and fabrication techniques across these formats and to utilize common characterization tools such as the time of flight technique. The single crystal efforts concentrate on aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds including simple benzene derivatives and derivatives of the acenes. The structure-property relationships due to incorporation of small substituents and heteroatoms are being examined. Crystals are grown by solution, melt or vapor transport techniques. The liquid crystal studies exploit their self-organizing properties and relative ease of sample preparation. Though calamitic systems tha deliver the largest mobilities are higher order smectics, even some unusual twist grain boundary phases are being studied. We are attempting to synthesize discotic acene derivatives with appropriate substitution patterns to render them mesogenic. The last format being examined is the hybrid organic-inorganic class. Here, layered materials of alternating organic and inorganic composition are designed and synthesized. Typical materials are conjugated aromatic compounds, usually functinalized with an amine or a pyridine and reacted with appropriate reactive metal derivatives to incorporate them into metal oxide or sulfide layers.

Optical devices combining an organic semiconductor crystal with a two-dimensional inorganic diffraction grating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kitazawa, Takenori; Yamao, Takeshi, E-mail: yamao@kit.ac.jp; Hotta, Shu

2016-02-01

We have fabricated optical devices using an organic semiconductor crystal as an emission layer in combination with a two-dimensional (2D) inorganic diffraction grating used as an optical cavity. We formed the inorganic diffraction grating by wet etching of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) under a 2D cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) diffraction grating used as a mask. The COC diffraction grating was fabricated by nanoimprint lithography. The AZO diffraction grating was composed of convex prominences arranged in a triangular lattice. The organic crystal placed on the AZO diffraction grating indicated narrowed peaks in its emission spectrum under ultraviolet light excitation. These aremore » detected parallel to the crystal plane. The peaks were shifted by rotating the optical devices around the normal to the crystal plane, which reflected the rotational symmetries of the triangular lattice through 60°.« less

Electrical tuning of three-dimensional photonic crystals using polymer dispersed liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McPhail, Dennis; Straub, Martin; Gu, Min

2005-01-01

Electrically tunable three-dimensional photonic crystals with a tunable wavelength range of over 70nm of stop gaps between 3 and 4μm have been generated in a liquid crystal-polymer composite. The photonic crystals were fabricated by femtosecond-laser direct writing of void channels in an inverse woodpile configuration with 20 layers providing an extinction of infrared light transmission of 70% in the stacking direction. Stable structures could be manufactured up to a liquid crystal concentration of 24%. Applying a direct voltage of several hundred volts in the stacking direction of the photonic crystal changes the alignment of the liquid crystal directors and hence the average refractive index of the structure. This mechanism permits the direct tuning of the photonic stop gap.

Role of Solvents in Improvement of Dissolution Rate of Drugs: Crystal Habit and Crystal Agglomeration

PubMed Central

Maghsoodi, Maryam

2015-01-01

Crystallization is often used for manufacturing drug substances. Advances of crystallization have achieved control over drug identity and purity, but control over the physical form remains poor. This review discusses the influence of solvents used in crystallization process on crystal habit and agglomeration of crystals with potential implication for dissolution. According to literature it has been known that habit modification of crystals by use of proper solvents may enhance the dissolution properties by changing the size, number and the nature of crystal faces exposed to the dissolution medium. Also, the faster dissolution rate of drug from the agglomerates of crystals compared with the single crystals may be related to porous structure of the agglomerates and consequently their better wettability. It is concluded from this review that in-depth understanding of role of the solvents in crystallization process can be applied to engineering of crystal habit or crystal agglomeration, and predictably dissolution improvement in poorly soluble drugs. PMID:25789214

Fast and scalable purification of a therapeutic full-length antibody based on process crystallization.

PubMed

Smejkal, Benjamin; Agrawal, Neeraj J; Helk, Bernhard; Schulz, Henk; Giffard, Marion; Mechelke, Matthias; Ortner, Franziska; Heckmeier, Philipp; Trout, Bernhardt L; Hekmat, Dariusch

2013-09-01

The potential of process crystallization for purification of a therapeutic monoclonal IgG1 antibody was studied. The purified antibody was crystallized in non-agitated micro-batch experiments for the first time. A direct crystallization from clarified CHO cell culture harvest was inhibited by high salt concentrations. The salt concentration of the harvest was reduced by a simple pretreatment step. The crystallization process from pretreated harvest was successfully transferred to stirred tanks and scaled-up from the mL-scale to the 1 L-scale for the first time. The crystallization yield after 24 h was 88-90%. A high purity of 98.5% was reached after a single recrystallization step. A 17-fold host cell protein reduction was achieved and DNA content was reduced below the detection limit. High biological activity of the therapeutic antibody was maintained during the crystallization, dissolving, and recrystallization steps. Crystallization was also performed with impure solutions from intermediate steps of a standard monoclonal antibody purification process. It was shown that process crystallization has a strong potential to replace Protein A chromatography. Fast dissolution of the crystals was possible. Furthermore, it was shown that crystallization can be used as a concentrating step and can replace several ultra-/diafiltration steps. Molecular modeling suggested that a negative electrostatic region with interspersed exposed hydrophobic residues on the Fv domain of this antibody is responsible for the high crystallization propensity. As a result, process crystallization, following the identification of highly crystallizable antibodies using molecular modeling tools, can be recognized as an efficient, scalable, fast, and inexpensive alternative to key steps of a standard purification process for therapeutic antibodies. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Copper crystal lens for medical imaging: first results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roa, Dante E.; Smither, Robert K.

2001-06-01

A copper crystal lens designed to focus gamma ray energies of 100 to 200 keV has been assembled at Argonne National Laboratory. In particular, the lens has been optimized to focus the 140.6 keV gamma rays from technetium-99 m typically used in radioactive tracers. This new approach to medical imaging relies on crystal diffraction to focus incoming gamma rays in a manner similar to a simple convex lens focusing visible light. The lens is envisioned to be part of an array of lenses that can be used as a complementary technique to gamma cameras for localized scans of suspected tumor regions in the body. In addition, a 2- lens array can be used to scan a woman's breast in search of tumors with no discomfort to the patient. The incoming gamma rays are diffracted by a set of 828 copper crystal cubes arranged in 13 concentric rings, which focus the gamma rays into a very small area on a well-shielded NaI detector. Experiments performance with technetium-99 m and cobalt 57 radioactive sources indicate that a 6-lens array should be capable of detecting sources with (mu) Ci strength.

Compositional analysis of dilute nitride doped indium antimonide bulk crystal by VDS technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, Manisha; Maske, Dilip; Choudhari, Rashmi; Arora, Brij Mohan; Gadkari, Dattatray

2016-05-01

Dilute nitrides are suitable materials for fabrication of devices in detection of long wavelength infrared region. Dilute nitride doped Indium antimonide bulk crystals were grown using vertical directional solidification technique. The compositional characteristics of the crystals were carried out using EDS. The analysis was simulated and compared with observations using DTSA II software for accuracy. The ingots have uniform composition of Indium and Antimony. The actual nitrogen composition measured using EDS was 0.136% for doped nitrogen composition 0.1% except near conical end where it was 0.1%. The study of bonding between nitrogen, Indium and antimony was carried out using SIMS. The analysis shows strong presence of In-N bonding along with In-Sb bonds which indicates nitrogen has replaced antimony atoms in crystal lattice.

Analysis of submicron-sized niflumic acid crystals prepared by electrospray crystallization.

PubMed

Ambrus, Rita; Radacsi, Norbert; Szunyogh, Tímea; van der Heijden, Antoine E D M; Ter Horst, Joop H; Szabó-Révész, Piroska

2013-03-25

Interest in submicron-sized drug particles has emerged from both laboratory and industrial perspectives in the last decade. Production of crystals in the nano size scale offers a novel way to particles for drug formulation solving formulation problems of drugs with low solubility in class II of the Biopharmaceutical Classification System. In this work niflumic acid nanoparticles with a size range of 200-800nm were produced by the novel crystallization method, electrospray crystallization. Their properties were compared to those from evaporative and anti-solvent crystallizations, using the same organic solvent, acetone. There is a remarkable difference in the product crystal size depending on the applied methods. The size and morphology were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and laser diffraction. The structure of the samples was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The particles produced using electrospray crystallization process were probably changing from amorphous to crystalline state after the procedure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automation in biological crystallization.

PubMed

Stewart, Patrick Shaw; Mueller-Dieckmann, Jochen

2014-06-01

Crystallization remains the bottleneck in the crystallographic process leading from a gene to a three-dimensional model of the encoded protein or RNA. Automation of the individual steps of a crystallization experiment, from the preparation of crystallization cocktails for initial or optimization screens to the imaging of the experiments, has been the response to address this issue. Today, large high-throughput crystallization facilities, many of them open to the general user community, are capable of setting up thousands of crystallization trials per day. It is thus possible to test multiple constructs of each target for their ability to form crystals on a production-line basis. This has improved success rates and made crystallization much more convenient. High-throughput crystallization, however, cannot relieve users of the task of producing samples of high quality. Moreover, the time gained from eliminating manual preparations must now be invested in the careful evaluation of the increased number of experiments. The latter requires a sophisticated data and laboratory information-management system. A review of the current state of automation at the individual steps of crystallization with specific attention to the automation of optimization is given.

Automation in biological crystallization

PubMed Central

Shaw Stewart, Patrick; Mueller-Dieckmann, Jochen

2014-01-01

Crystallization remains the bottleneck in the crystallographic process leading from a gene to a three-dimensional model of the encoded protein or RNA. Automation of the individual steps of a crystallization experiment, from the preparation of crystallization cocktails for initial or optimization screens to the imaging of the experiments, has been the response to address this issue. Today, large high-throughput crystallization facilities, many of them open to the general user community, are capable of setting up thousands of crystallization trials per day. It is thus possible to test multiple constructs of each target for their ability to form crystals on a production-line basis. This has improved success rates and made crystallization much more convenient. High-throughput crystallization, however, cannot relieve users of the task of producing samples of high quality. Moreover, the time gained from eliminating manual preparations must now be invested in the careful evaluation of the increased number of experiments. The latter requires a sophisticated data and laboratory information-management system. A review of the current state of automation at the individual steps of crystallization with specific attention to the automation of optimization is given. PMID:24915074

Pressure cryocooling protein crystals

DOEpatents

Kim, Chae Un [Ithaca, NY; Gruner, Sol M [Ithaca, NY

2011-10-04

Preparation of cryocooled protein crystal is provided by use of helium pressurizing and cryocooling to obtain cryocooled protein crystal allowing collection of high resolution data and by heavier noble gas (krypton or xenon) binding followed by helium pressurizing and cryocooling to obtain cryocooled protein crystal for collection of high resolution data and SAD phasing simultaneously. The helium pressurizing is carried out on crystal coated to prevent dehydration or on crystal grown in aqueous solution in a capillary.

Large three-dimensional photonic crystals based on monocrystalline liquid crystal blue phases.

PubMed

Chen, Chun-Wei; Hou, Chien-Tsung; Li, Cheng-Chang; Jau, Hung-Chang; Wang, Chun-Ta; Hong, Ching-Lang; Guo, Duan-Yi; Wang, Cheng-Yu; Chiang, Sheng-Ping; Bunning, Timothy J; Khoo, Iam-Choon; Lin, Tsung-Hsien

2017-09-28

Although there have been intense efforts to fabricate large three-dimensional photonic crystals in order to realize their full potential, the technologies developed so far are still beset with various material processing and cost issues. Conventional top-down fabrications are costly and time-consuming, whereas natural self-assembly and bottom-up fabrications often result in high defect density and limited dimensions. Here we report the fabrication of extraordinarily large monocrystalline photonic crystals by controlling the self-assembly processes which occur in unique phases of liquid crystals that exhibit three-dimensional photonic-crystalline properties called liquid-crystal blue phases. In particular, we have developed a gradient-temperature technique that enables three-dimensional photonic crystals to grow to lateral dimensions of ~1 cm (~30,000 of unit cells) and thickness of ~100 μm (~ 300 unit cells). These giant single crystals exhibit extraordinarily sharp photonic bandgaps with high reflectivity, long-range periodicity in all dimensions and well-defined lattice orientation.Conventional fabrication approaches for large-size three-dimensional photonic crystals are problematic. By properly controlling the self-assembly processes, the authors report the fabrication of monocrystalline blue phase liquid crystals that exhibit three-dimensional photonic-crystalline properties.

Drilling technique for crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, T.; Miyagawa, I.

1977-01-01

Hole-drilling technique uses special crystal driller in which drill bit rotates at fixed position at speed of 30 rpm while crystal slowly advances toward drill. Technique has been successfully applied to crystal of Rochell salt, Triglycine sulfate, and N-acetyglycine. Technique limits heat buildup and reduces strain on crystal.

A SiPM-based isotropic-3D PET detector X'tal cube with a three-dimensional array of 1 mm(3) crystals.

PubMed

Yamaya, Taiga; Mitsuhashi, Takayuki; Matsumoto, Takahiro; Inadama, Naoko; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Yoshida, Eiji; Murayama, Hideo; Kawai, Hideyuki; Suga, Mikio; Watanabe, Mitsuo

2011-11-07

We are developing a novel, general purpose isotropic-3D PET detector X'tal cube which has high spatial resolution in all three dimensions. The research challenge for this detector is implementing effective detection of scintillation photons by covering six faces of a segmented crystal block with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). In this paper, we developed the second prototype of the X'tal cube for a proof-of-concept. We aimed at realizing an ultimate detector with 1.0 mm(3) cubic crystals, in contrast to our previous development using 3.0 mm(3) cubic crystals. The crystal block was composed of a 16 × 16 × 16 array of lutetium gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (LGSO) crystals 0.993 × 0.993 × 0.993 mm(3) in size. The crystals were optically glued together without inserting any reflector inside and 96 multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs, S10931-50P, i.e. six faces each with a 4 × 4 array of MPPCs), each having a sensitive area of 3.0 × 3.0 mm(2), were optically coupled to the surfaces of the crystal block. Almost all 4096 crystals were identified through Anger-type calculation due to the finely adjusted reflector sheets inserted between the crystal block and light guides. The reflector sheets, which formed a belt of 0.5 mm width, were placed to cover half of the crystals of the second rows from the edges in order to improve identification performance of the crystals near the edges. Energy resolution of 12.7% was obtained at 511 keV with almost uniform light output for all crystal segments thanks to the effective detection of the scintillation photons.

High-quality bulk hybrid perovskite single crystals within minutes by inverse temperature crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saidaminov, Makhsud I.; Abdelhady, Ahmed L.; Murali, Banavoth; Alarousu, Erkki; Burlakov, Victor M.; Peng, Wei; Dursun, Ibrahim; Wang, Lingfei; He, Yao; Maculan, Giacomo; Goriely, Alain; Wu, Tom; Mohammed, Omar F.; Bakr, Osman M.

2015-07-01

Single crystals of methylammonium lead trihalide perovskites (MAPbX3; MA=CH3NH3+, X=Br- or I-) have shown remarkably low trap density and charge transport properties; however, growth of such high-quality semiconductors is a time-consuming process. Here we present a rapid crystal growth process to obtain MAPbX3 single crystals, an order of magnitude faster than previous reports. The process is based on our observation of the substantial decrease of MAPbX3 solubility, in certain solvents, at elevated temperatures. The crystals can be both size- and shape-controlled by manipulating the different crystallization parameters. Despite the rapidity of the method, the grown crystals exhibit transport properties and trap densities comparable to the highest quality MAPbX3 reported to date. The phenomenon of inverse or retrograde solubility and its correlated inverse temperature crystallization strategy present a major step forward for advancing the field on perovskite crystallization.

A quartz crystal microbalance dew point sensor without frequency measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guohua; Zhang, Weishuo; Wang, Shuo; Sun, Jinglin

2014-11-01

This work deals with the design of a dew point sensor based on Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) without measuring the frequency. This idea is inspired by the fact that the Colpitts oscillation circuit will stop oscillating when the QCM works in the liquid media. The quartz crystal and the electrode are designed through the finite element simulation and the stop oscillating experiment is conducted to verify the sensibility. Moreover, the measurement result is calibrated to approach the true value. At last a series of dew points at the same temperature is measured with the designed sensor. Results show that the designed dew point sensor is able to detect the dew point with the proper accuracy.

A Quartz Crystal Microbalance dew point sensor without frequency measurement.

PubMed

Wang, Guohua; Zhang, Weishuo; Wang, Shuo; Sun, Jinglin

2014-11-01

This work deals with the design of a dew point sensor based on Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) without measuring the frequency. This idea is inspired by the fact that the Colpitts oscillation circuit will stop oscillating when the QCM works in the liquid media. The quartz crystal and the electrode are designed through the finite element simulation and the stop oscillating experiment is conducted to verify the sensibility. Moreover, the measurement result is calibrated to approach the true value. At last a series of dew points at the same temperature is measured with the designed sensor. Results show that the designed dew point sensor is able to detect the dew point with the proper accuracy.

Protein Crystallization.

PubMed

McPherson, Alexander

2017-01-01

Protein crystallization was discovered by chance nearly 200 years ago and was developed in the late nineteenth century as a powerful purification tool, and a demonstration of chemical purity. The crystallization of proteins, nucleic acids, and large biological complexes, such as viruses, depends on the creation of a solution that is supersaturated in the macromolecule, but exhibits conditions that do not significantly perturb its natural state. Supersaturation is produced through the addition of mild precipitating agents such as neutral salts or polymers, and by manipulation of various parameters that include temperature, ionic strength, and pH. Also important in the crystallization process are factors that can affect the structural state of the macromolecule, such as metal ions, inhibitors, cofactors, or other conventional small molecules. A variety of approaches have been developed that combine the spectrum of factors that effect and promote crystallization, and among the most widely used are vapor diffusion, dialysis, batch, and liquid-liquid diffusion. Successes in macromolecular crystallization have multiplied rapidly in recent years due to the advent of practical, easy-to-use screening kits, and the application of laboratory robotics.

Crucibleless crystal growth and Radioluminescence study of calcium tungstate single crystal fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, M. S.; Jesus, L. M.; Barbosa, L. B.; Ardila, D. R.; Andreeta, J. P.; Silva, R. S.

2014-11-01

In this article, single phase and high optical quality scheelite calcium tungstate single crystal fibers were grown by using the crucibleless laser heated pedestal growth technique. The as-synthesized calcium tungstate powders used for shaping seed and feed rods were investigated by X-ray diffraction technique. As-grown crystals were studied by Raman spectroscopy and Radioluminescence measurements. The results indicate that in both two cases, calcined powder and single crystal fiber, only the expected scheelite CaWO4 phase was observed. It was verified large homogeneity in the crystal composition, without the presence of secondary phases. The Radioluminescence spectra of the as-grown single crystal fibers are in agreement with that present in Literature for bulk single crystals, presented a single emission band centered at 420 nm when irradiated with β-rays.

Photonic crystal light source

DOEpatents

Fleming, James G [Albuquerque, NM; Lin, Shawn-Yu [Albuquerque, NM; Bur, James A [Corrales, NM

2004-07-27

A light source is provided by a photonic crystal having an enhanced photonic density-of-states over a band of frequencies and wherein at least one of the dielectric materials of the photonic crystal has a complex dielectric constant, thereby producing enhanced light emission at the band of frequencies when the photonic crystal is heated. The dielectric material can be a metal, such as tungsten. The spectral properties of the light source can be easily tuned by modification of the photonic crystal structure and materials. The photonic crystal light source can be heated electrically or other heating means. The light source can further include additional photonic crystals that exhibit enhanced light emission at a different band of frequencies to provide for color mixing. The photonic crystal light source may have applications in optical telecommunications, information displays, energy conversion, sensors, and other optical applications.

Coherent infrared emission from myoglobin crystals: An electric field measurement

PubMed Central

Groot, Marie-Louise; Vos, Marten H.; Schlichting, Ilme; van Mourik, Frank; Joffre, Manuel; Lambry, Jean-Christophe; Martin, Jean-Louis

2002-01-01

We introduce coherent infrared emission interferometry as a χ(2) vibrational spectroscopy technique and apply it to studying the initial dynamics upon photoactivation of myoglobin (Mb). By impulsive excitation (using 11-fs pulses) of a Mb crystal, vibrations that couple to the optical excitation are set in motion coherently. Because of the order in the crystal lattice the coherent oscillations of the different proteins in the crystal that are associated with charge motions give rise to a macroscopic burst of directional multi-teraHertz radiation. This radiation can be detected in a phase-sensitive way by heterodyning with a broad-band reference field. In this way both amplitude and phase of the different vibrations can be obtained. We detected radiation in the 1,000–1,500 cm−1 frequency region, which contains modes sensitive to the structure of the heme macrocycle, as well as peripheral protein modes. Both in carbonmonoxy-Mb and aquomet-Mb we observed emission from six modes, which were assigned to heme vibrations. The phase factors of the modes contributing to the protein electric field show a remarkable consistency, taking on values that indicate that the dipoles are created “emitting” at t = 0, as one would expect for impulsively activated modes. The few deviations from this behavior in Mb-CO we propose are the result of these modes being sensitive to the photodissociation process and severely disrupted by it. PMID:11818575

Active crystals on a sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Praetorius, Simon; Voigt, Axel; Wittkowski, Raphael; Löwen, Hartmut

2018-05-01

Two-dimensional crystals on curved manifolds exhibit nontrivial defect structures. Here we consider "active crystals" on a sphere, which are composed of self-propelled colloidal particles. Our work is based on a phase-field-crystal-type model that involves a density and a polarization field on the sphere. Depending on the strength of the self-propulsion, three different types of crystals are found: a static crystal, a self-spinning "vortex-vortex" crystal containing two vortical poles of the local velocity, and a self-translating "source-sink" crystal with a source pole where crystallization occurs and a sink pole where the active crystal melts. These different crystalline states as well as their defects are studied theoretically here and can in principle be confirmed in experiments.

A compound crystal with film scintillator for electron detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinney, George; McDonnald, Warren; Tzolov, Marian

2015-03-01

Yttrium Aluminum Garnets (YAG) and Yttrium Aluminum Perovskite (YAP) are widely used as electron detectors. This application requires a top conducting layer which hinders their application at low electron energies. We have developed a layer of zinc tungstate which delivers conductivity large enough to prevent charging while still being an efficient scintillator. For better coupling between the two systems we have studied their optical properties. Ce doping is an essential element in YAP and YAG in order for them to be efficient scintillators. We have studied the Ce content and we show that higher Ce content leads to reabsorption in the YAP scintillators. These details were revealed by using photoluminescence emission and excitation spectroscopy. The absorption spectrum for the YAG scintillators coincides with the excitation for the main emission lines. The optical studies of the zinc tungstate films and a single crystal have shown that the films are more efficient light emitters. We have integrated the zinc tungstate films with YAG scintillators and we will report on the performance of this compound scintillator. It is expected that it will perform well at low and high electron energies, which makes it a very cost effective platform for electron detectors.

Crystals and tablets in the Spanish ecstasy market 2000-2014: Are they the same or different in terms of purity and adulteration?

PubMed

Vidal Giné, Claudio; Ventura Vilamala, Mireia; Fornís Espinosa, Iván; Gil Lladanosa, Cristina; Calzada Álvarez, Nú; Fitó Fruitós, Ariadna; Rodríguez Rodríguez, Joan; Domíngo Salvany, Antonia; de la Torre Fornell, Rafael

2016-06-01

Although 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has a long history in recreational settings, research on its composition (purity and adulteration) has focused only on tablets even though crystal format is readily available for users. Drug specimens collected between January 2000 and December 2014 were analyzed at Energy Control's facilities. All samples were voluntarily provided by drug users. Sample identification was made with thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and quantification with ultraviolet spectrophotometry (only in unadulterated samples). Between January 2000 and December 2014, 6200 samples purchased as ecstasy by their users were analyzed. Crystals were the most frequent format (60.6%) followed by tablets (38.8%). During the study period, the proportion of samples containing only MDMA was higher in crystals than in tablets. Compared with tablets, adulterated crystal samples contained the same number of adulterants but more combinations of different substances. Although caffeine was commonly detected as adulterant both in crystals and tablets, other substances such as phenacetin, lidocaine, dextrometorphan or methamphetamine were detected almost exclusively in crystal samples. The amount of MDMA in crystal samples remained stable unlike tablets for which a huge increase in MDMA dose was observed since 2010. Crystal samples of ecstasy showed clear differences compared to ecstasy tablets and this must be taken into account both in research and harm reduction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Random lasing in dye-doped polymer dispersed liquid crystal film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Rina; Shi, Rui-xin; Wu, Xiaojiao; Wu, Jie; Dai, Qin

2016-09-01

A dye-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film was designed and fabricated, and random lasing action was studied. A mixture of laser dye, nematic liquid crystal, chiral dopant, and PVA was used to prepare the dye-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film by means of microcapsules. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that most liquid crystal droplets in the polymer matrix ranged from 30 μm to 40 μm, the size of the liquid crystal droplets was small. Under frequency doubled 532 nm Nd:YAG laser-pumped optical excitation, a plurality of discrete and sharp random laser radiation peaks could be measured in the range of 575-590 nm. The line-width of the lasing peak was 0.2 nm and the threshold of the random lasing was 9 mJ. Under heating, the emission peaks of random lasing disappeared. By detecting the emission light spot energy distribution, the mechanism of radiation was found to be random lasing. The random lasing radiation mechanism was then analyzed and discussed. Experimental results indicated that the size of the liquid crystal droplets is the decisive factor that influences the lasing mechanism. The surface anchor role can be ignored when the size of the liquid crystal droplets in the polymer matrix is small, which is beneficial to form multiple scattering. The transmission path of photons is similar to that in a ring cavity, providing feedback to obtain random lasing output. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61378042), the Colleges and Universities in Liaoning Province Outstanding Young Scholars Growth Plans, China (Grant No. LJQ2015093), and Shenyang Ligong University Laser and Optical Information of Liaoning Province Key Laboratory Open Funds, China.

Crystal Growth of II-VI Semiconducting Alloys by Directional Solidification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lehoczky, Sandor L.; Szofran, Frank R.; Su, Ching-Hua; Cobb, Sharon D.; Scripa, Rosalia A.; Sha, Yi-Gao

1999-01-01

This research study is investigating the effects of a microgravity environment during the crystal growth of selected II-VI semiconducting alloys on their compositional, metallurgical, electrical and optical properties. The on-going work includes both Bridgman-Stockbarger and solvent growth methods, as well as growth in a magnetic field. The materials investigated are II-VI, Hg(1-x)Zn(x)Te, and Hg(1-x)Zn(x)Se, where x is between 0 and 1 inclusive, with particular emphasis on x-values appropriate for infrared detection and imaging in the 5 to 30 micron wavelength region. Wide separation between the liquidus and solidus of the phase diagrams with consequent segregation during solidification and problems associated with the high volatility of one of the components (Hg), make the preparation of homogeneous, high-quality, bulk crystals of the alloys an extremely difficult nearly an impossible task in a gravitational environment. The three-fold objectives of the on-going investigation are as follows: (1) To determine the relative contributions of gravitationally-driven fluid flows to the compositional redistribution observed during the unidirectional crystal growth of selected semiconducting solid solution alloys having large separation between the liquidus and solidus of the constitutional phase diagram; (2) To ascertain the potential role of irregular fluid flows and hydrostatic pressure effects in generation of extended crystal defects and second-phase inclusions in the crystals; and, (3) To obtain a limited amount of "high quality" materials needed for bulk crystal property characterizations and for the fabrication of various device structures needed to establish ultimate material performance limits. The flight portion of the study was to be accomplished by performing growth experiments using the Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF) manifested to fly on various Spacelab missions.