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Using naturally occurring polysaccharides to align molecules with nonlinear optical activity
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Prasthofer, Thomas
1996-01-01
The Biophysics and Advanced Materials Branch of the Microgravity Science and Applications Division at Marshall Space Flight Center has been investigating polymers with the potential for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications for a number of years. Some of the potential applications for NLO materials include optical communications, computing, and switching. To this point the branch's research has involved polydiacetylenes, phthalocyanins, and other synthetic polymers which have inherent NLO properties. The aim of the present research is to investigate the possibility of using naturally occurring polymers such as polysaccharides or proteins to trap and align small organic molecules with useful NLO properties. Ordering molecules with NLO properties enhances 3rd order nonlinear effects and is required for 2nd order nonlinear effects. Potential advantages of such a system are the flexibility to use different small molecules with varying chemical and optical properties, the stability and cost of the polymers, and the ability to form thin, optically transparent films. Since the quality of any polymer films depends on optimizing ordering and minimizing defects, this work is particularly well suited for microgravity experiments. Polysaccharide and protein polymers form microscopic crystallites which must align to form ordered arrays. The ordered association of crystallites is disrupted by gravity effects and NASA research on protein crystal growth has demonstrated that low gravity conditions can improve crystal quality.
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Optoelectronic image scanning with high spatial resolution and reconstruction fidelity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Craubner, Siegfried I.
2002-02-01
In imaging systems the detector arrays deliver at the output time-discrete signals, where the spatial frequencies of the object scene are mapped into the electrical signal frequencies. Since the spatial frequency spectrum cannot be bandlimited by the front optics, the usual detector arrays perform a spatial undersampling and as a consequence aliasing occurs. A means to partially suppress the backfolded alias band is bandwidth limitation in the reconstruction low-pass, at the price of resolution loss. By utilizing a bilinear detector array in a pushbroom-type scanner, undersampling and aliasing can be overcome. For modeling the perception, the theory of discrete systems and multirate digital filter banks is applied, where aliasing cancellation and perfect reconstruction play an important role. The discrete transfer function of a bilinear array can be imbedded into the scheme of a second-order filter bank. The detector arrays already build the analysis bank and the overall filter bank is completed with the synthesis bank, for which stabilized inverse filters are proposed, to compensate for the low-pass characteristics and to approximate perfect reconstruction. The synthesis filter branch can be realized in a so-called `direct form,' or the `polyphase form,' where the latter is an expenditure-optimal solution, which gives advantages when implemented in a signal processor. This paper attempts to introduce well-established concepts of the theory of multirate filter banks into the analysis of scanning imagers, which is applicable in a much broader sense than for the problems addressed here. To the author's knowledge this is also a novelty.
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Order parameters from image analysis: a honeycomb example
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kaatz, Forrest H.; Bultheel, Adhemar; Egami, Takeshi
2008-11-01
Honeybee combs have aroused interest in the ability of honeybees to form regular hexagonal geometric constructs since ancient times. Here we use a real space technique based on the pair distribution function (PDF) and radial distribution function (RDF), and a reciprocal space method utilizing the Debye-Waller Factor (DWF) to quantify the order for a range of honeycombs made by Apis mellifera ligustica. The PDFs and RDFs are fit with a series of Gaussian curves. We characterize the order in the honeycomb using a real space order parameter, OP 3 , to describe the order in the combs and a two-dimensional Fourier transform from which a Debye-Waller order parameter, u, is derived. Both OP 3 and u take values from [0, 1] where the value one represents perfect order. The analyzed combs have values of OP 3 from 0.33 to 0.60 and values of u from 0.59 to 0.69. RDF fits of honeycomb histograms show that naturally made comb can be crystalline in a 2D ordered structural sense, yet is more ‘liquid-like’ than cells made on ‘foundation’ wax. We show that with the assistance of man-made foundation wax, honeybees can manufacture highly ordered arrays of hexagonal cells. This is the first description of honeycomb utilizing the Debye-Waller Factor, and provides a complete analysis of the order in comb from a real-space order parameter and a reciprocal space order parameter. It is noted that the techniques used are general in nature and could be applied to any digital photograph of an ordered array.
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Atomic structure and hierarchical assembly of a cross-β amyloid fibril
PubMed Central
Fitzpatrick, Anthony W. P.; Debelouchina, Galia T.; Bayro, Marvin J.; Clare, Daniel K.; Caporini, Marc A.; Bajaj, Vikram S.; Jaroniec, Christopher P.; Wang, Luchun; Ladizhansky, Vladimir; Müller, Shirley A.; MacPhee, Cait E.; Waudby, Christopher A.; Mott, Helen R.; De Simone, Alfonso; Knowles, Tuomas P. J.; Saibil, Helen R.; Vendruscolo, Michele; Orlova, Elena V.; Griffin, Robert G.; Dobson, Christopher M.
2013-01-01
The cross-β amyloid form of peptides and proteins represents an archetypal and widely accessible structure consisting of ordered arrays of β-sheet filaments. These complex aggregates have remarkable chemical and physical properties, and the conversion of normally soluble functional forms of proteins into amyloid structures is linked to many debilitating human diseases, including several common forms of age-related dementia. Despite their importance, however, cross-β amyloid fibrils have proved to be recalcitrant to detailed structural analysis. By combining structural constraints from a series of experimental techniques spanning five orders of magnitude in length scale—including magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray fiber diffraction, cryoelectron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy—we report the atomic-resolution (0.5 Å) structures of three amyloid polymorphs formed by an 11-residue peptide. These structures reveal the details of the packing interactions by which the constituent β-strands are assembled hierarchically into protofilaments, filaments, and mature fibrils. PMID:23513222
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Solvothermal transformation of a calcium oleate precursor into large-sized highly ordered arrays of ultralong hydroxyapatite microtubes.
PubMed
Lu, Bing-Qiang; Zhu, Ying-Jie; Chen, Feng; Qi, Chao; Zhao, Xin-Yu; Zhao, Jing
2014-06-02
Hydroxyapatite (HAP), a well-known member of the calcium phosphate family, is the major inorganic component of bones and teeth in vertebrates. The highly ordered arrays of HAP structures are of great significance for hard tissue repair and for understanding the formation mechanisms of bones and teeth. However, the synthesis of highly ordered HAP structure arrays remains a great challenge. In this work, inspired by the ordered structure of tooth enamel, we have successfully synthesized three-dimensional bulk materials with large sizes (millimeter scale) that are made of highly ordered arrays of ultralong HAP microtubes (HOAUHMs) by solvothermal transformation of calcium oleate precursor. The core-shell-structured oblate sphere consists of a core that is composed of HAP nanorods and a shell that consists of highly ordered HAP microtube arrays. The prepared HOAUHMs are large: 6.0 mm in diameter and up to 1.4 mm in thickness. With increasing solvothermal reaction time, the HOAUHMs grow larger; the microtubes become more uniform and more ordered. This work provides a new synthetic method for synthesizing highly ordered arrays of uniform HAP ultralong microtubes that are promising for biomedical applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
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Pyroelectric detector arrays
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Fripp, A. L.; Robertson, J. B.; Breckenridge, R. A. (Inventor)
1982-01-01
A pryoelectric detector array and the method for making it are described. A series of holes formed through a silicon dioxide layer on the surface of a silicon substrate forms the mounting fixture for the pyroelectric detector array. A series of nontouching strips of indium are formed around the holes to make contact with the backside electrodes and form the output terminals for individual detectors. A pyroelectric detector strip with front and back electrodes, respectively, is mounted over the strip. Biasing resistors are formed on the surface of the silicon dioxide layer and connected to the strips. A metallized pad formed on the surface of the layer is connected to each of the biasing resistors and to the film to provide the ground for the pyroelectric detector array.
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Pyroelectric detector arrays
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Fripp, A. L.; Robertson, J. B.; Breckenridge, R. (Inventor)
1982-01-01
A pyroelectric detector array and the method for using it are described. A series of holes formed through a silicon dioxide layer on the surface of a silicon substrate forms the mounting fixture for the pyroelectric detector array. A series of nontouching strips of indium are formed around the holes to make contact with the backside electrodes and form the output terminals for individual detectors. A pyroelectric detector strip with front and back electrodes, respectively, is mounted over the strips. Biasing resistors are formed on the surface of the silicon dioxide layer and connected to the strips. A metallized pad formed on the surface of layer is connected to each of the biasing resistors and to the film to provide the ground for the pyroelectric detector array.
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Design, optimization, and analysis of a self-deploying PV tent array
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Collozza, Anthony J.
1991-06-01
A tent shaped PV array was designed and the design was optimized for maximum specific power. In order to minimize output power variation a tent angle of 60 deg was chosen. Based on the chosen tent angle an array structure was designed. The design considerations were minimal deployment time, high reliability, and small stowage volume. To meet these considerations the array was chosen to be self-deployable, form a compact storage configuration, using a passive pressurized gas deployment mechanism. Each structural component of the design was analyzed to determine the size necessary to withstand the various forces to which it would be subjected. Through this analysis the component weights were determined. An optimization was performed to determine the array dimensions and blanket geometry which produce the maximum specific power for a given PV blanket. This optimization was performed for both lunar and Martian environmental conditions. Other factors such as PV blanket types, structural material, and wind velocity (for Mars array), were varied to determine what influence they had on the design point. The performance specifications for the array at both locations and with each type of PV blanket were determined. These specifications were calculated using the Arimid fiber composite as the structural material. The four PV blanket types considered were silicon, GaAs/Ge, GaAsCLEFT, and amorphous silicon. The specifications used for each blanket represented either present day or near term technology. For both the Moon and Mars the amorphous silicon arrays produced the highest specific power.
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Process for High-Rate Fabrication of Alumina Nanotemplates
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Myung, Nosang; Fleurial, Jean-Pierre; Yun, Minhee; West, William; Choi, Daniel
2007-01-01
An anodizing process, at an early stage of development at the time of reporting the information for this article, has shown promise as a means of fabricating alumina nanotemplates integrated with silicon wafers. Alumina nanotemplates are basically layers of alumina, typically several microns thick, in which are formed approximately regular hexagonal arrays of holes having typical diameters of the order of 10 to 100 nm. Interest in alumina nanotemplates has grown in recent years because they have been found to be useful as templates in the fabrication of nanoscale magnetic, electronic, optoelectronic, and other devices. The present anodizing process is attractive for the fabrication of alumina nanotemplates integrated with silicon wafers in two respects: (1) the process involves self-ordering of the holes; that is, the holes as formed by the process are spontaneously arranged in approximately regular hexagonal arrays; and (2) the rates of growth (that is, elongation) of the holes are high enough to make the process compatible with other processes used in the mass production of integrated circuits. In preparation for fabrication of alumina nanotemplates in this process, one first uses electron-beam evaporation to deposit thin films of titanium, followed by thin films of aluminum, on silicon wafers. Then the alumina nanotemplates are formed by anodizing the aluminum layers, as described below. In experiments in which the process was partially developed, the titanium films were 200 A thick and the aluminum films were 5 m thick. The aluminum films were oxidized to alumina, and the arrays of holes were formed by anodizing the aluminum in aqueous solutions of sulfuric and/or oxalic acid at room temperature (see figure). The diameters, spacings, and rates of growth of the holes were found to depend, variously, on the composition of the anodizing solution, the applied current, or the applied potential, as follows: In galvanostatically controlled anodizing, regardless of the chemical composition of the solution, relatively high current densities (50 to 100 mA/cm2) resulted in arrays of holes that were more nearly regular than were those formed at lower current densities. . The rates of elongation of the holes were found to depend linearly on the applied current density: the observed factor of proportionality was 1.2 (m/h)/(mA/cm2). For a given fixed current density and room temperature, the hole diameters were found to depend mainly on the chemical compositions of the anodizing solutions. The holes produced in sulfuric acid solutions were smaller than those produced in oxalic acid solutions. The arrays of holes produced in sulfuric acid were more ordered than were those produced in oxalic acid. . The breakdown voltage was found to decrease logarithmically with increasing concentration of sulfuric acid. The breakdown voltage was also found to decrease with temperature and to be accompanied by a decrease in hole diameter. The hole diameter was found to vary linearly with applied potential, with a slope of 2.1 nm/V. This slope differs from slopes (2.2 and 2.77 nm/V) reported for similar prior measurements on nanotemplates made from bulk aluminum. The differences among these slopes may be attributable to differences among impurities and defects in bulk and electron-beam-evaporated aluminum specimens.
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Emergent Rotational Symmetries in Disordered Magnetic Domain Patterns
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Su, Run; Seu, Keoki A.; Parks, Daniel; Kan, Jimmy J.; Fullerton, Eric E.; Roy, Sujoy; Kevan, Stephen D.
2011-12-01
Uniaxial systems often form labyrinthine domains that exhibit short-range order but are macroscopically isotropic and would not be expected to exhibit precise symmetries. However, their underlying frustration results in a multitude of metastable configurations of comparable energy, and driving such a system externally might lead to pattern formation. We find that soft x-ray speckle diffraction patterns of the labyrinthine domains in CoPd/IrMn heterostructures reveal a diverse array of hidden rotational symmetries about the magnetization axis, thereby suggesting an unusual form of emergent order in an otherwise disordered system. These symmetries depend on applied magnetic field, magnetization history, and scattering wave vector. Maps of rotational symmetry exhibit intriguing structures that can be controlled by manipulating the applied magnetic field in concert with the exchange bias condition.
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Emergent rotational symmetries in disordered magnetic domain patterns.
PubMed
Su, Run; Seu, Keoki A; Parks, Daniel; Kan, Jimmy J; Fullerton, Eric E; Roy, Sujoy; Kevan, Stephen D
2011-12-16
Uniaxial systems often form labyrinthine domains that exhibit short-range order but are macroscopically isotropic and would not be expected to exhibit precise symmetries. However, their underlying frustration results in a multitude of metastable configurations of comparable energy, and driving such a system externally might lead to pattern formation. We find that soft x-ray speckle diffraction patterns of the labyrinthine domains in CoPd/IrMn heterostructures reveal a diverse array of hidden rotational symmetries about the magnetization axis, thereby suggesting an unusual form of emergent order in an otherwise disordered system. These symmetries depend on applied magnetic field, magnetization history, and scattering wave vector. Maps of rotational symmetry exhibit intriguing structures that can be controlled by manipulating the applied magnetic field in concert with the exchange bias condition. © 2011 American Physical Society
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Coherence of beam arrays propagating in the turbulent atmosphere
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Charnotskii, Mikhail
2010-04-01
We analyze some recent publications addressing propagation of the partially coherent polarized beams and beam arrays in the turbulent atmosphere. We show that the published results are limited to the scalar propagation model, and are not particular to the beam polarization. Therefore these results are equally relevant for the scalar beam pairs and arrays discriminated by some parameters such as small frequency shift, time delay or geometry, but not necessary the polarization. We use the virtual incoherent source model to derive the general form of the mutual coherence function of the two Schell-type beams. We discuss some physical stochastic models that result in the creation of the Schell-type beams and beam arrays. New classes of the uniformly, nonuniformly and nonlocally coherent beam pairs emerge naturally from this analysis. Rigorous, Markov approximation-based, propagation model provides relatively simple analytic results for the second-order moments of the optical field of the partially-coherent individual beams and beam pairs. We examine the changes of the beam mutual coherence in the process of the free-space propagation and propagation through the turbulent atmosphere.
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Silicon Micromachined Microlens Array for THz Antennas
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Choonsup; Chattopadhyay, Goutam; Mehdi, IImran; Gill, John J.; Jung-Kubiak, Cecile D.; Llombart, Nuria
2013-01-01
5 5 silicon microlens array was developed using a silicon micromachining technique for a silicon-based THz antenna array. The feature of the silicon micromachining technique enables one to microfabricate an unlimited number of microlens arrays at one time with good uniformity on a silicon wafer. This technique will resolve one of the key issues in building a THz camera, which is to integrate antennas in a detector array. The conventional approach of building single-pixel receivers and stacking them to form a multi-pixel receiver is not suited at THz because a single-pixel receiver already has difficulty fitting into mass, volume, and power budgets, especially in space applications. In this proposed technique, one has controllability on both diameter and curvature of a silicon microlens. First of all, the diameter of microlens depends on how thick photoresist one could coat and pattern. So far, the diameter of a 6- mm photoresist microlens with 400 m in height has been successfully microfabricated. Based on current researchers experiences, a diameter larger than 1-cm photoresist microlens array would be feasible. In order to control the curvature of the microlens, the following process variables could be used: 1. Amount of photoresist: It determines the curvature of the photoresist microlens. Since the photoresist lens is transferred onto the silicon substrate, it will directly control the curvature of the silicon microlens. 2. Etching selectivity between photoresist and silicon: The photoresist microlens is formed by thermal reflow. In order to transfer the exact photoresist curvature onto silicon, there needs to be etching selectivity of 1:1 between silicon and photoresist. However, by varying the etching selectivity, one could control the curvature of the silicon microlens. The figure shows the microfabricated silicon microlens 5 x5 array. The diameter of the microlens located in the center is about 2.5 mm. The measured 3-D profile of the microlens surface has a smooth curvature. The measured height of the silicon microlens is about 280 microns. In this case, the original height of the photoresist was 210 microns. The change was due to the etching selectivity of 1.33 between photoresist and silicon. The measured surface roughness of the silicon microlens shows the peak-to-peak surface roughness of less than 0.5 microns, which is adequate in THz frequency. For example, the surface roughness should be less than 7 microns at 600 GHz range. The SEM (scanning electron microscope) image of the microlens confirms the smooth surface. The beam pattern at 550 GHz shows good directivity.
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From nanochannel-induced proton conduction enhancement to a nanochannel-based fuel cell.
PubMed
Liu, Shaorong; Pu, Qiaosheng; Gao, Lin; Korzeniewski, Carol; Matzke, Carolyn
2005-07-01
The apparent proton conductivity inside a nanochannel can be enhanced by orders of magnitude due to the electric double layer overlap. A nanochannel filled with an acidic solution is thus a micro super proton conductor, and an array of such nanochannels forms an excellent proton conductive membrane. Taking advantage of this effect, a new class of proton exchange membrane is developed for micro fuel cell applications.
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Advanced ACTPol Low-Frequency Array: Readout and Characterization of Prototype 27 and 39 GHz Transition Edge Sensors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Koopman, B. J.; Cothard, N. F.; Choi, S. K.; Crowley, K. T.; Duff, S. M.; Henderson, S. W.; Ho, S. P.; Hubmayr, J.; Gallardo, P. A.; Nati, F.; Niemack, M. D.; Simon, S. M.; Staggs, S. T.; Stevens, J. R.; Vavagiakis, E. M.; Wollack, E. J.
2018-05-01
Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) is a third-generation polarization upgrade to the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, designed to observe the cosmic microwave background (CMB). AdvACT expands on the 90 and 150 GHz transition edge sensor (TES) bolometer arrays of the ACT Polarimeter (ACTPol), adding both high-frequency (HF, 150/230 GHz) and low-frequency (LF, 27/39 GHz) multichroic arrays. The addition of the high- and low-frequency detectors allows for the characterization of synchrotron and spinning dust emission at the low frequencies and foreground emission from galactic dust and dusty star-forming galaxies at the high frequencies. The increased spectral coverage of AdvACT will enable a wide range of CMB science, such as improving constraints on dark energy, the sum of the neutrino masses, and the existence of primordial gravitational waves. The LF array will be the final AdvACT array, replacing one of the MF arrays for a single season. Prior to the fabrication of the final LF detector array, we designed and characterized prototype TES bolometers. Detector geometries in these prototypes are varied in order to inform and optimize the bolometer designs for the LF array, which requires significantly lower noise levels and saturation powers (as low as {˜ } 1 pW) than the higher-frequency detectors. Here we present results from tests of the first LF prototype TES detectors for AdvACT, including measurements of the saturation power, critical temperature, thermal conductance, and time constants. We also describe the modifications to the time-division SQUID readout architecture compared to the MF and HF arrays.
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Transparent anodic TiO2 nanotube arrays on plastic substrates for disposable biosensors and flexible electronics.
PubMed
Farsinezhad, Samira; Mohammadpour, Arash; Dalrymple, Ashley N; Geisinger, Jared; Kar, Piyush; Brett, Michael J; Shankar, Karthik
2013-04-01
Exploitation of anodically formed self-organized TiO2 nanotube arrays in mass-manufactured, disposable biosensors, rollable electrochromic displays and flexible large-area solar cells would greatly benefit from integration with transparent and flexible polymeric substrates. Such integration requires the vacuum deposition of a thin film of titanium on the desired substrate, which is then anodized in suitable media to generate TiO2 nanotube arrays. However the challenges associated with control of Ti film morphology, nanotube array synthesis conditions, and film adhesion and transparency, have necessitated the use of substrate heating during deposition to temperatures of at least 300 degrees C and as high as 500 degrees C to generate highly ordered open-pore nanotube arrays, thus preventing the use of polymeric substrates. We report on a film growth technique that exploits atomic peening to achieve high quality transparent TiO2 nanotube arrays with lengths up to 5.1 microm at room temperature on polyimide substrates without the need for substrate heating or substrate biasing or a Kauffman ion source. The superior optical quality and uniformity of the nanotube arrays was evidenced by the high specular reflectivity and the smooth pattern of periodic interferometric fringes in the transmission spectra of the nanotube arrays, from which the wavelength-dependent effective refractive index was extracted for the air-TiO2 composite medium. A fluorescent immunoassay biosensor constructed using 5.1 microm-long transparent titania nanotube arrays (TTNAs) grown on Kapton substrates detected human cardiac troponin I at a concentration of 0.1 microg ml(-1).
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Study of the formation, stability, and X-ray emission of the Z-pinch formed during implosion of fiber arrays at the Angara-5-1 facility
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Aleksandrov, V. V.; Volkov, G. S.; Grabovski, E. V.
Results from experimental studies on the implosion of arrays made of kapron fibers coated with different metals (Al, In, Sn, and Bi) are presented. It is shown that the power, total energy, and spectrum of radiation emitted by the imploding array depend on the number of metallized fibers and the mass of the metal layer deposited on them but are independent of the metal characteristics (density, atomic number, etc.). Analysis of frame X-ray images shows that the Z-pinches formed in the implosion of metallized kapron fiber arrays are more stable than those formed in wire arrays and that MHD perturbationsmore » in them develop at a slower growth rate. Due to the lower rate of plasma production from kapron fibers, the plasma formed at the periphery of the array forms a layer that plays the role of a hohlraum wall partially trapping soft X-ray emission of the Z-pinch formed in the implosion of the material of the deposited metal layer. The closure of the anode aperture doubles the energy of radiation emitted in the radial direction.« less
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Ordered Nanostructures Made Using Chaperonin Polypeptides
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Trent, Jonathan; McMillan, Robert; Paavola, Chad; Mogul, Rakesh; Kagawa, Hiromi
2004-01-01
A recently invented method of fabricating periodic or otherwise ordered nanostructures involves the use of chaperonin polypeptides. The method is intended to serve as a potentially superior and less expensive alternative to conventional lithographic methods for use in the patterning steps of the fabrication of diverse objects characterized by features of the order of nanometers. Typical examples of such objects include arrays of quantum dots that would serve as the functional building blocks of future advanced electronic and photonic devices. A chaperonin is a double-ring protein structure having a molecular weight of about 60 plus or minus 5 kilodaltons. In nature, chaperonins are ubiquitous, essential, subcellular structures. Each natural chaperonin molecule comprises 14, 16, or 18 protein subunits, arranged as two stacked rings approximately 16 to 18 nm tall by approximately 15 to 17 nm wide, the exact dimensions depending on the biological species in which it originates. The natural role of chaperonins is unknown, but they are believed to aid in the correct folding of other proteins, by enclosing unfolded proteins and preventing nonspecific aggregation during assembly. What makes chaperonins useful for the purpose of the present method is that under the proper conditions, chaperonin rings assemble themselves into higher-order structures. This method exploits such higher-order structures to define nanoscale devices. The higher-order structures are tailored partly by choice of chemical and physical conditions for assembly and partly by using chaperonins that have been mutated. The mutations are made by established biochemical techniques. The assembly of chaperonin polypeptides into such structures as rings, tubes, filaments, and sheets (two-dimensional crystals) can be regulated chemically. Rings, tubes, and filaments of some chaperonin polypeptides can, for example, function as nano vessels if they are able to absorb, retain, protect, and release gases or chemical reagents, including reagents of medical or pharmaceutical interest. Chemical reagents can be bound in, or released from, such structures under suitable controlled conditions. In an example of a contemplated application, a two-dimensional crystal of chaperonin polypeptides would be formed on a surface of an inorganic substrate and used to form a planar array of nanoparticles or quantum dots. Through genetic engineering of the organisms used to manufacture the chaperonins, specific sites on the chaperonin molecules and, thus, on the two-dimensional crystals can be chemically modified to react in a specific manner so as to favor the deposition of the material of the desired nanoparticles or quantum dots. A mutation that introduces a cysteine residue at the desired sites on a chaperonin of Sulfolobus shibatae was used to form planar arrays of gold nanoparticles (see figure).
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Process for forming transparent aerogel insulating arrays
DOEpatents
Tewari, Param H.; Hunt, Arlon J.
1986-01-01
An improved supercritical drying process for forming transparent silica aerogel arrays is described. The process is of the type utilizing the steps of hydrolyzing and condensing aloxides to form alcogels. A subsequent step removes the alcohol to form aerogels. The improvement includes the additional step, after alcogels are formed, of substituting a solvent, such as CO.sub.2, for the alcohol in the alcogels, the solvent having a critical temperature less than the critical temperature of the alcohol. The resulting gels are dried at a supercritical temperature for the selected solvent, such as CO.sub.2, to thereby provide a transparent aerogel array within a substantially reduced (days-to-hours) time period. The supercritical drying occurs at about 40.degree. C. instead of at about 270.degree. C. The improved process provides increased yields of large scale, structurally sound arrays. The transparent aerogel array, formed in sheets or slabs, as made in accordance with the improved process, can replace the air gap within a double glazed window, for example, to provide a substantial reduction in heat transfer. The thus formed transparent aerogel arrays may also be utilized, for example, in windows of refrigerators and ovens, or in the walls and doors thereof or as the active material in detectors for analyzing high energy elementry particles or cosmic rays.
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Process for forming transparent aerogel insulating arrays
DOEpatents
Tewari, P.H.; Hunt, A.J.
1985-09-04
An improved supercritical drying process for forming transparent silica aerogel arrays is described. The process is of the type utilizing the steps of hydrolyzing and condensing aloxides to form alcogels. A subsequent step removes the alcohol to form aerogels. The improvement includes the additional step, after alcogels are formed, of substituting a solvent, such as CO/sub 2/, for the alcohol in the alcogels, the solvent having a critical temperature less than the critical temperature of the alcohol. The resulting gels are dried at a supercritical temperature for the selected solvent, such as CO/sub 2/, to thereby provide a transparent aerogel array within a substantially reduced (days-to-hours) time period. The supercritical drying occurs at about 40/sup 0/C instead of at about 270/sup 0/C. The improved process provides increased yields of large scale, structurally sound arrays. The transparent aerogel array, formed in sheets or slabs, as made in accordance with the improved process, can replace the air gap within a double glazed window, for example, to provide a substantial reduction in heat transfer. The thus formed transparent aerogel arrays may also be utilized, for example, in windows of refrigerators and ovens, or in the walls and doors thereof or as the active material in detectors for analyzing high energy elementary particles or cosmic rays.