Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua B. R. White, Daniel P. Maskell, Andrew Howe, Martin Harrow, Daniel K. Clare, C. Alistair Siebert, Emma L. Hesketh, Rebecca F. Thompson
Summary: Cryo-electron microscopy is a powerful technique for structure determination of macromolecular complexes through single particle analysis, involving vitrification, specimen screening, data collection, and image processing, with options for user modification and common troubleshooting. Variations on imaging protocols to assist users in efficient operation and imaging when physical access to the microscope is limited are being developed due to remote microscope operation becoming standard.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yawei Li, Li Wang, Yufeng He, Wei Zheng, Langhong Lou, Jian Zhang
Summary: The study found that as the temperature increases, the spacing of dislocation networks in the gamma/gamma' interface decreases, while the minimum creep rate increases non-linearly. This is due to the enhanced dislocation-climb in the interface and gamma'-cutting by a <010> superdislocations.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Dayne F. Swearer, Stefan Fischer, Daniel K. Angell, Chris Siefe, A. Paul Alivisatos, Steven Chu, Jennifer A. Dionne
Summary: Our study involved the development of a library of 11 unique lanthanide-doped nanophosphors for high-resolution, multicolor electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that these nanophosphors exhibit strong cathodoluminescence spectra under electron beam, with high spatial localization characteristics.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ashraya Ravikumar, Mrugsen Nagsen Gopnarayan, Sriram Subramaniam, Narayanaswamy Srinivasan
Summary: This study evaluates systematic differences in local structure and conformation within protein tertiary structures determined by crystallography and cryo-EM. The results show that cryo-EM structures have more dispersed side chains compared to X-ray crystallography structures of similar resolution. This trend is observed in both subunit interface packing and within the core of tertiary structures. The reduced dispersion of side chains in protein crystals could be attributed to dehydration in 3D crystals prepared for X-ray crystallography, while the higher freezing rate in cryo-EM samples may preserve a more native conformation.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ivan S. Pavlov, Anna G. Ivanova, Vladimir P. Filonenko, Igor P. Zibrov, Alexei E. Voloshin, Pavel V. Zinin, Alexander L. Vasiliev
Summary: This study investigates the formation of boron carbide superhard particles through a liquid-phase reaction at high pressure and high temperature. The synthesized particles exhibit a rhombic hexecontahedron morphology with twelve five-vertex stars. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the crystal structure of these particles, revealing multiple cycling twinning rather than quasi-crystalline symptoms. The specific shape of the particles is explained by the decrease of surface energy during formation at high pressure and high temperature.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuqing Ye, Keni Cota-Ruiz, Jesus M. Cantu, Carolina Valdes, Jorge L. Gardea-Torresdey
Summary: Engineered nanomaterials interact dynamically with matrices such as soil, water, and biological tissues throughout their lifecycle. Electron microscopy plays a crucial role in assessing these interactions, providing high-resolution imaging capabilities for real-time visualization of nanomaterials in biological matrices. Recent progress in evaluating nanobio interactions using EM has led to advancements in nanoresearch, shedding light on nanocorona formation, lipid nanoparticle analysis, and real-time observation of cellular uptake of nanoparticles.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jin-Hu Dou, Maxx Q. Arguilla, Yi Luo, Jian Li, Weizhe Zhang, Lei Sun, Jenna L. Mancuso, Luming Yang, Tianyang Chen, Lucas R. Parent, Grigorii Skorupskii, Nicole J. Libretto, Chenyue Sun, Min Chieh Yang, Phat Vinh Dip, Edward J. Brignole, Jeffrey T. Miller, Jing Kong, Christopher H. Hendon, Junliang Sun, Mircea Dinca
Summary: Researchers have successfully grown single crystals of 2D metal-organic frameworks up to 200 µm in size by balancing in-plane and out-of-plane interactions, revealing anisotropic transport and a clear correlation between conductivity and the nature of the metal cation in the sheets.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kayo Nozawa, Yoshimasa Takizawa, Leonidas Pierrakeas, Chizuru Sogawa-Fujiwara, Kazumi Saikusa, Satoko Akashi, Ed Luk, Hitoshi Kurumizaka
Summary: The canonical nucleosome is the major packaging unit of eukaryotic chromatin, and the H3-H4 octasome is a nucleosome-like particle with alternative histone stoichiometry. The structure of the H3-H4 octasome is flexible.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lunda Shen, Zhaoming Su, Kailu Yang, Cheng Wu, Thomas Becker, Deborah Bell-Pedersen, Junjie Zhang, Matthew S. Sachs
Summary: The study elucidated the mechanism of action of CHX in inhibiting protein synthesis by arresting the ribosome in the classical PRE translocation state, without interfering with A-site reactivity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Masaki Tahara, Kazuya Hasunuma, Hideki Hosoda
Summary: This study investigated the decomposition process of the isothermal alpha '' phase in beta-Ti alloys, and found that the resulting alpha + beta dual phase inherited the microstructural characteristics of the alpha ''(iso) phase. The research results indicate the existence of a strict variant selection rule between the decomposed alpha and beta phases, with a specific variant combination observed.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ondrej Dyck, Jacob L. Swett, Andrew R. Lupini, Jan A. Mol, Stephen Jesse
Summary: Electron-beam-induced current imaging of graphene single layers can be used to distinguish between layers and characterize conductivity, which is crucial for engineering applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Thuy An Bui, Gregor T. Leuthner, Jacob Madsen, Mohammad R. A. Monazam, Alexandru I. Chirita, Andreas Postl, Clemens Mangler, Jani Kotakoski, Toma Susi
Summary: Understanding electron irradiation effects is essential for electron microscopy and manipulating 2D materials. The displacement cross sections of monolayer hBN are measured, showing lower damage rates under better vacuum conditions. Electron irradiation can create single vacancies in hBN, with boron being more likely to be ejected. The damage at low energies cannot be explained by elastic knock-on and a theoretical description is developed.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Megan C. C. DiIorio, Arkadiusz W. W. Kulczyk
Summary: Biological macromolecules and assemblies rearrange their atomic 3D structures to perform cellular functions, and understanding their mechanisms requires insight into their structural states during the functional cycle. Cryo-EM has become the preferred method for studying dynamic biological macromolecules, providing near-atomic resolution information. Recent advancements in cryo-EM methodology allow for the study of structural intermediates and different states within the same dataset. This article reviews the development of sample preparation and single-particle analysis techniques in cryo-EM, shedding light on the mechanisms of molecular machines and aiding drug discovery efforts.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Harshit Gupta, Michael T. McCann, Laurene Donati, Michael Unser
Summary: CryoGAN is a new paradigm for single-particle cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction based on unsupervised deep adversarial learning, achieving 3D structure reconstruction via distribution matching and skipping pose estimation or marginalization. It has shown success in recovering correct structures in an idealized mathematical model and achieving 10.8 angstrom resolution on a realistic synthetic dataset.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL IMAGING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Minghui Xu, Lipeng Cao, Weipeng Wang, Yifan Ding, Xi Shen, Yuan Yao, Changqing Jin, Richeng Yu
Summary: This study investigates three new modulated structures induced by controllable electron beam irradiation (EBI) in SrCrO3 single crystal. By using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and ab initio calculations, the crystal and electronic structures were examined. The results show that EBI leads to ordered oxygen vacancies and the formation of modulated structures SrCrO2.5 (I4/ mmm), SrCrO2.8 (C2/m), and SrCrO2.67 (C2/m) from pristine SrCrO3 (Pmm).
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY OF SOLIDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Evgeniy Makagon, Ellen Wachtel, Lothar Houben, Sidney R. Cohen, Yuanyuan Li, Junying Li, Anatoly Frenkel, Igor Lubomirsky
Summary: ECM coupling, driven by electrochemical compositional changes in solids, can cause mechanical instability in Li-ion batteries and solid oxide fuel cells, but also has potential applications in mechanical actuation for Si-integrated microelectromechanical systems.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Assael Cohen, Avinash Patsha, Pranab K. Mohapatra, Miri Kazes, Kamalakannan Ranganathan, Lothar Houben, Dan Oron, Ariel Ismach
Summary: The GE-MOCVD approach improves domain size and crystal quality compared to traditional MOCVD, demonstrating potential for wide integration into various applications.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Katz, Jonathan Weinstein, Maayan Eilon-Ashkenazy, Katrin Gehring, Hadas Cohen-Dvashi, Nadav Elad, Sarel J. Fleishman, Ron Diskin
Summary: Lassa virus, a human pathogen, has a spike complex on its surface that facilitates cell entry. The structure of the spike complex reveals the role of the signal peptide in stabilizing the complex and provides insights into the mechanism of binding with the host cell.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vijay Jayaraman, D. John Lee, Nadav Elad, Shay Vimer, Michal Sharon, James S. Fraser, Dan S. Tawfik
Summary: This study discovered a 1.6 megadalton multi-enzyme complex made up of glutamate synthase and glutamate dehydrogenase, which have opposite functions, in Bacillus subtilis. The complex inhibits the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase and is essential for cell growth under fluctuating glutamate concentrations.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
M. B. Sreedhara, Yana Miroshnikov, Kai Zheng, Lothar Houben, Simon Hettler, Raul Arenal, Iddo Pinkas, Sudarson S. Sinha, Ivano E. Castelli, Reshef Tenne
Summary: Nanotubes of transition metal dichalcogenides offer unique properties and potential applications. Replacing sulfur by selenium can yield ternary nanotubes with strong modulation in absorption edge. Solid oxide nanowhiskers were used as a sacrificial template to obtain high yield nanotubes. The nanotubes showed modulated lattice structure and chemical composition, exhibiting strong light-matter interactions and non-linear optical properties.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sujit Kumar, Lothar Houben, Katya Rechav, David Cahen
Summary: This research demonstrates the formation of 2D materials on 3D metal halide perovskites using low electron-fluence scanning transmission electron microscopy. It provides insights into the dynamics of the heterointerface and its implications for the stability of 2D-on-3D composites. The findings also have implications for the engineering and enhancement of stability in these systems.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emanuel M. Avrahami, Lothar Houben, Lior Aram, Assaf Gal
Summary: This study reveals that complex crystalline morphologies can be achieved by manipulating the growth rate. Using electron tomography, the researchers examined the development of coccolith crystals in three dimensions and found that the crystals express only one set of symmetry-related crystallographic facets, with the positioning of the crystals along specific edges contributing to morphological chirality.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Idan Biran, Shaked Rosenne, Haim Weissman, Yael Tsarfati, Lothar Houben, Boris Rybtchinski
Summary: In this study, the crystal growth mechanism of an organic dye was investigated using high-resolution cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and optical spectroscopy. The mechanism involves both classical and nonclassical pathways, forming a self-assembly sequence where all steps are interconnected. The elucidation of this complex pathway advances the understanding of organic order evolution.
CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zohar Eyal, Rachael Deis, Neta Varsano, Nili Dezorella, Katya Rechav, Lothar Houben, Dvir Gur
Summary: Controlling the morphology of crystalline materials is challenging, but organisms are capable of forming crystals with distinct morphologies. Using cryo-electron tomography, researchers discovered that guanine crystals form through templated nucleation and merging of thin leaflets on preassembled scaffolds. This finding sheds light on the biological regulation of crystal morphogenesis.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hadas Shtrikman, Man Suk Song, Magdalena A. . Zaluska-Kotur, Ryszard Buczko, Xi Wang, Beena Kalisky, Perla Kacman, Lothar Houben, Haim Beidenkopf
Summary: This study demonstrates the growth of (EuIn)As shells on InAs and InAs1-xSbx core nanowires, with a unique crystal structure that enhances Zeeman responses and operates at zero applied magnetic field. These structures could serve as an ideal platform for studying one-dimensional states such as intrinsic topological superconductivity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diede de Haan, Lior Aram, Hadas Peled-Zehavi, Yoseph Addadi, Oz Ben-Joseph, Ron Rotkopf, Nadav Elad, Katya Rechav, Assaf Gal
Summary: In this study, the authors investigate the exocytosis mechanism in diatoms, unicellular algae with silica cell walls. They find that during exocytosis, the silica deposition vesicle membrane and plasma membrane gradually detach from the mineral without recycling, indicating an extraordinary mechanism for maintaining membrane homeostasis. These results provide structural observations of diatom silica exocytosis and reveal the role of membrane patches in maintaining cellular membrane stability.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Sujit Kumar, Vinayaka H. Damle, Tatyana Bendikov, Anat Itzhak, Michael Elbaum, Katya Rechav, Lothar Houben, Yaakov Tischler, David Cahen
Summary: Two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskite films can protect three-dimensional (3D) perovskite surfaces from exposure and enhance the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. In this study, we investigate the growth of ultrathin 2D films through vapor-phase cation exchange and real-time in situ monitoring. The results show that the thinnest 2D cover we can grow is <5 nm, with improved self-repair capability and protection against environmental degradation.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dyuti Bandyopadhyay, Sirshendu Ghosh, Lothar Houben, Ronen Bar-Ziv, Maya Bar-Sadan
Summary: Bimetallic phosphides produced by a colloidal chemistry method exhibit enhanced catalytic activity for the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, enabling them to effectively catalyze the full water-splitting reaction.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Dana Cohen, Lothar Houben, Andrea Galisova, Yishay Feldman, Sthephen Fox, Inbal E. Biton, Amnon Bar-Shir
Summary: This study developed ultrasmall, water-dispersed barium fluoride nanocrystals for bioimaging applications. By doping the nanocrystals with lanthanides, the morphology and F-19-MRI properties could be controlled. These nanocrystals, called LaSamBa, exhibited a single F-19-NMR signal and high atomic number of barium atoms, making them suitable for both F-19-MRI and CT imaging.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Angelica Niazov-Elkan, Margarita Shepelenko, Lotem Alus, Miri Kazes, Lothar Houben, Katya Rechav, Gregory Leitus, Anna Kossoy, Yishay Feldman, Leeor Kronik, Peter G. Vekilov, Dan Oron
Summary: A facile procedure is presented to deposit bio-inspired birefringent crystals of xanthine derivatives on a template of single-crystal quartz. The crystal sheets obtained have well-defined orientation and high optical anisotropy, and can be used to fabricate polarization-dependent optical devices.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
