Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ewelina Lipiec, Janina Kaderli, Jan Kobierski, Roland Riek, Katarzyna Skirlinska-Nosek, Kamila Sofinska, Marek Szymonski, Renato Zenobi
Summary: Abnormal aggregation of amyloid-beta is a complex and heterogeneous process, and a new approach using TERS has provided detailed molecular structure information of single amyloid-beta aggregates, revealing a beta-sheet rearrangement. This study will contribute to a better understanding of the etiology of Alzheimer's disease.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chih-Feng Wang, Patrick Z. El-Khoury
Summary: The study reveals that nonlinear optical processes can be enhanced at plasmonic tip-sample nanojunctions, allowing for high-spatial-resolution chemical analysis through enhanced spectroscopies.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Luke R. McCourt, Ben S. Routley, Michael G. Ruppert, Vicki J. Keast, C. I. Sathish, Rohan Borah, Renee V. Goreham, Andrew J. Fleming
Summary: This Article presents a method for characterizing the imaging performance of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy probes. The method uses atomic force microscope maps and specific excitation methods to identify single-walled carbon nanotubes suitable for Raman scattering. High resolution cross sections of the nanotubes are collected, and point spread functions, optical contrast, and spot diameter are calculated. The method is applied to several probes, resulting in imaging recommendations and limitations summary for each probe. Elemental analysis and boundary element simulations explain the formation of multiple peaks in the point spread functions due to random grain formation on the probe surface.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Cedeno Estefany, Zhenli Sun, Zijin Hong, Jingjing Du
Summary: Atmospheric aerosols have a significant impact on human health and the environment, and their characteristics like size, shape, and chemical composition influence their effects. Quantifying and identifying atmospheric aerosols is challenging due to their high variability on spatial and temporal scales. Raman Spectroscopy (RS) is a valuable technique for understanding aerosol fate and can provide insights into the chemical compositions of individual particles.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thiago A. Moura, Wellington Q. Neves, Rafael S. Alencar, Y. A. Kim, M. Endo, Thiago L. Vasconcelos, Deyse G. Costa, Graziani Candiotto, Rodrigo B. Capaz, Paulo T. Araujo, Antonio G. Souza Filho, Alexandre R. Paschoal
Summary: The unique electronic and vibrational properties of linear carbon chains (LCCs) have attracted attention recently. Raman spectroscopy has been widely used to identify LCC and study its properties. This study investigates the optical resonance window of LCCs encapsulated by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and a Raman signature assigned to the LCC's longitudinal acoustic phonon mode. First-principles calculations support the conclusions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wujoon Cha, Chaejeong Heo, Sanghyub Lee, Seok Joon Yun, Byeong Wook Cho, Taewoo Ha, Young Hee Lee
Summary: Charge transfer during the fibrillization of A ss proteins was investigated using Raman spectroscopy. The study revealed that small A ss monomers withdraw electrons, while fibrils donate electrons to graphene and molybdenum disulfide. Oligomers undergo transient charge states near the neutrality point.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Boris B. Kharkov, Ivan S. Podkorytov, Stanislav A. Bondarev, Mikhail V. Belousov, Vladislav A. Salikov, Galina A. Zhouravleva, Nikolai R. Skrynnikov
Summary: Researchers have developed a mathematical theory to explain the results of rod-like fibrils in PFG NMR experiments, which has been validated in the Sup35 protein fibrils. Signals from disordered regions in the fibrils can be readily distinguished from signals representing small soluble species, paving the way for diffusion-sorted NMR experiments on complex amyloidogenic samples.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jean-Francois Bryche, Marlo Vega, Agnes Tempez, Thibault Brule, Thomas Carlier, Julien Moreau, Marc Chaigneau, Paul G. Charette, Michael Canva
Summary: This work demonstrates the enhancement in plasmonic sensing efficacy by spatially-localized functionalization on nanostructured surfaces, where probe molecules are concentrated in areas of high field concentration. SERS measurements on nanostructured surfaces with homogeneous and spatially-localized functionalization with thiophenol show that the Raman signal mainly originates from high field concentration areas. TERS measurements with 10 nm spatial resolution confirm the predicted field distribution profiles.
Article
Spectroscopy
Andre M. Batista, Leticia Foiani, Mathilde Champeau, Herculano Martinho
Summary: This article primarily introduces the applications of techniques such as Raman, atomic force microscopy, and tip-enhanced Raman scattering in the study of cells and tissues, as well as the detailed physical, chemical, biophysical, and physiological property analysis they can provide. It also discusses the limitations, drawbacks, and future prospects of these technologies.
JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mikhail Matveyenka, Stanislav Rizevsky, Dmitry Kurouski
Summary: Lipid bilayers play a crucial role in the pathological assembly of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides, and unsaturated phospholipids catalyze the formation of more toxic amyloid aggregates.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Zhe Shen, Xuefei Zi, Mengyuan Du, Lin Zhang, Yaochun Shen, Maohai Hu
Summary: Numerical simulation of the local electric field enhancement in the virtual-real probe dimer structure revealed ultrahigh field enhancement and spatial resolution, making it promising for high-sensitivity detection and high-resolution imaging.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sirshendu Dinda, Shivam Trivedi, Ananyo Roy, Frank D. Pammer, Maximilian Fichtner
Summary: Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is used to study the chemical components of the electrode-electrolyte interface (EEI) in a sodium-ion battery. The EEI is found to be mainly composed of organic carbonates, oligoethylene oxides, α,β-unsaturated vinyl ketones/acetates, and inorganic species. The composition of the EEI evolves over cycling, with the emergence of long chain bridging carboxylates and alkoxides. The study also reveals the nano-scale heterogeneity and multilayered nano-mosaic coating structure of the EEI.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Angela Capocefalo, Tanja Deckert-Gaudig, Francesco Brasili, Paolo Postorino, Volker Deckert
Summary: This study investigates the role of gold nanoparticles in degrading amyloid fibrils and reveals molecular mechanisms using high-resolution Raman spectroscopy, providing important insights for understanding amyloid fibrils and potential implications for developing strategies to prevent and treat amyloid-related diseases.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sebastian Wolf, Juergen Popp, Torsten Frosch
Summary: High-throughput screening requires efficient spectral imaging techniques, but current designs lack the ability to measure hyperspectral images or microscopy setups. This study presents a novel setup for parallelized hyperspectral Raman spectroscopy that allows simultaneous acquisition of 64 high-resolution Raman spectra from a multi-well plate. This setup offers a time-saving solution for high-throughput screening applications and allows real-time chemical comparison between different micro-well spots.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nora Slekiene, Valentinas Snitka, Ingrida Bruzaite, Arunas Ramanavicius
Summary: The most common neurological disorders, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by the degeneration of cognitive functions due to the loss of neurons in the central nervous system. The aggregation of amyloid proteins is an important pathological feature of these diseases, but the details of the aggregation process are still unclear.
Article
Optics
Innem V. A. K. Reddy, Andrea Bertoncini, Carlo Liberale
Summary: This study proposes a photonic structure that uses stacked miniaturized optical elements 3D printed on a fiber facet, enabling the generation of both zeroth- and high-order Bessel beams (BBs) with fully controllable parameters. This approach has potential applications in optical and quantum communications, fiber-based sensors, microscopy, spectroscopy, and optical trapping.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Manola Moretti, Tania Limongi, Claudia Testi, Edoardo Milanetti, Maria Teresa De Angelis, Elvira I. Parrotta, Stefania Scalise, Gianluca Santamaria, Marco Allione, Sergei Lopatin, Bruno Torre, Peng Zhang, Monica Marini, Gerardo Perozziello, Patrizio Candeloro, Candido Fabrizio Pirri, Giancarlo Ruocco, Giovanni Cuda, Enzo Di Fabrizio
Summary: This study combines transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy to gather structural and chemical information of complex molecular systems, such as ion channels, in their original plasma membrane. It identifies the channels using two different approaches and allows a series of complementary investigations on the same sample.
Article
Optics
Alejandro De la Cadena, Federico Vernuccio, Andrea Ragni, Giuseppe Sciortino, Renzo Vanna, Carino Ferrante, Natalia Pediconi, Carlo Valensise, Luca Genchi, Sergey P. P. Laptenok, Andrea Doni, Marco Erreni, Tullio Scopigno, Carlo Liberale, Giorgio Ferrari, Marco Sampietro, Giulio Cerullo, Dario Polli
Summary: Spontaneous Raman microscopy can reveal the chemical composition of a sample in a non-invasive manner but suffers from slow imaging speed. Stimulated Raman scattering amplifies the signal and enables high-speed imaging. Researchers have developed a broadband stimulated Raman scattering microscope that simultaneously measures signals at 32 frequencies, allowing for high-resolution mapping of spectrally congested samples.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Diana Gonzalez-Hernandez, Simonas Varapnickas, Andrea Bertoncini, Carlo Liberale, Mangirdas Malinauskas
Summary: The field of 3D micro-optics is rapidly expanding, with key advances in femtosecond laser direct-write 3D multi-photon lithography. Micro-optics fabricated via this technique have shown impressive potential in beam shaping, advanced imaging, optical sensing, and integrated photonic circuits, attracting increasing industrial interest.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Francesca Pagliari, Elisa Sogne, Davide Panella, Gerardo Perozziello, Carlo Liberale, Gobind Das, Alice Turdo, Simone Di Franco, Joao Seco, Andrea Falqui, Santo Gratteri, Arturo Pujia, Enzo Di Fabrizio, Patrizio Candeloro, Luca Tirinato
Summary: Melanoma is a type of tumor with a high percentage of cancer stem cells. Researchers have identified lipid droplets as one of the markers for these cells. They have used various techniques, such as mass spectrometry and imaging techniques, to characterize the droplets and developed a new experimental approach to study them.
Article
Physics, Applied
G. J. Chaplain, A. S. Gliozzi, B. Davies, D. Urban, E. Descrovi, F. Bosia, R. V. Craster
Summary: By 3D printing samples from a photo-responsive polymer, we can dynamically fine-tune the operating frequency of a topological waveguide using laser excitation, addressing the potential weakness of fixed narrow band of frequencies. This approach significantly improves upon existing static tunability strategies based on modifying the geometry. We demonstrate our method using a version of the classical Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Niccolo Marcucci, Tian-Long Guo, Segolene Pelisset, Matthieu Roussey, Thierry Grosjean, Emiliano Descrovi
Summary: With the increasing availability of technologies for thin film deposition, all-dielectric structures are becoming more attractive for integrated photonics. Bloch Surface Waves (BSWs) can be a promising alternative to plasmonic platforms, enabling easy wavelength and polarization manipulation and reduced absorption losses. This study proposes a computational investigation on the transverse localization of BSWs using quasi-flat Fabry-Perot microcavities, which provide a fully exposed outer environment. The results demonstrate the dispersion and spatial distribution of BSWs' cavity mode as well as the hybridization of BSWs with an A exciton in a 2D flake of WS2.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Clement Eustache, Aude L. Lereu, Roland Salut, Antonin Moreau, Miguel Angel Suarez, Emiliano Descrovi, Julien Lumeau, Thierry Grosjean
Summary: We propose a novel implementation of a miniaturized photonic platform by using a multicore fiber tip and coupling to Bloch surface waves (BSWs). A one-dimensional photonic crystal is deposited on the cleaved surface of the fiber tip, allowing BSW propagation in the near-infrared. Subwavelength gratings are fabricated on top of each core to couple BSWs with the corresponding fiber modes. The ability to control optical interconnection among different pairs of cores is demonstrated, making these platforms useful for various applications in optical fiber technology.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Panayiotis Bilalis, Abdulelah A. Alrashoudi, Hepi H. Susapto, Manola Moretti, Salwa Alshehri, Sherin Abdelrahman, Amr Elsakran, Charlotte A. E. Hauser
Summary: This study reports the synthesis of a peptide-based adhesive inspired by the adhesive properties of mussel foot proteins. The adhesive showed comparable or superior strength compared to commercial adhesives when applied in air or underwater. It also exhibited good cytocompatibility and potential applications in wound healing and coral reef restoration.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sherin Abdelrahman, Rui Ge, Hepi H. Susapto, Yang Liu, Faris Samkari, Manola Moretti, Xinzhi Liu, Robert Hoehndorf, Abdul-Hamid Emwas, Mariusz Jaremko, Ranim H. H. Rawas, Charlotte A. E. Hauser
Summary: Cells' interactions with their microenvironment influence their morphological features and regulate crucial cellular functions. Most biological data available are based on inadequate in vitro two-dimensional cellular models. In this study, ultrashort self-assembling peptide sequences were used to create efficient three-dimensional in vitro models of human dermal fibroblast cells. The results showed distinct metabolic and transcriptomic profiles of 2D and 3D cultured cells, indicating the importance of utilizing 3D models to study complex mechanisms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David Urban, Niccolo Marcucci, Christoph Hubertus Woelfle, Jan Torgersen, Dag Roar Hjelme, Emiliano Descrovi
Summary: The researchers achieved arbitrary deformations in amorphous composites by using light-responsive polymers and controlled polarization of visible light. They embedded azopolymer microparticles in a rubbery elastic matrix and measured localized strains using microscope images. Additionally, they developed free-standing 3D actuators capable of multiple configurational changes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Niccolo Marcucci, Maria Caterina Giordano, Giorgio Zambito, Adriano Troia, Francesco Buatier de Mongeot, Emiliano Descrovi
Summary: Fostered by advancements in photonic technologies, the need for all-optical dynamic control on complex photonic elements is increasing, particularly in integrated photonics and flat-optics. This study focuses on an anisotropic two-dimensional bull's eye cavity within an optically-active polymeric film. By modulating the orientation of optically-induced birefringence on the surface, dynamic control of resonant mode energies can be achieved. The proposed approach opens up new pathways for controlling surface modes in hybrid organic-inorganic devices.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Manola Moretti, Maria Hountondji, Rui Ge, Abdul-Hamid Emwas, Panayiotis Bilalis, Hepi H. Susapto, Abdulelah Alrashoudi, Xinzhi Liu, Giuseppina R. Briola, Charlotte A. E. Hauser
Summary: Enhancing the adhesive properties of ultrashort self-assembling peptide (USP) hydrogels by incorporating catechol moieties, which can be beneficial for marine environmental applications such as coral regeneration. Among the three USP hydrogels tested, the IIZKDo hydrogel showed the best adhesion and mechanical properties.
Proceedings Paper
Optics
Carlo Liberale
Summary: Optical tweezers are contactless tools that use light to trap and manipulate microscopic objects. By utilizing micro 3D printing technology, we design and fabricate miniaturized systems that offer design freedom, flexibility, and high resolution. We also propose a novel scheme for creating fiber optical tweezers using counterpropagating beams and 3D printed prism mirrors.
OPTICAL MANIPULATION AND STRUCTURED MATERIALS CONFERENCE (OMC 2022)
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Thorben G. Jaik, Assegid M. Flatae, Navid Soltani, Philipp Reuschel, Mario Agio, Emiliano Descrovi, Ulrich Jonas
Summary: This study obtained azo dye-containing gels through photocrosslinking and observed their actuation behavior using light microscopy. The results show that thermoresponsive hydrogels exhibit stronger photoactuation when the cloud-point temperature is higher and close to room temperature, while higher laser powers enhance the motion, indicating a photothermal mechanism. In non-thermoresponsive gels, weaker photoactuation occurs, which is driven by an optical field-azo dye interaction mechanism.
