Directed Growth of Virus Nanofilaments on a Superhydrophobic Surface

Wall-free droplet microfluidics for probing biological processes by high-brilliance X-ray scattering techniques

Here we review probing biological processes initiated by the deposition of droplets on surfaces by micro- and nanobeam X-ray scattering techniques using synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser sources. We review probing droplet evaporation on superhydrophobic surfaces and reactions with substrates, basics of droplets deposition and flow simulations, droplet deposition techniques and practical experience at a synchrotron beamline. Selected applications with biological relevance will be reviewed and perspectives for the latest generation of high-brilliance X-ray sources discussed.

Micro/Nanopatterned Superhydrophobic Surfaces Fabrication for Biomolecules and Biomaterials Manipulation and Analysis

Superhydrophobic surfaces display an extraordinary repulsion to water and water-based solutions. This effect emerges from the interplay of intrinsic hydrophobicity of the surface and its morphology. These surfaces have been established for a long time and have been studied for decades. The increasing interest in recent years has been focused towards applications in many different fields and, in particular, biomedical applications. In this paper, we review the progress achieved in the last years in the fabrication of regularly patterned superhydrophobic surfaces in many different materials and their exploitation for the manipulation and characterization of biomaterial, with particular emphasis on the issues affecting the yields of the fabrication processes and the quality of the manufactured devices.

Oscillatory Copper Deposition on Conical Iron Electrodes in a Nonuniform Magnetic Field

We report the effect of a magnetic field on the deposition of copper ions on a conically shaped iron probe. In our setup, the magnetic forces and buoyancy are the key factors influencing the electrolyte flow and the mass transfer. Without external current, a spontaneous reduction of copper on the iron cone occurs, known as electroless deposition. Mach–Zehnder and differential interferometry indicate a variation in the concentration of copper ions near the cone. After an initial transient of about 60 s, temporal oscillations in the copper concentration are found under the effect of a magnetic field. In galvanostatic conditions, a similar oscillatory behavior of the concentration of the electrolyte is observed. Numerical simulations show that the oscillations are caused by the magnetic gradient, Lorentz force, and buoyancy force counteracting one another, and the oscillation frequency is estimated analytically based on this mechanism. Furthermore, we present a study on the oscillation frequency for both electroless and galvanostatic conditions with different current densities. The results of this study may stimulate future research aimed at the local control of the deposition rate and the realization of miniaturized, regularly structured deposits using magnetic fields.

Size-Exclusion Particle Separation Driven by Micro-Flows in a Quasi-Spherical Droplet: Modelling and Experimental Results

Aqueous solution droplets are supported quasi contact-free by superhydrophobic surfaces. The convective flow in evaporating droplets allows the manipulation and control of biological molecules in solution. In previous works, super-hydrophobic drops on nano-patterned substrates have been used to analyze otherwise undetectable species in extremely low concentration ranges. Here, we used particle image velocimetry (PIV) for studying the flow field in water droplets containing polystyrene particles on a pillared silicon super-hydrophobic chip. The particles describe vortex-like motions around the droplet center as long as the evaporating droplet maintains a spherical shape. Simulations by a Finite Element Method (FEM) suggest that the recirculating flow is due to the temperature gradient along the droplet rim, generating a shear stress. Notably, the characteristics of the internal flow can be modulated by varying the intensity of the temperature gradient along the drop. We then used the flow-field determined by experiments and an approximate form of the Langevin equation to examine how particles are transported in the drop as a function of particle size. We found that larger particles with an average size of 36 μm are preferentially transported toward the center of the substrate, differently from smaller particles with a 10-fold lower size that are distributed more uniformly in the drop. Results suggest that solutions of spherical particles on a super-hydrophobic chip can be used to separate soft matter and biological molecules based on their size, similarly to the working principle of a time-of-flight (ToF) mass analyzer, except that the separation takes place in a micro-sphere, with less space, less time, and less solution required for the separation compared to conventional ToF systems.

Plant virus-based materials for biomedical applications: Trends and prospects

Nanomaterials composed of plant viral components are finding their way into medical technology and health care, as they offer singular properties. Precisely shaped, tailored virus nanoparticles (VNPs) with multivalent protein surfaces are efficiently loaded with functional compounds such as contrast agents and drugs, and serve as carrier templates and targeting vehicles displaying e.g. peptides and synthetic molecules. Multiple modifications enable uses including vaccination, biosensing, tissue engineering, intravital delivery and theranostics. Novel concepts exploit self-organization capacities of viral building blocks into hierarchical 2D and 3D structures, and their conversion into biocompatible, biodegradable units. High yields of VNPs and proteins can be harvested from plants after a few days so that various products have reached or are close to commercialization. The article delineates potentials and limitations of biomedical plant VNP uses, integrating perspectives of chemistry, biomaterials sciences, molecular plant virology and process engineering.

O, Milhiet PE, Devoisselle JM, Guari Y, Larionova J, Chopineau J. A simple approach for controlled deposition of Prussian blue analogue nanoparticles on a functionalised plasmonic gold surface

Surface plasmon resonance monitoring of Prussian blue analogue nanoparticles anchored on a gold-cysteamine substrate.

TMV Particles: The Journey From Fundamental Studies to Bionanotechnology Applications

Ever since its initial characterization in the 19th century, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has played a prominent role in the development of modern virology and molecular biology. In particular, research on the three-dimensional structure of the virus particles and the mechanism by which these assemble from their constituent protein and RNA components has made TMV a paradigm for our current view of the morphogenesis of self-assembling structures, including viral particles. More recently, this knowledge has been applied to the development of novel reagents and structures for applications in biomedicine and bionanotechnology. In this article, we review how fundamental science has led to TMV being at the vanguard of these new technologies.

Microstructural metrology of tobacco mosaic virus nanorods during radial compression and heating

We determined stress-induced deformations and the thermal stability of nanorod-shaped tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) capsids in coffee-ring structures by X-ray nanodiffraction. The hexagonal capsids lattice transforms under compression in the outer boundary zone of the coffee-ring into a tetragonal lattice. The helical pitch of the nanorods increases by about 2.5% across the outer boundary zone while the lateral distance between nanorods decreases continuously across the whole coffee-ring structure by about 2% due to compressive forces. The diffraction patterns show a mixture of helical scattering and Bragg peaks attributed to a lattice of nanorods interlocked by their helical grooves. Thermo-nanodiffraction reveals water loss up to about 100 °C resulting in a reduction of the helical pitch by about 6% with respect to its maximum value and a reduction of the nanorods separation by about 0.5 nm. Up to about 200 °C the pitch is increasing again by about 2%. Secondary crystallization in the bulk reaches a maximum at 150-160 °C. At higher temperatures the crystallinity is continuously decreasing up to about 220 °C. Above about 200 °C and depending on the heating history, the nanorods start disintegrating into small, randomly oriented aggregates.

Combined small angle X-ray solution scattering with atomic force microscopy for characterizing radiation damage on biological macromolecules

BACKGROUND

Synchrotron radiation facilities are pillars of modern structural biology. Small-Angle X-ray scattering performed at synchrotron sources is often used to characterize the shape of biological macromolecules. A major challenge with high-energy X-ray beam on such macromolecules is the perturbation of sample due to radiation damage.

RESULTS

By employing atomic force microscopy, another common technique to determine the shape of biological macromolecules when deposited on flat substrates, we present a protocol to evaluate and characterize consequences of radiation damage. It requires the acquisition of images of irradiated samples at the single molecule level in a timely manner while using minimal amounts of protein. The protocol has been tested on two different molecular systems: a large globular tetremeric enzyme (β-Amylase) and a rod-shape plant virus (tobacco mosaic virus). Radiation damage on the globular enzyme leads to an apparent increase in molecular sizes whereas the effect on the long virus is a breakage into smaller pieces resulting in a decrease of the average long-axis radius.

CONCLUSIONS

These results show that radiation damage can appear in different forms and strongly support the need to check the effect of radiation damage at synchrotron sources using the presented protocol.