Latest News

Development of a Lidocaine-Loaded Alginate/CMC/PEO Electrospun Nanofiber Film and Application as an Anti-Adhesion BarrierThu Jun 25 2020

BudgetSensors® SiNi AFM probes used to examine cell stiffness.Wed Jun 24 2020

Chemical switching of low-loss phonon polaritons in α-MoO3 by hydrogen intercalationTue Jun 23 2020

Combined SIM and AFM platform for the life sciencesMon Jun 22 2020

How to search for AFM probes?Fri Jun 19 2020

NanoAndMore goes South East AsiaWed Jun 17 2020

Crest Technology Pte Ltd and NanoAndMore form a strategic alliance for South East Asia. NanoAndMore South East Asia online presence will be uploaded on June 15th, 2020. Many decades of experience and expertise with Atomic Force Microscopy systems and AFM probes applications and sales of Crest Technology Pte Ltd will join forces with the online presence and marketing power of NanoAndMore. It will enable customers from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to easily browse and buy the widest selection of AFM probe brands and AFM tips from budget to research for all applications and measuring modes. "With the NanoAndMore South East Asia AFM probe online market platform which shows all vital information about the many hundreds of AFM probes we offer in a very accessible way we will be able to serve the application needs of our customers in South East Asia even better than before" said Marcus Chia, Director of Crest Technology. "After the successful implementation of the NanoAndMore concept in Europe, North and South America and Japan we, Crest Technology and NanoAndMore, are now very excited to also offer this service to our customers in South East Asia. We are convinced that this extended online tool will provide added benefit to the AFM users in this region" added Manfred Detterbeck, CEO of NanoWorld Holding AG. From now on you will have four region websites to choose from if you visit https://www.nanoandmore.com/

Probing Mid-Infrared Phonon PolaritonsTue Jun 09 2020

Nanoparticle characterizationThu May 28 2020

Observation of a gel of quantum vortices in a superconductor at very low magnetic fieldsWed May 13 2020

A gel consists of a network of particles or molecules formed for example using the sol-gel process, by which a solution transforms into a porous solid. Particles or molecules in a gel are mainly organized on a scaffold that makes up a porous system. Quantized vortices in type-II superconductors mostly form spatially homogeneous ordered or amorphous solids. In the article “Observation of a gel of quantum vortices in a superconductor at very low magnetic fields” José Benito Llorens, Lior Embon, Alexandre Correa, Jesús David González, Edwin Herrera, Isabel Guillamón, Roberto F. Luccas, Jon Azpeitia, Federico J. Mompeán, Mar García-Hernández, Carmen Munuera, Jazmín Aragón Sánchez, Yanina Fasano, Milorad V. Milošević, Hermann Suderow and Yonathan Anahory present high-resolution imaging of the vortex lattice displaying dense vortex clusters separated by sparse or entirely vortex-free regions in β−Bi2Pd superconductor. The authors find that the intervortex distance diverges upon decreasing the magnetic field and that vortex lattice images follow a multifractal behavior. These properties, characteristic of gels, establish the presence of a novel vortex distribution, distinctly different from the well-studied disordered and glassy phases observed in high-temperature and conventional superconductors. The observed behavior is caused by a scaffold of one-dimensional structural defects with enhanced stress close to the defects. The vortex gel might often occur in type-II superconductors at low magnetic fields. Such vortex distributions should allow to considerably simplify control over vortex positions and manipulation of quantum vortex states. The results presented in the article show that vortices are nearly independent to each other at very low magnetic fields and that their position is locked to the defect structure in the sample. This suggests that vortices in this field range are also highly manipulable, much more than in usual hexagonal or disordered vortex lattices. The magnetic force microscopy (MFM) measurements described in the article were performed in a commercial Low-Temperature SPM equipment working in the 300–1.8 K temperature range using NANOSENSORS magnetic AFM probes of the type PPP-MFMR that were magnetized prior to the measurement by applying a magnetic field of 1500 G at 10 K. https://www.nanosensors.com/pointprobe-plus-magnetic-force-… Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.#condensedmatterphysics #superconductors #电磁力显微镜 #AFMprobes

Cryopreservation of DNA Origami NanostructuresFri May 08 2020

Although DNA origami nanostructures have found their way into numerous fields of fundamental and applied research, they often suffer from rather limited stability when subjected to environments that differ from the employed assembly conditions, that is, suspended in Mg2+-containing buffer at moderate temperatures.* In the article “Cryopreservation of DNA Origami Nanostructures” Yang Xin, Charlotte Kielar, Siqi Zhu, Christoph Sikeler, Xiaodan Xu, Christin Möser, Guido Grundmeier, Tim Liedl, Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, David M. Smith and Adrian Keller investigate means for efficient cryopreservation of 2D and 3D DNA origami nanostructures and, in particular, the effect of repeated freezing and thawing. It is found that, while the 2D DNA origami nanostructures maintain their structural integrity over at least 32 freeze–thaw cycles, ice crystal formation makes the DNA origami gradually more sensitive toward harsh sample treatment conditions. * The cryoprotectants glycerol and trehalose are found to efficiently protect the DNA origami nanostructures against freeze damage at concentrations between 0.2 × 10−3and 200 × 10−3m and without any negative effects on DNA origami shape. This work thus provides a basis for the long-term storage of DNA origami nanostructures, which is an important prerequisite for various technological and medical applications. * NanoWorld Ultra-Short Cantilevers for High-Speed AFM USC-F0.3-k0.3 were used for the AFM imaging in liquid of the DNA origami sample described in this article. https://www.nanoworld.com/Ultra-Short-Cantilevers-USC-F0.3-… #cryoprotectants #biology #AFM探针 #原子間力顕微鏡 #ScanningProbeMicroscopy #DNAnanostructures

How to choose your AFM probe | Interview by NanoAndMoreTue May 05 2020

New to #AtomicForceMicroscopy ? Then don't forget to check out our video on how to choose the right #AFMprobe in the NanoAndMore Youtube channel. https://youtu.be/TcepH6fi5uk

Novel Pulsed Force KPFM techniqueMon May 04 2020

Novel Pulsed Force KPFM technique demonstrated using MikroMasch HQ:NSC15/Pt AFM probes

https://www.spmtips.com/afm-tip-hq-nsc15-pt https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021

Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron...Tue Apr 28 2020

Published new post (Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron acceptor in PTB7:PC71BM-based organic photovoltaic cells) on NANOSENSORS Blog
Iron disulfide ( FeS2 ) is a natural earth-abundant and nontoxic material with possible applications in lithium batteries, transistors or photovoltaic (PV) devices. According to the analysis carried out by Wadia et al., among 23 semiconducting materials, FeS2 is the best candidate for the development of large-scale solar cells at low cost (<2 × 10−6 ¢/W). Furthermore, FeS2 exhibits excellent optoelectronic properties such as a band gap of 0.8 to 1.38 eV, a high optical absorption coefficient (2 × 105 cm−1), high carrier mobility (2 to 80 cm2/Vs) and a large charge carrier lifetime (200 ps). Therefore, FeS2 nanoparticles (NPs) can be a good alternative for PV applications.*

In “Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron acceptor in PTB7:PC71BM-based organic photovoltaic cells “ Olivia Amargós-Reyes, José-Luis Maldonado, Omar Martínez-Alvarez, María-Elena Nicho, José Santos-Cruz, Juan Nicasio-Collazo, Irving Caballero-Quintana and Concepción Arenas-Arrocena report the synthesis of nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide ( FeS2 ) nanocrystals (NCs) using a two-pot method. Moreover, they study the influence of these NCs incorporated into the PTB7:PC71BM active layer of bulk-heterojunction ternary organic photovoltaic ( OPV ) cells.*

The AFM roughness images presented in this article were acquired in dynamic force mode using NANOSENSORS™ PointProbe® Plus PPP-NCLAu AFM probes. https://www.nanosensors.com/pointprobe-plus-non-contact-tap…

Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.

#FeS2 #OPV #PTB7 #原子力显微镜探针 #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMカンチレバー

BudgetSensonsors AFM Calibration NanogridMon Apr 27 2020

Need a reliable calibration standard for lateral and vertical AFM calibration? Learn more about BudgetSensors CS-20NG nanogrid in our screencast! #AFMProbes #AtomicForceMicroscopy #CalibrationStandard #AFMCalibration https://youtu.be/j7T-IBJ82Mc

Discover how the wear behavior of nanotools high densitiy carbon CDR50-EBD AFM probesThu Apr 23 2020

Pectin Interaction with Immune Receptors is Modulated by Ripening Process in PapayasMon Apr 20 2020

Dietary fibers have been shown to exert immune effects via interaction with pattern recognition receptors (PRR) such as toll-like receptors (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors. Pectin is a dietary fiber that interacts with PRR depending on its chemical structure. Papaya pectin retains different chemical structures at different ripening stages. How this influences PRR signalling is unknown.* The aim of the article “Pectin Interaction with Immune Receptors is Modulated by Ripening Process in Papayas” by Samira B. R. Prado, Martin Beukema, Eva Jermendi, Henk A. Schols, Paul de Vos and João Paulo Fabi was to determine how ripening influences pectin structures and their ability to interact with TLR2, 3, 4, 5 and 9, and NOD1 and 2.* Papaya ripening is an enzymatic, biochemically driven process that occurs over a short period of time (five days) and involves the mobilization of pectin and the alteration of its chemical composition. The authors evaluated the interaction of the water-soluble fractions rich in pectin extracted from unripe to ripe papayas. The pectin extracted from ripe papayas activated all the TLR and, to a lesser extent, the NOD receptors. The pectin extracted from unripe papayas also activated TLR2, 4 and 5 but inhibited the activation of TLR3 and 9.* During papaya ripening, profound changes in pectin structures lead to differences in the biological effects. The data presented in the paper show that papaya pectin extracted from fruit pulp at different ripening points differently interacted with PRR in a ripening-dependent way. The longer chains of HG from unripe papayas pectin, which were less methyl-esterified, inhibited the activation of TLR3 and 9 and activated TLR2 and 4, in contrast to the ripe papaya’s pectin, which have smaller HG chains with medium methyl esterification thus activating TLR2, 3, 4, 5 and 9.* This variation may represent new biological features of papaya pectin structures in addition to anticancer activities, possibly creating new and cost-effective approaches to extracting papaya pectin with desirable structural and biological features.* These findings might lead to selection of ripening stages for tailored modulation of PRR to support or attenuate immunity in consumers.* The changes in Molecular weight ( Mw ) can also be visualized by Atomic Force Microscopy (see Fig. 1C in the paper.) The AFM images presented in the paper were acquired in tapping mode using an NanoWorld Pointprobe® NCHR AFM probe with a typical spring constant of 42 N/m and typically 320 kHz resonance frequency. The scan speed and scanning resolution were 0.5 Hz and 512 × 512 points, respectively.* https://www.nanoworld.com/pointprobe-tapping-mode-reflex-co… Please have a look at the NanoWorld blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article. #glycobiology #AFMプローブ #AFMカンチレバー #AFMprobes

Mechanical properties measured by atomic force microscopy define health biomarkers in ageing C. ElegansTue Apr 14 2020

Genetic and environmental factors are key drivers regulating organismal lifespan but how these impact healthspan is less well understood. Techniques capturing biomechanical properties of tissues on a nano-scale level are providing new insights into disease mechanisms.* In the article “ Mechanical properties measured by atomic force microscopy define health biomarkers in ageing C. Elegans “ Clara L. Essmann, Daniel Martinez-Martinez, Rosina Pryor, Kit-Yi Leung, Kalaivani Bala Krishnan, Prudence Pokway Lui, Nicholas D.E. Greene, André E.X. Brown, Vijay M. Pawar, Mandayam A. Srinivasan and Filipe Cabreiro apply Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to quantitatively measure the change in biomechanical properties associated with ageing Caenorhabditis elegans in addition to capturing high-resolution topographical images of cuticle senescence.* The authors show that distinct dietary restriction regimes and genetic pathways that increase lifespan lead to radically different healthspan outcomes. Hence, their data support the view that prolonged lifespan does not always coincide with extended healthspan. Importantly, they identify the insulin signalling pathway in C. elegans and interventions altering bacterial physiology as increasing both lifespan and healthspan.* Overall, AFM provides a highly sensitive technique to measure organismal biomechanical fitness and delivers an approach to screen for health-improving conditions, an essential step towards healthy ageing.* The topographical images shown in this article were acquired using NANOSENSORS™ uniqprobe qp-CONT AFM probes. These AFM probes have very soft cantilevers designed for imaging of biological samples ( k = 0.1 N/m ). https://www.nanosensors.com/uniqprobe-uniform-quality-conta… Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.#biology #AtomicForceMicroscopy #BiomechanicalProperties #走査型走査型プローブ顕微鏡 #AFMカンチレバー #SPMプローブ

3D‐Printed Scanning‐Probe MicroscopesMon Apr 13 2020

The Microscope That Uses Quantum Physics to Trace AtomsFri Apr 10 2020

SciShow, one of our favorite pop-science YouTube channels recently posted a video about the daddy of the Atomic Force Microscope - the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. For those of you who missed it, here it is. Enjoy! #AtomicForceMicroscopy #AFMProbes #STM #ScanningTunnelingMicroscopy

KPFM surface photovoltage measurement and numerical simulationThu Apr 09 2020

New Post - KPFM surface photovoltage measurement and numerical simulation (https://www.nanoworld.com/…/kpfm-surface-photovoltage-meas…/) has been published on NanoWorld Blog. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ( KPFM ) is a scanning probe microscopy technique. It is a combination of the Kelvin probe and of Atomic Force Microscopy methods. The technique consists in evaluating the difference in work function between two conducting materials, by using a nanometer scale tip ( the “KPFMtip”), and placing it close to the material to be characterised, where a difference in work function leads to an electrostatic force developing between the two, which is translated as an oscillation of the tip’s cantilever. A bia sapplied via an external circuit is varied until the force and hence the electrostatic field between sample and KPFM tip is cancelled.* In the article “KPFM surface photovoltage measurement and numerical simulation” Clément Marchat, James P. Connolly, Jean-Paul Kleider, José Alvarez, Lejo J. Koduvelikulathu and Jean Baptiste Puel present a method for the analysis of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) characterization of semiconductor devices. It enables evaluation of the influence of defective surface layers. The model is validated by analysing experimental KPFM measurements on crystalline silicon samples of contact potential difference (VCPD) in the dark and under illumination, and hence the surface photovoltage (SPV). It is shown that the model phenomenologically explains the observed KPFM measurements. It reproduces the magnitude of SPV characterization as a function of incident light power in terms of a defect density assuming Gaussian defect distribution in the semiconductor bandgap. This allows an estimation of defect densities in surface layers of semiconductors and therefore increased exploitation of KPFM data.* The KPFM measurements were performed using NanoWorld ARROW-EFM conductive AFM tips with a PtIr coating. The tip work function didn’t require calibration because only SPV measurement were performed and studied. Measurements were performed in the KPFM amplitude modulation (AM)mode rather than the frequency modulation (FM) one. The AM mode was chosen because lateral resolution was not a problem on the homogeneous bulk samples studied, allowing focus on the superior surface potential resolution that can be achieved with the AM mode.* https://www.nanoworld.com/electrostatic-force-microscopy-af… Please have a look at the NanoWorld blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article #surfacevoltage #photovoltaics #KelvinProbeForceMicroscopy #AFMプローブ