Diffusion Fundamentals (E-Journal)
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DNA under confinement and the use of DNA as confinement
Get PDFIn living systems DNA is subjected to considerable confinement but the molecule acts itself also as a confinement mechanism for cellular structures. Here we present investigations that study DNA under the confinement of supercoiling and within nanofluidic channels. Furthermore, we use DNA to confine the motion of microscopic and nanoscopic objects. In particular, we show how the motion dynamics of DNA-attached magnetic particles under external tension is affected and how DNA can confine the diffusion of enzymes to one dimension to follow the DNA contour
Diffusion and self-assembly of charged nanoparticles in polar media: a competition between short-range and long-range interactions
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Dehydration diffusion of B(OH)4-sodalite investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy on single crystals and combined TG/IR on powders
Get PDFOptimization of bifunctional catalysts in the presence of diffusion limitations, by using a single particle model and a fixed bed model
Get PDFDriven diffusion in nanoscaled materials
Get PDFMass transfer processes in which specific interactions with environments lead to complex diffusion patterns, such as the occurrence of transient sub-diffusive behaviors or of heterogeneous diffusion, were studied by means of two different experimental techniques, namely single-particle tracking operating with single molecules and nuclear magnetic resonance operating with large molecular ensembles. As an important point, the combined application of these techniques allowed for a deeper insight into the microscopic diffusion mechanism in such complex systems, including those with broken ergodicity. Particle tracking concentrated on the “Influence of substrate surface properties on heterogeneous diffusion of probe molecules in ultrathin liquid films”. The mobility of liquids at solid-liquid interfaces is influenced by substrate heterogeneities. Here we study the distribution of surface silanols on differently treated silicon wafers with thermal oxide by confocal florescence microscopy of adsorbed Rhodamine G molecules. We further investigate the influence of the substrate properties on probe molecule diffusion in ultrathin liquid TEHOS films by single molecule tracking. The results are compared to simulations of two-layer diffusion employing heterogeneous substrates. Nuclear magnetic resonance has been applied to study translational diffusion of small organic molecules in nanopores and of polymer globules in the presence of larger polymer species. In both cases, the experiments revealed the occurrence of normal diffusion on the time scale of NMR experiments from ten to hundreds of milliseconds. While single particle tracking revealed the identical diffusivities for the former case, thus experimentally confirming the validity of the ergodicity theorem for diffusion, the discrepancies were noted for the latter case. More complex behavior revealing non-ergodic behavior for propagation of solid-liquid interfaces in disordered nanopores has further been studied using nuclear magnetic resonance cryoporometry. A common basis for comparing and analyzing the experimental observables accessed by the two methods is the distribution of diffusivities, which provides the probability of observing a given diffusivity fluctuation along a trajectory or in an ensemble. An overview of its properties is given and the advantages in analyzing heterogeneous, anisotropic, or anomalous diffusion processes are elaborated
Electrophoresis and electroosmosis as determined on the level of a single isolated colloid by use of optical tweezers
Get PDFExperiments are described on the electrophoretic mobility of a single isolated colloid and the electro-osmotic response of the surrounding medium. For that optical tweezers are employed which enable one to trap a particle without any mechanical contact and to measure its position and the forces acting on it with high resolution (±2 nm, ±200 fN). In a custom-made microfluidic cell, the two effects are separated using the identical colloid. The electrophoretic response is found to be ~ 5 times stronger than the electroosmotic effect. It is phase-shifted with respect to the external electric field, hence giving rise to a complex electrophoretic mobility which can be theoretically described by a strongly damped driven harmonic oscillator model. The measured electrophoretic mobility in monovalent salt is found to be in agreement with computations combining primitive model molecular dynamics simulations of the ionic double layer with the standard electrokinetic model. Mobility reversal of a single colloid is observed for trivalent ionic solutions (LaCl3) at ionic strengths > 10−2 mol/l. The latter is in quantitative agreement with a numerical model in which ion specific attractive forces are taken into consideration