Influence of growth media and temperature on bacterial adhesion to polystyrene surfaces

Bacterial adhesion to inert surfaces is a complex process influenced by environmental conditions. In this work, the influence of growth medium and temperature on the adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus and Listeria monocytogenes to polystyrene surfaces was studied. Most bacteria demonstrated the highest adhesion when cultured in TSYEA, except S. marcescens, which showed to be positively influenced by the pigment production, favored in poor nutrient media (lactose and peptone agar). P. aeruginosa adhesion to polystyrene increased at low temperatures whatever the medium used. The culture medium influenced the surface properties of the bacteria as assessed by the MATS test.

Friction and wear of performance of MoDTC and ester-containing lubrificants over steel surfaces under reciprocating conditions

Since the earliest developments of human history, friction has been a major issue. From the invention of the wheel and the use of the first lubricants to the studiesof coated and microtexturized surfaces, significant effort has been put on improvements that couldovercome the resistance to motion. Areview by Holmberg, Andersson and Erdemir[1] shows that, in an average passenger car, about one third of the total energy consumptionis due to friction losses. Of these, another one third is consumed in the engine system. The optimization of the lubricating oil formulation used ininternal combustion enginesis an important way to reduce friction, therefore improving energeticefficiencyand controllingemissions.Lubrication is also a way to assure the required protection to the system by maintaining wear rates in an adequate level, which helps to minimize maintenance costs.

CHO cell adhesion on modified surfaces of different materials.

Epithelial cells are mainly responsible for the formation of tissues that cover the external and internal surfaces of organs like skin, lining of the lungs and intestines. The cells must adhere to substrates and to each other in compliance with certain stimulus. In this way, adhesion properties can be regulated by the cell which simultaneously senses the chemical and mechanical properties of its environment. Their adhesion and growth on biomaterials depends on substrate properties such as surface wettability, topography and chemistry. The aim of this study is to investigate cell-surface interactions using several materials and different surfaces.

Chemical Bonding of Hydrocarbons to Metal Surfaces

Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in combination with density functional theory (DFT) the changes in electronic and geometric structure of hydrocarbons upon adsorption are determined. The chemical bonding is analyzed and the results provide new insights in the mechanisms responsible for dehydrogenation in heterogeneous catalysis. In the case of alkanes, n-octane and methane are studied. XAS and XES show significant changes in the electronic structure upon adsorption. XES shows new adsorption induced occupied states and XAS shows quenching of CH*/Rydberg states in n-octane. In methane the symmetry forbidden gas phase lowest unoccupied molecular orbital becomes allowed due to broken symmetry. New adsorption induced unoccupied features with mainly metal character appear just above the Fermi level in XA spectra of both adsorbed methane and n-octane. These changes are not observed in DFT total energy geometry optimizations. Comparison between experimental and computed spectra for different adsorbate geometries reveals that the molecular structures are significantly changed in both molecules. The C-C bonds in n-octane are shortened upon adsorption and the C-H bonds are elongated in both n-octane and methane. In addition ethylene and acetylene are studied as model systems for unsaturated hydrocarbons. The validity of both the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson chemisorption model and the alternative spin-uncoupling picture is confirmed, as well as C-C bond elongation and upward bending of the C-H bonds. The bonding of ethylene to Cu(110) and Ni(110) are compared and the results show that the main difference is the amount of back-donation into the molecular π* orbital, which allows the molecule to desorb molecularly from the Cu(110) surface, whereas it is dehydrogenated upon heating on the Ni(110) surface. Acetylene is found to adsorb in two different adsorption sites on the Cu(110) surface at liquid nitrogen temperature. Upon heating the molecules move into one of these sites due to attractive adsorbate-adsorbate interaction and only one adsorbed species is present at room temperature, at which point the molecules start reacting to form benzene. The bonding of the two species is very similar in both sites and the carbon atoms are rehybridized essentially to sp2.

Regularization of 3D cylindrical surfaces

[EN] In this paper we present a method for the regularization of 3D cylindrical surfaces. By a cylindrical surface we mean a 3D surface that can be expressed as an application S(l; µ) ! R3 , where (l; µ) represents a cylindrical parametrization of the 3D surface. We built an initial cylindrical parametrization of the surface. We propose a new method to regularize such cylindrical surface. This method takes into account the information supplied by the disparity maps computed between pair of images to constraint the regularization of the set of 3D points. We propose a model based on an energy which is composed of two terms: an attachment term that minimizes the difference between the image coordinates and the disparity maps and a second term that enables a regularization by means of anisotropic diffusion. One interesting advantage of this approach is that we regularize the 3D surface by using a bi-dimensional minimization problem.

Synthesis and characterisation of photoreactive silanes for the self-assembly on functionalised silica surfaces

The aim of this thesis was to investigate novel techniques to create complex hierarchical chemical patterns on silica surfaces with micro to nanometer sized features. These surfaces were used for a site-selective assembly of colloidal particles and oligonucleotides. To do so, functionalised alkoxysilanes (commercial and synthesised ones) were deposited onto planar silica surfaces. The functional groups can form reversible attractive interactions with the complementary surface layers of the opposing objects that need to be assembled. These interactions determine the final location and density of the objects onto the surface. Photolithographically patterned silica surfaces were modified with commercial silanes, in order to create hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on the surface. Assembly of hydrophobic silica particles onto these surfaces was investigated and finally, pH and charge effects on the colloidal assembly were analysed. In the second part of this thesis the concept of novel, "smart" alkoxysilanes is introduced that allows parallel surface activation and patterning in a one-step irradiation process. These novel species bear a photoreactive head-group in a protected form. Surface layers made from these molecules can be irradiated through a mask to remove the protecting group from selected regions and thus generate lateral chemical patterns of active and inert regions on the substrate. The synthesis of an azide-reactive alkoxysilane was successfully accomplished. Silanisation conditions were carefully optimised as to guarantee a smooth surface layer, without formation of micellar clusters. NMR and DLS experiments corroborated the absence of clusters when using neither water nor NaOH as catalysts during hydrolysis, but only the organic solvent itself. Upon irradiation of the azide layer, the resulting nitrene may undergo a variety of reactions depending on the irradiation conditions. Contact angle measurements demonstrated that the irradiated surfaces were more hydrophilic than the non-irradiated azide layer and therefore the formation of an amine upon irradiation was postulated. Successful photoactivation could be demonstrated using condensation patterns, which showed a change in wettability on the wafer surface upon irradiation. Colloidal deposition with COOH functionalised particles further underlined the formation of more hydrophilic species. Orthogonal photoreactive silanes are described in the third part of this thesis. The advantage of orthogonal photosensitive silanes is the possibility of having a coexistence of chemical functionalities homogeneously distributed in the same layer, by using appropriate protecting groups. For this purpose, a 3',5'-dimethoxybenzoin protected carboxylic acid silane was successfully synthesised and the kinetics of its hydrolysis and condensation in solution were analysed in order to optimise the silanisation conditions. This compound was used together with a nitroveratryl protected amino silane to obtain bicomponent surface layers. The optimum conditions for an orthogonal deprotection of surfaces modified with this two groups were determined. A 2-step deprotection process through a mask generated a complex pattern on the substrate by activating two different chemistries at different sites. This was demonstrated by colloidal adsorption and fluorescence labelling of the resulting substrates. Moreover, two different single stranded oligodeoxynucleotides were immobilised onto the two different activated areas and then hybrid captured with their respective complementary, fluorescent labelled strand. Selective hybridisation could be shown, although non-selective adsorption issues need to be resolved, making this technique attractive for possible DNA microarrays.

Functionalized surfaces and surface functionalization of nanomaterials

Nature leads, we follow. But nanotechnologists are in hot pursuit, in designing controllable structures that can mimic naturally occurring and artificially synthesized materials on a common platform. The supramolecular chemistry concerns the investigation of nature principles to produce fascinating complexed and functional molecular assemblies, as well as the utilization of these principles to generate novel devices and materials, potentially useful for sensing, catalysis, transport and other applications in medical or engineering science. The work presented in this thesis is a compilation of different synthetic methods to achieve inorganic-organic hybrid nanomaterials. Silicatein, a protein enzyme, which acts both as a catalyst and template for the formation of silica needles in marine sponges, has been used for the biosynthesis of semiconductor metal oxides on surfaces. Silicatein was immobilized on gold (111) surfaces using alkane thiol, as well as on a novel self-assembly of NTA on top of a “cushion” of reactive ester polymer has been successfully employed to make functionalised surfaces. The immobilization of silicatein on surfaces was monitored by surface plasmon spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Surface bound silicatein retains its biocatalytic activity, which was demonstrated by monitoring its hydrocatalytic activity to catalyse the synthesis of biosilica, biotitania, and biozirconia. The synthesis of semiconductor metal oxides was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. This hydrolytic biocatalyst is used to synthesize the gold nanoparticles. The gold nanoparticles are formed by reduction of tetrachloroaurate, AuCl4-, by the action of sulfhydryl groups hidden below the surface groups of the protein. The resulting gold nanoparticles which are stabilized by surface bound silicatein further aggregate to form Au nanocrystals. The shape of the nanocrystals obtained by using recombinant silicatein is controlled through chiral induction by the protein during the nucleation of the nanocrystals. As an extension of this work, TiO2 nanowires were functionalized using polymeric ligand which incorporates the nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) linker in the back bone to immobilize His-tagged silicatein onto the TiO2 nanowires. The surface bound protein not only retains its original hydrolytic properties, but also acts as a reductant for AuCl4- in the synthesis of hybrid TiO2/silicatein/Au nanocomposites. Functionalized, monocrystalline rutile TiO2 nanorods were prepared from TiCl4 in aqueous solution in the presence of dopamine. The surface bound organic ligand controls the morphology as well as the crystallinity and the phase selection of TiO2. The surface amine groups can be tailored further with functional molecules such as dyes. As an example, this surface functionality is used for the covalent binding of a fluorescent dye,4-chloro-7- nitrobenzylurazene (NBD) to the TiO2 nanorods. The polymeric ligands have been used successfully for the in-situ and post-functionalization of TiO2 nanoparticles. Besides to chelating dopamine anchor group the multifunctional ligand system presented here incorporates a modifier molecule which allows the binding of functional molecules (here the dyes pyrene, NBD, and Texas Red) as well as additional entities which allow tailoring the solubility of inorganic nanocrystals in different solvents. A novel method for the surface functionalization of fullerene-type MoS2 nanoparticles and subsequently binding these nanoparticles onto TiO2 nanowires has been reported using polymeric ligands. The procedure involves the complexation of IF-MoS2 with a combination of Ni2+ via an umbrella-type nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and anchoring them to the sidewalls of TiO2 nanowires utilizing the hydroxyl groups of dopamine present in the main contents of polymeric ligand. A convenient method for the synthesis of Au/CdS nanocomposites has been presented, which were achieved through the novel method of thiol functionalization of gold colloids. The thermodynamically most stable phase of ZrO2 (cubic) has been obtained at much lower temperature (180°C). These nanoparticles are highly blue fluorescent, with a high surface area.

Single polymers at surfaces: adsorption and detachment

This thesis is concerned with the adsorption and detachment of polymers at planar, rigid surfaces. We have carried out a systematic investigation of adsorption of polymers using analytical techniques as well as Monte Carlo simulations with a coarse grained off-lattice bead spring model. The investigation was carried out in three stages. In the first stage the adsorption of a single multiblock AB copolymer on a solid surface was investigated by means of simulations and scaling analysis. It was shown that the problem could be mapped onto an effective homopolymer problem. Our main result was the phase diagram of regular multiblock copolymers which shows an increase in the critical adsorption potential of the substrate with decreasing size of blocks. We also considered the adsorption of random copolymers which was found to be well described within the annealed disorder approximation. In the next phase, we studied the adsorption kinetics of a single polymer on a flat, structureless surface in the regime of strong physisorption. The idea of a ’stem-flower’ polymer conformation and the mechanism of ’zipping’ during the adsorption process were used to derive a Fokker-Planck equation with reflecting boundary conditions for the time dependent probability distribution function (PDF) of the number of adsorbed monomers. The numerical solution of the time-dependent PDF obtained from a discrete set of coupled differential equations were shown to be in perfect agreement with Monte Carlo simulation results. Finally we studied force induced desorption of a polymer chain adsorbed on an attractive surface. We approached the problem within the framework of two different statistical ensembles; (i) by keeping the pulling force fixed while measuring the position of the polymer chain end, and (ii) by measuring the force necessary to keep the chain end at fixed distance above the adsorbing plane. In the first case we treated the problem within the framework of the Grand Canonical Ensemble approach and derived analytic expressions for the various conformational building blocks, characterizing the structure of an adsorbed linear polymer chain, subject to pulling force of fixed strength. The main result was the phase diagram of a polymer chain under pulling. We demonstrated a novel first order phase transformation which is dichotomic i.e. phase coexistence is not possible. In the second case, we carried out our study in the “fixed height” statistical ensemble where one measures the fluctuating force, exerted by the chain on the last monomer when a chain end is kept fixed at height h over the solid plane at different adsorption strength ε. The phase diagram in the h − ε plane was calculated both analytically and by Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrated that in the vicinity of the polymer desorption transition a number of properties like fluctuations and probability distribution of various quantities behave differently, if h rather than the force, f, is used as an independent control parameter.

On moduli spaces of semistable sheaves on K3 surfaces

Ich untersuche die nicht bereits durch die Arbeit "Singular symplectic moduli spaces" von Kaledin, Lehn und Sorger (Invent. Math. 164 (2006), no. 3) abgedeckten Fälle von Modulräumen halbstabiler Garben auf projektiven K3-Flächen - die Fälle mit Mukai-Vektor (0,c,0) sowie die Modulräume zu nichtgenerischen amplen Divisoren - hinsichtlich der möglichen Konstruktion neuer Beispiele von kompakten irreduziblen symplektischen Mannigfaltigkeiten. Ich stelle einen Zusammenhang zu den bereits untersuchten Modulräumen und Verallgemeinerungen derselben her und erweitere bekannte Ergebnisse auf alle offenen Fälle von Garben vom Rang 0 und viele Fälle von Garben von positivem Rang. Insbesondere kann in diesen Fällen die Existenz neuer Beispiele von kompakten irreduziblen symplektischen Mannigfaltigkeiten, die birational über Komponenten des Modulraums liegen, ausgeschlossen werden.

A biomimetic model membrane system on oxidic surfaces designed for the investigation of cytochrome c oxidase and other membrane proteins by fluorescence and waveguide spectroscopy

Die transmembrane Potenzialdifferenz Δφm ist direkt mit der katalytischen Aktivität der Cytochrom c Oxidase (CcO) verknüpft. Die CcO ist das terminale Enzym (Komplex IV) in der Atmungskette der Mitochondrien. Das Enzym katalysiert die Reduktion von O2 zu 2 H2O. Dabei werden Elektronen vom natürlichen Substrat Cytochrom c zur CcO übertragen. Der Eleltronentransfer innerhalb der CcO ist an die Protonentranslokation über die Membran gekoppelt. Folglich bildet sich über der inneren Membrane der Mitochondrien eine Differenz in der Protonenkonzentration. Zusätzlich wird eine Potenzialdifferenz Δφm generiert.rnrnDas Transmembranpotenzial Δφm kann mit Hilfe der Fluoreszenzspektroskopie unter Einsatz eines potenzialemfindlichen Farbstoffs gemessen werden. Um quantitative Aussagen aus solchen Untersuchungen ableiten zu können, müssen zuvor Kalibrierungsmessungen am Membransystem durchgeführt werden.rnrnIn dieser Arbeit werden Kalibrierungsmessungen von Δφm in einer Modellmembrane mit inkorporiertem CcO vorgestellt. Dazu wurde ein biomimetisches Membransystem, die Proteinverankerte Doppelschicht (protein-tethered Bilayer Lipid Membrane, ptBLM), auf einem transparenten, leitfähigem Substrat (Indiumzinnoxid, ITO) entwickelt. ITO ermöglicht den simultanen Einsatz von elektrochemischen und Fluoreszenz- oder optischen wellenleiterspektroskopischen Methoden. Das Δφm in der ptBLM wurde durch extern angelegte, definierte elektrische Spannungen induziert. rnrnEine dünne Hydrogelschicht wurde als "soft cushion" für die ptBLM auf ITO eingesetzt. Das Polymernetzwerk enthält die NTA Funktionsgruppen zur orientierten Immobilisierung der CcO auf der Oberfläche der Hydrogels mit Hilfe der Ni-NTA Technik. Die ptBLM wurde nach der Immobilisierung der CcO mittels in-situ Dialyse gebildet. Elektrochemische Impedanzmessungen zeigten einen hohen elektrischen Widerstand (≈ 1 MΩ) der ptBLM. Optische Wellenleiterspektren (SPR / OWS) zeigten eine erhöhte Anisotropie des Systems nach der Bildung der Doppellipidschicht. Cyklovoltammetriemessungen von reduziertem Cytochrom c bestätigten die Aktivität der CcO in der Hydrogel-gestützten ptBLM. Das Membranpotenzial in der Hydrogel-gestützten ptBLM, induziert durch definierte elektrische Spannungen, wurde mit Hilfe der ratiometrischen Fluoreszenzspektroskopie gemessen. Referenzmessungen mit einer einfach verankerten Dopplellipidschicht (tBLM) lieferten einen Umrechnungsfaktor zwischen dem ratiometrischen Parameter Rn und dem Membranpotenzial (0,05 / 100 mV). Die Nachweisgrenze für das Membranpotenzial in einer Hydrogel-gestützten ptBLM lag bei ≈ 80 mV. Diese Daten dienen als gute Grundlage für künftige Untersuchungen des selbstgenerierten Δφm der CcO in einer ptBLM.

Core-shell particles and their application for superhydrophobic surfaces

During the last years great effort has been devoted to the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces because of their self-cleaning properties. A water drop on a superhydrophobic surface rolls off even at inclinations of only a few degrees while taking up contaminants encountered on its way. rnSuperhydrophobic, self-cleaning coatings are desirable for convenient and cost-effective maintenance of a variety of surfaces. Ideally, such coatings should be easy to make and apply, mechanically resistant, and long-term stable. None of the existing methods have yet mastered the challenge of meeting all of these criteria.rnSuperhydrophobicity is associated with surface roughness. The lotus leave, with its dual scale roughness, is one of the most efficient examples of superhydrophobic surface. This thesis work proposes a novel technique to prepare superhydrophobic surfaces that introduces the two length scale roughness by growing silica particles (~100 nm in diameter) onto micrometer-sized polystyrene particles using the well-established Stöber synthesis. Mechanical resistance is conferred to the resulting “raspberries” by the synthesis of a thin silica shell on their surface. Besides of being easy to make and handle, these particles offer the possibility for improving suitability or technical applications: since they disperse in water, multi-layers can be prepared on substrates by simple drop casting even on surfaces with grooves and slots. The solution of the main problem – stabilizing the multilayer – also lies in the design of the particles: the shells – although mechanically stable – are porous enough to allow for leakage of polystyrene from the core. Under tetrahydrofuran vapor polystyrene bridges form between the particles that render the multilayer-film stable. rnMulti-layers are good candidate to design surfaces whose roughness is preserved after scratch. If the top-most layer is removed, the roughness can still be ensured by the underlying layer.rnAfter hydrophobization by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a semi-fluorinated silane, the surfaces are superhydrophobic with a tilting angle of a few degrees. rnrnrn

Structured antibody surfaces for bio-recognition and a label-free detection of bacteria

Antibody microarrays are of great research interest because of their potential application as biosensors for high-throughput protein and pathogen screening technologies. In this active area, there is still a need for novel structures and assemblies providing insight in binding interactions such as spherical and annulus-shaped protein structures, e.g. for the utilization of curved surfaces for the enhanced protein-protein interactions and detection of antigens. Therefore, the goal of the presented work was to establish a new technique for the label-free detection of bio-molecules and bacteria on topographically structured surfaces, suitable for antibody binding.rnIn the first part of the presented thesis, the fabrication of monolayers of inverse opals with 10 μm diameter and the immobilization of antibodies on their interior surface is described. For this purpose, several established methods for the linking of antibodies to glass, including Schiff bases, EDC/S-NHS chemistry and the biotin-streptavidin affinity system, were tested. The employed methods included immunofluorescence and image analysis by phase contrast microscopy. It could be shown that these methods were not successful in terms of antibody immobilization and adjacent bacteria binding. Hence, a method based on the application of an active-ester-silane was introduced. It showed promising results but also the need for further analysis. Especially the search for alternative antibodies addressing other antigens on the exterior of bacteria will be sought-after in the future.rnAs a consequence of the ability to control antibody-functionalized surfaces, a new technique employing colloidal templating to yield large scale (~cm2) 2D arrays of antibodies against E. coli K12, eGFP and human integrin αvβ3 on a versatile useful glass surface is presented. The antibodies were swept to reside around the templating microspheres during solution drying, and physisorbed on the glass. After removing the microspheres, the formation of annuli-shaped antibody structures was observed. The preserved antibody structure and functionality is shown by binding the specific antigens and secondary antibodies. The improved detection of specific bacteria from a crude solution compared to conventional “flat” antibody surfaces and the setting up of an integrin-binding platform for targeted recognition and surface interactions of eukaryotic cells is demonstrated. The structures were investigated by atomic force, confocal and fluorescence microscopy. Operational parameters like drying time, temperature, humidity and surfactants were optimized to obtain a stable antibody structure.