Isotopic analysis of Nd nanoparticles using single particle MC-ICP-MS: A comparative study with single particle-ICP-TOF-MS.

Single particle - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is a powerful technique for characterization of the elemental and isotopic composition of individual particles. In this work, the capabilities of the newest generation of MC-ICP-MS with acquisition rates down to 50 ms were evaluated for single particle analysis, with a focus on isotopic precision achievable on a single-particle level. Nd (NdVO) nanoparticles (∼120 nm in diameter) were used as case study and were first characterized in terms of mass (respective size) and particle number concentration by SP-ICP-TOF-MS and then by SP-MC-ICP-MS for isotopic precision.

Antimicrobial Biphasic Polymer Coatings Enabled by Fast Diffusion of Active Compounds.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and the prospect of future global pandemics highlight the long-standing need to passively eliminate viruses and bacteria on surfaces. Conventional antimicrobial surfaces and coatings are typically constrained by a trade-off between antimicrobial efficacy and physical durability. A biphasic polyurethane coating has been developed that breaks this trade-off by incorporating a durability-imparting polycarbonate (PC) discrete phase with a continuous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) transport phase that absorbs, stores, and releases antimicrobial active compounds for extended microbial inactivation.

Computational Model-Assisted Development of a Nonenzymatic Fluorescent Glucose-Sensing Assay.

Deep-red fluorescence was implemented in this fully injectable, nonenzymatic glucose biosensor design to allow for better light penetration through the skin, particularly for darker skin tones. In this work, a novel method was developed to synthesize Cy5.5 labeled mannose conjugates (Cy5.

Correlated excitonic signatures of individual van der Waals NiPS antiferromagnet nanoflakes.

Composite quasi-particles with emergent functionalities in spintronic and quantum information science can be realized in correlated materials due to entangled charge, spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom. Here we show that by reducing the lateral dimension of correlated antiferromagnet NiPS flakes to tens of nanometers and thickness to less than ten nanometers, we can switch-off the bulk spin-orbit entangled exciton in the near-infrared (1.47 eV) and activate visible-range (1.

Force and the α-C-terminal domains bias RNA polymerase recycling.

After an RNA polymerase reaches a terminator, instead of dissociating from the template, it may diffuse along the DNA and recommence RNA synthesis from the previous or a different promoter. Magnetic tweezers were used to monitor such secondary transcription and determine the effects of low forces assisting or opposing translocation, protein roadblocks, and transcription factors. Remarkably, up to 50% of Escherichia coli (E.