Enhanced astaxanthin production in Haematococcus lacustris by electrochemical stimulation of cyst germination.

This study investigated the technical feasibility of using electrogermination to activate dormant cysts as an inoculum for subsequent 14-d photosynthetic astaxanthin production in Haematococcus lacustris. Electrotreatment affected the cell viability, surface charge, and morphology of H. lacustris cysts.

Cell disruption and lipid extraction from Chlorella species for biorefinery applications: Recent advances.

Chlorella is a promising microalga for CO-neutral biorefinery that co-produces drop-in biofuels and multiple biochemicals. Cell disruption and selective lipid extraction steps are major technical bottlenecks in biorefinement because of the inherent robustness and complexity of algal cell walls. This review focuses on the state-of-the-art achievements in cell disruption and lipid extraction methods for Chlorella species within the last five years.

Cell disruption and astaxanthin extraction from Haematococcus pluvialis: Recent advances.

The green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis is an excellent source of astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant widely used in cosmetics, aquaculture, health foods, and pharmaceuticals. This review explores recent developments in cell disruption and astaxanthin extraction techniques applied using H. pluvialis as a model species for large-scale algal biorefinery.

Compact low temperature scanning tunneling microscope with in-situ sample preparation capability.

We report on the design of a compact low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) having in-situ sample preparation capability. The in-situ sample preparation chamber was designed to be compact allowing quick transfer of samples to the STM stage, which is ideal for preparing temperature sensitive samples such as ultra-thin metal films on semiconductor substrates. Conventional spring suspensions on the STM head often cause mechanical issues.