Adhesion properties of polyimide coated stacks: An in-depth analysis of the cross-sectional nanoindentation method.

Adhesion at the interface between dissimilar materials in the semiconductor industry is an important topic, but reliable quantitative methods for strongly adhesive or highly plastic layers are hardly available. This study aims to investigate the suitability of the cross-sectional nanoindentation (CSN) method for determination of the critical energy release rate of thin film stacks in the presence of a polyimide layer as a representative structure for such a case. For this purpose, the adhesion of a deliberately weakened Si/SiO interface in a Si/SiO/Al/SiN/polyimide stack is examined by systematic variation of the experimental parameters.

A Self-Assembled Antifouling Nano-Biointerface for the Generation of Spheroids.

Several techniques have been established over the last decades to produce three-dimensional (3D) cellular spheroids and each method has its advantages and limitations. The unique self-assembly properties of surface layer (S-layer) proteins have already been applied to a broad range of life science applications. The bacterial S-layer protein SbpA displays a strong antifouling behavior when recrystallized on planar surfaces and offers the opportunity to induce 3D cell aggregation.

Next-Generation Live-Cell Microarray Technologies.

Over the last decades the application of cell-based assays and in vitro cell culture systems has fundamentally transformed our understanding of biological functions on a cellular and organism level. The resulting ubiquitous usage of cell-based assays in today's scientific world has therefore generated a need for advanced in vitro diagnostic systems. This increased demand has further led to the development of miniaturized live-cell microarrays for biomedical applications including high-throughput screening tools and microfluidic systems.

In Situ Characterization of Tissue-Resident Immune Cells by MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Tissue-resident immune cells differ from their corresponding blood cells in many functional aspects. Although the proteome of blood immune cells has been well-investigated, there are almost no data on tissue-resident immune cells. Here, we explored the potential of using MALDI-TOF-MS imaging (MSI) to investigate these cells in colon tissue, which exhibits a strong infiltration of immune cells.