Search

We present experimental and theoretical investigations of phonon thermal transport in (LaMnO$_3$)$_m$/(SrMnO$_3$)$_n$ superlattices (LMO/SMO SLs) with the thickness of individual layers $m,n = 3 - 10\;$ u.c. and the thickness ratio $m/n = 1, 2$. Optical transient thermal reflectivity measurements reveal a pronounced difference in the thermal conductivity between SLs with $m/n = 1$, and SLs with $m/n = 2$. State-of-the art electron microscopy techniques and ab-initio density functional calculations enables us to assign the origin of this difference to the absence ($m/n = 1$) or presence ($m/n = 2$) of spatially periodic, static oxygen octahedral rotation (OOR) inside the LMO layers. The experimental data analysis shows that the effective thermal conductance of the LMO/SMO interfaces strongly changes from $0.3$ GW/m$^2$K for $m/n = 2$ SLs with OOR to a surprisingly large value of $1.8$ GW/m$^2$K for $m/n = 1$ SLs without OOR. An instructive lattice dynamical model rationalizes our experimental findings as a result of coherent phonon transmission for $m/n = 1$ versus coherent phonon blocking in SLs with $m/n = 2$. We briefly discuss the possibilities to exploit these results for atomic-scale engineering of a crystalline phonon insulator. The thermal resistivity of this proposal for a thermal metamaterial surpasses the amorphous limit, although phonons still propagate coherently., Comment: Revision changes article focus from structural properties to thermal transport properties of SL

© 2015 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. The Antibacterial activity of chitosan of different molecular weights was studied against gramnegative Klebsiella pneumoniae at different pH values. It was found that the dependence of the inhibitory activity of chitosan on its molecular weight was undergoes inversion when increasing the pH of the medium above 7.0. In acidic media, chitosan of the higher molecular weight had the higher antibacterial activity, while in weàk alkaline media, oligomeric forms of chitosan displayed only the inhibition effect. Our results showed that the antibacterial activity of chitosan against Klebsiella pneumoniae was closely associated with its polycationic nature, and depended on the degree of protonation of the chitosan amino groups, which, in turn was the function of the degree of polymerization and the pH values of the medium. The results allow one to explain, in part, the contradictory literature data concerning the relationship between the antibacterial activity and molecular weight of chitosan.

Oligochitosan samples varying in molecular weight (Mw) and having narrow polydispersities were prepared by means of depolymerization of chitosan in hydrochloric acid, and their antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was measured at pH values 5.5-8.0. The antibacterial testing of oligochitosans obtained showed that oligochitosans having Mw in the range of 0.73-20.0 kDa could be used both at slightly acidic and neutral pH values, and that the activity against MRSA remained moderate for oligochitosan samples having Mw about 3-5 kDa even at slightly basic pH values. The self-assembling behavior of oligochitosan macromolecules in the dilute solution at various pH values as a function of chain length was investigated. At first it was shown that oligochitosans formed supramolecular aggregates in dilute solutions below the critical pH value 6.5. Despite the aggregation phenomenon, the formation of nano-sized aggregates did not prevent oligochitosan from demonstrating the bactiostatic activity. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

In bio-imaging by electron microscopy, damage of the sample and limited contrast are the two main hurdles for reaching high image quality. We extend a new preparation method based on nanofabrication and super-hydrophobicity to the imaging and structural studies of nucleic acids, nucleic acid–protein complexes (DNA/Rad51 repair protein complex) and neuronal ion channels (gap-junction, K+ and GABAA channels) as paradigms of biological significance and increasing complexity. The preparation method is based on the liquid phase and is compatible with physiological conditions. Only in the very last stage, samples are dried for TEM analysis. Conventional TEM and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) were used to achieve a resolution of 3.3 and 1.5 Å, respectively. The EM dataset quality allows the determination of relevant structural and metrological information on the DNA structure, DNA–protein interactions and ion channels, allowing the identification of specific macromolecules and their structure.