Confocal scanning laser microscopy materials

In addition to extracellular polysaccharides, biofilms contain proteins, DNA and RNA, as well as peptidoglycan, lipids, phospholipids and other cell components. Some of these materials are secreted by the bacteria, while others are products from cell lysis, or environmental material [316,319]. Biofilms are highly hydrated, and up to 97% of the biofilm can be made of water [320]. Confocal scanning laser microscopy has shown that cells within biofilms are aggregated into microcolonies separated by channels that allow the passage of nutrients and waste products [316]. 

The solid phase of bread crumb can be viewed as a composite material where amylose, amylopectin and protein form separated phases due to poor thermodynamic miscibility of the different polymers. Composites are characterized by exhibiting mechanical properties that cannot be achieved with the individual constituents alone, but are dependent on the interface between the components. A sharp interface as found between starch and protein provides strong evidence of little polymer interdiffusion and weak interfacial adhesion.14 The present results suggest that starch forms a continuous phase in bread which has also been confirmed with confocal scanning laser microscopy.15 The presence of a protein phase reduces the continuity of the starch phase and, thus, reduces the cohesion of the material as revealed by a comparison of the breaking stresses of aged flour and starch gels (data not shown).16... 

Confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy was used to study the exposure of the avidin-specific binding sites in the Av-GEB platform by the immobilization of a small and flexible biotinylated fluorescein molecule as a fluorescence marker. Fluorescence microscopy thus confirms that Av-GEB platform exposes active binding sites for biotin, acting as affinity matrix (Fig. 21.2B). After use, the electrode surface can be renewed by a simple polishing procedure for further uses, highlighting a clear advantage of this new material with respect to surface-modified approaches such as classical biosensors and other common... 

Schroth D 1997 The confocal laser scanning microscopy. A new tool in materials testing Matehalpruefung 39 264 Chestnut M H 1997 Confocal microscopy of colloids Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sc/. 2 158-61... 

Bhawalkar J D, Swiatkiewicz J, Pan S J, Samarabandu J K, Liou W S, He G S, Berezney R, Cheng P C and Prasad P N 1996 Three-dimensional laser scanning two-photon fluorescence confocal microscopy of polymer materials using a new, efficient upconverting fluorophore Scanning 18 562-6... 

Lacerda, L. et al. (2007) Intracellular trafficking of carbon nanotubes by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Advanced Materials, 19 (11),... 

HAPEX, a bone analogue material, with similar properties to cortical bone, was added to a HDPE matrix in different volumes (20% and 40%) to produce composite materials [271]. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was then used to examine cell morphology on HAPEX and the surface characteristics produced by different machining protocols. 

Figure 9.2 is a schematic representation of CdSe QDs dispersed in poly(hexyl methacrylate) by in situ polymerization. The polymer with long alkyl branches is expected to prevent or reduce phase separation of the QDs from the polymer matrix during polymerization. This technique resulted in the preparation of a series of QD-based nanocomposite materials for which laser scanned confocal microscopy imaging revealed a nearly uniform dispersion of nanoparticles within the polymethacrylate matrix (Fig. 9.3). Notably, the resulting macroscopic QD-polymer composites appeared to be clear and uniformly colored.

---