Single cell mechanical properties

As a single cell technique capable of achieving large deformations, the method complements the pressure probe method. It should be valuable in studies of how plant cell mechanical properties are affected by the molecular composition and structure of the wall, and how these are affected by food processing operations. 

Compression testing by micromanipulation has been used to investigate the mechanical properties of tomato cells, both from suspension cultures and isolated single fruit cells. 

Chemical modification will be defined for this chapter as any chemical reaction between some reactive part of a wood cell wall component and a simple single chemical reagent, with or without catalyst, that forms a covalent bond between the two components. This excludes in situ polymerizations of monomers in the lumen structure of the wood and those reactions that result in cell wall-penetrating polymer systems that do not result in any cell wall attachment. It is well known that lumen-filling polymer treatment results in large improvements in mechanical properties, but these are mainly a result of the properties of the new polymer introduced [ 1 ]. 

Finally, static and electrochemical (two-way Na-Na cell tests at current densities under 50 mA/cm ) testing at 300°C revealed a basic instability of the material in liquid sodium . In view of the basic incompatibility of the material with liquid sodium and the difficulty encountered in producing single-phase material with adequate mechanical properties, NASICON has been dropped, at least for the time being, as a viable alternative to / "-alumina. 

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