P. Malar

Structural and photoluminescence properties of Gd implanted ZnO single crystals

We present the structural and photoluminescence properties of 30 keV gadolinium implanted and subsequently annealed zinc oxide (ZnO) single crystals. Rutherford backscattering and channeling results reveal a low surface region defect density which was reduced further upon annealing. For low implantation fluence, around 85% of the Gd atoms are estimated to be in sites aligned with the ZnO lattice, while for higher fluences the Gd is largely disordered and likely forms precipitates. The Raman spectra of the implanted samples show defect-induced modes, which match the one-phonon density of states for the most heavily implanted samples. Annealing eliminates these features implying the removal of Gd-associated lattice disorder. Low temperature photoluminescence spectra revealed a red-shift in the defect emission, from green to orange/yellow, indicating the suppression of a deep level, which is thought to be due to oxygen vacancies. It is suggested that the orange/yellow emission is unmasked when the green emis...

High throughput fabrication of disposable nanofluidic lab-on-chip devices for single molecule studies

An easy method is introduced allowing fast polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) replication of nanofluidic lab-on-chip devices using accurately fabricated molds featuring cross-sections down to 60 nm. A high quality master is obtained through proton beam writing and UV lithography. This master can be used more than 200 times to replicate nanofluidic devices capable of handling single DNA molecules. This method allows to fabricate nanofluidic devices through simple PDMS casting. The extensions of YOYO-1 stained bacteriophage T4 and λ-DNA inside these nanochannels have been investigated using fluorescence microscopy and follow the scaling prediction of a large, locally coiled polymer chain confined in nanochannels.

The second generation Singapore high resolution proton beam writing facility.

A new proton beam focusing facility, designed for proton beam writing (PBW) applications has been tested. PBW allows for proximity free structuring of high aspect ratio, high-density 3D nanostructures. The new facility is designed around OM52 compact quadrupole lenses capable of operating in a variety of high demagnification configurations. Performance tests show that proton beams can be focused down to 19.0 × 29.9 nm(2) and single line scans show a beam width of 12.6 nm. The ultimate goal of sub 10 nm structuring with MeV protons will be discussed.

Effect of H-NS on the elongation and compaction of single DNA molecules in a nanospace

The effect of the bacterial heat-stable nucleoid-structuring protein (H-NS) on the conformation of single DNA molecules confined in a nanochannel was investigated with fluorescence microscopy. With increasing concentration of H-NS, the DNA molecules either elongate or contract. The conformational response is related to filamentation of H-NS on DNA through oligomerization and H-NS mediated bridging of distal DNA segments and is controlled by the concentration and ionic composition of the buffer. Confinement in a nanochannel also facilitates compaction of DNA into a condensed form for over-threshold concentrations of H-NS. Divalent ions such as magnesium facilitate but are not required for bridging nor condensation. The time scale of the collapse after exposure to H-NS was determined to be on the order of minutes, which is much shorter than the measured time required for filamentation of around one hour. We found that the effect of H-NS is not only related to its binding properties but also the confinement is of paramount importance. The interplay between confinement, H-NS-mediated attraction, and filamentation controls the conformation and compaction of DNA. This finding might have implications for gene silencing and chromosome organisation, because the cross-sectional dimensions of the channels are comparable to those of the bacterial nucleoid.

Nanouidic compaction of DNA by like-charged protein.

The effects of the like-charged proteins bovine serum albumin and hemoglobin on the conformation and compaction of single DNA molecules confined in rectangular nanochannels were investigated with fluorescence microscopy. The channels have lengths of 50 μm and cross-sectional diameters in the range of 80-300 nm. In the wider channels, the DNA molecules are compressed and eventually condense into a compact form with increasing concentration of protein. In the narrow channels, no condensation was observed. The threshold concentration for condensation depends on the channel cross-sectional diameter as well as the ionic strength of the supporting medium. The critical values for full compaction are typically less than one-tenth of a millimolar. In the bulk phase and in the same environmental conditions, no condensation was observed. Anisotropic nanoconfinement hence facilitates compaction of DNA by negatively charged protein. We tentatively interpret this behavior in terms of enhanced depletion interaction between segments of the DNA molecule due to orientation order imposed by the channel walls.

Amplified stretch of bottlebrush-coated DNA in nanofluidic channels

The effect of a cationic-neutral diblock polypeptide on the conformation of single DNA molecules confined in rectangular nanochannels is investigated with fluorescence microscopy. An enhanced stretch along the channel is observed with increased binding of the cationic block of the polypeptide to DNA. A maximum stretch of 85% of the contour length can be achieved inside a channel with a cross-sectional diameter of 200 nm and at a 2-fold excess of polypeptide with respect to DNA charge. With site-specific fluorescence labelling, it is demonstrated that this maximum stretch is sufficient to map large-scale genomic organization. Monte Carlo computer simulation shows that the amplification of the stretch inside the nanochannels is owing to an increase in bending rigidity and thickness of bottlebrush-coated DNA. The persistence lengths and widths deduced from the nanochannel data agree with what has been estimated from the analysis of atomic force microscopy images of dried complexes on silica.

SYNTHESIS AND PIXE CHARACTERIZATION OF CuInSe2 AND CuIn3Se5

Polycrystalline ingots of CuInSe2 and CuIn3Se5 were synthesized by melt-quench technique starting from the stoichiometric mixture of constituent elements. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the single-phase nature of the materials. Compositional analysis by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) showed that the compounds are near stoichiometric. Thin films of CuInSe2 and CuIn3Se5 were grown from pre-synthesized CuInSe2 and CuIn3Se5 powders. The films were polycrystalline, single-phase and near stoichiometric in nature, as indicated by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and PIXE studies.