Patrice Raynaud

Transmission electron microscopy for elucidating the impact of silver-based treatments (ionic silver versus nanosilver-containing coating) on the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

After exposure to ionic silver or nanosilver-containing plasma coating, the same visual aspect of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images was observed for the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The main common feature was the presence of electron-dense nodules all over the cell. However, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), STEM, energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis spectroscopy (EDS) and electron microdiffraction revealed some striking differences. Regarding ionic silver exposure, the formation of electron-dense nodules was related to the Ag(+) reactivity towards sulfur-containing compounds to form clusters with Ag(2)S-like structures, together with the production of a few silver nanocrystals, mainly at the cell wall periphery. For nanosilver-based treatment, some sulfur-containing silver clusters preferentially located at the cell wall periphery were detected, together with nodules composed of silver, sulfur and phosphorus all over the cell. In both silver-based treatments, nitrogen and silver signals overlapped, confirming the affinity of silver entities for proteinaceous compounds. Moreover, in the case of nanosilver, interactions of silver with phosphorus-containing subcellular structures were indicated.

Mucus and microbiota as emerging players in gut nanotoxicology: The example of dietary silver and titanium dioxide nanoparticles

ABSTRACT Given the growing use of nanotechnology in many common consumer products, including foods, evaluation of the consequences of chronic exposure to nanoparticles in humans has become a major public health issue. The oral route of exposure has been poorly explored, despite the presence of a fraction of nanosized particles in certain food additives/supplements and the incorporation of such particles into packaging in contact with foods. After their ingestion, these nanoparticles pass through the digestive tract, where they may undergo physicochemical transformations, with consequences for the luminal environment, before crossing the epithelial barrier to reach the systemic compartment. In this review, we consider two examples, nanosilver and nanotitanium dioxide. Despite the specific features of these particles and the differences between them, both display a close relationship between physicochemical reactivity and bioavailability/biopersistence in the gastrointestinal tract. Few studies have focused on the interactions of nanoparticles of silver or titanium dioxide with the microbiota and mucus. However, the microbiota and mucus play key roles in intestinal homeostasis and host health and are undoubtedly involved in controlling the distribution of nanoparticles in the systemic compartment.

Particle formation in acetylene very low-pressure high density magnetized plasmas

Particle formation in cold plasmas is a matter of a large number of studies in capacitive, high-pressure, and low-density discharges. Conversely, under very-low working pressure and high plasma density conditions, as in microwave multipolar plasma excited at distributed electron cyclotron resonance (MMP-DECR), particle formation is generally not favored: the gas phase interaction probability is low due to the very-low working pressure. However, in this work, we report observations and analyses of particles formed in acetylene MMP-DECR discharges. It is proposed that the presence of the magnetic field compensates for the very-low working pressure inducing an increase in the gas phase interaction probability: negative ions are repelled by the sheath and confined within the magnetic field. Thus, particles can be formed similarly to in rf plasma.

Dynamics of detachment of Escherichia coli from plasma-mediated coatings under shear flow.

A series of plasma-mediated coatings, containing silver nanoparticles embedded in an organosilicon or silica-like matrix, were deposited onto stainless steel and chemically characterized. Their anti-adhesive properties were evaluated in vitro towards Escherichia coli by performing shear-flow induced detachment experiments. Increasing the wall shear stress facilitated E. coli cell detachment, irrespective of the coating characteristics. When nanosilver was incorporated, cell detachment was lower, probably due to the affinity of the embedded silver for biological components of the cell wall. The presence of methyl groups in the matrix network could also promote enhanced hydrophobic interactions. Within the population fraction remaining attached to the coating under increasing shear flow, different association phenotypes were observed, viz. progressively lying flat, moving laterally, remaining tethered, or rotating by a single anchoring point, until alignment with the flow direction. This re-orientation phenotype and its relation with detachment were dependent of the coating. The effects of such heterogeneities should be more deeply explored.

An AES study of the influence of carbon on the chemical structure of some oxide films deposited by PECVD of organosilicon precursors

Abstract AES is used to analyze carbon-containing Si oxide films produced by PECVD of a silicon-source gas, like tetraethoxysilane or hexamethyldisiloxane, diluted with oxygen. Auger Si LVV spectra reveal a large contribution typical of SiO x species with Si atoms surrounded by less than four O atoms. Besides, the signature of Si–C bonds is detected. It is suggested that Si atoms bond simultaneously to O and C atoms, so that, the higher the carbon content is, the larger is the deviation from the dioxide stoichiometry. The dominant Si species are somewhat dependent on the chemical structure of the precursor molecule. Auger C KVV spectra indicate that C atoms enter C–Si and C–H bonds with no particular evidence of C–C bonds.