Bimolecular and Monomolecular Lipid Films: Selected Area Electron Diffraction

Author(s):  
Robert M. Glaeser ◽  
David W. Deamer

In the investigation of the molecular organization of cell membranes it is often supposed that lipid molecules are arranged in a bimolecular film. X-ray diffraction data obtained in a direction perpendicular to the plane of suitably layered membrane systems have generally been interpreted in accord with such a model of the membrane structure. The present studies were begun in order to determine whether selected area electron diffraction would provide a tool of sufficient sensitivity to permit investigation of the degree of intermolecular order within lipid films. The ultimate objective would then be to apply the method to single fragments of cell membrane material in order to obtain data complementary to the transverse data obtainable by x-ray diffraction.

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Torres ◽  
Richard R. Vanfleet ◽  
Gregory B. Thompson

AbstractEight FePt thin film specimens of various thicknesses, compositions, and order parameters have been analyzed to determine the robustness and fidelity of multislice simulations in determining the chemical order parameter via electron diffraction (ED). The shape of the simulated curves depends significantly on the orientation and thickness of the specimen. The ED results are compared to kinematical scattering order parameters, from the same films, acquired from synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD). For the specimens analyzed with convergent beam electron diffraction conditions, the order parameter closely matched the order parameter as determined by the XRD methodology. However, the specimens analyzed by selected area electron diffraction conditions did not show good agreement. This has been attributed to substrate effects that hindered the ability to accurately quantify the intensity values of the superlattice and fundamental reflections.


Author(s):  
H. Brigitte Krause ◽  
Donald L. Gibbon

AbstractSelected-area electron-diffraction patterns and x-ray diffraction powder patterns were taken of crushed single crystals of Pb


1992 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 542-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Van Buskirk ◽  
Robin Gardiner ◽  
Peter S. Kirlin ◽  
Steven Nutt

Epitaxial BaTi3 films have been grown on NdGaO3 [100] substrates by reduced pressure MOCVD for the first time. The substrate temperature was 1000 °C and the total pressure was 4 Torr. Electron and x-ray diffraction measurements indicate highly textured, single phase films on the NdGaO3 substrate which are predominantly [100], with [110] also present. TEM and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) indicate two specific orientational relationships between the [110] and the [001] diffraction patterns.


Author(s):  
C. M. Sung ◽  
M. P. Harmer ◽  
D. M. Smyth ◽  
D. B. Williams

The discovery of high temperature superconductivity by Bednorz and Muller in a cuprate-based system generated an extensive search for new superconducting oxide phases. Superconductivity at 90K was observed by Wu et al. in the Y-Ba-Cu-O system and this temperature, until recently, had not been exceeded reproducibly. Superconductivity at 20K was reported in another cuprate system containing bismuth instead of yttrium, and recently superconductivity at 85K and 110K was reported by Maeda et al. in a Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system. A Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8.2 phase has been found to be the origin of the 85K superconducting transition, and its crystal structure was determined by x-ray diffraction. In this paper, we comment on the microstructure and chemistry of the new superconducting phase using selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED), and x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) experiments.The superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x samples investigated were synthesized in air by standard solid-state reaction techniques from appropriate amounts of Bi2O3, CuO, SrCO3, and CaCO3.


2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 879-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Zheng ◽  
Jianbo Wang ◽  
Zhongling Xu ◽  
Jianian Gui

A previous transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed the existence of monoclinic Li2MnO3in the lithium-rich and oxygen-deficient Li1.07Mn1.93O4−δpowder. Interestingly, the monoclinic phase exhibits different nanoscale lamellar variants involving a rotation of the stacking direction by 120 or 240° along the pseudo-threefold axis,i.e.the [103]M//[111]C(M and C denote the monoclinic and cubic phases, respectively) zone axis. Here, a theoretical X-ray diffraction (XRD) study of Li2MnO3employing theDIFFaXprogram is presented. It is found that, with the occurrence of different stacking configurations, the characteristic superstructure reflections with 2θ between 20 and 35° (Cu Kα) in the XRD pattern become more and more broadened with the increasing degree of stacking disorder, indicating that XRD may fall short in detecting the presence of the monoclinic Li2MnO3phase. Moreover, selective peak asymmetry appears when the stacking sequence becomes extremely disordered. Further selected-area electron diffraction and theoretical neutron diffraction investigation may clarify the similar ambiguity concerning the crystal phases of other structurally related compound cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (e.g.LiNi1/2Mn1/2O2, LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2).


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 57-65
Author(s):  
San Ju Francis ◽  
J. Nuwad ◽  
Alka Gupta ◽  
J.K. Sainis ◽  
R. Tewari ◽  
...  

A simple gamma irradiation strategy was developed for the synthesis of gold nanoplates by employing polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) as the capping agent. The nanoplates produced had hexagonal, triangular and truncated triangular shapes and the size of the nanoplates could be varied from 500 nm to 5 μm by adjusting the concentration of Au3+ and PDDA in the solution. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction investigations proved that the nanoplates are single crystals bound by the {111} planes on the top and bottom surfaces. The nanoplates were also characterized by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.


Author(s):  
T. Gulik-Krzywicki ◽  
M.J. Costello

Freeze-etching electron microscopy is currently one of the best methods for studying molecular organization of biological materials. Its application, however, is still limited by our imprecise knowledge about the perturbations of the original organization which may occur during quenching and fracturing of the samples and during the replication of fractured surfaces. Although it is well known that the preservation of the molecular organization of biological materials is critically dependent on the rate of freezing of the samples, little information is presently available concerning the nature and the extent of freezing-rate dependent perturbations of the original organizations. In order to obtain this information, we have developed a method based on the comparison of x-ray diffraction patterns of samples before and after freezing, prior to fracturing and replication.Our experimental set-up is shown in Fig. 1. The sample to be quenched is placed on its holder which is then mounted on a small metal holder (O) fixed on a glass capillary (p), whose position is controlled by a micromanipulator.


Author(s):  
William F. Tivol ◽  
Murray Vernon King ◽  
D. F. Parsons

Feasibility of isomorphous substitution in electron diffraction is supported by a calculation of the mean alteration of the electron-diffraction structure factors for hemoglobin crystals caused by substituting two mercury atoms per molecule, following Green, Ingram & Perutz, but with allowance for the proportionality of f to Z3/4 for electron diffraction. This yields a mean net change in F of 12.5%, as contrasted with 22.8% for x-ray diffraction.Use of the hydration chamber in electron diffraction opens prospects for examining many proteins that yield only very thin crystals not suitable for x-ray diffraction. Examination in the wet state avoids treatments that could cause translocation of the heavy-atom labels or distortion of the crystal. Combined with low-fluence techniques, it enables study of the protein in a state as close to native as possible.We have undertaken a study of crystals of rat hemoglobin by electron diffraction in the wet state. Rat hemoglobin offers a certain advantage for hydration-chamber work over other hemoglobins in that it can be crystallized from distilled water instead of salt solutions.


Author(s):  
David Cockayne ◽  
David McKenzie

The technique of Electron Reduced Density Function (RDF) analysis has ben developed into a rapid analytical tool for the analysis of small volumes of amorphous or polycrystalline materials. The energy filtered electron diffraction pattern is collected to high scattering angles (currendy to s = 2 sinθ/λ = 6.5 Å-1) by scanning the selected area electron diffraction pattern across the entrance aperture to a GATAN parallel energy loss spectrometer. The diffraction pattern is then converted to a reduced density function, G(r), using mathematical procedures equivalent to those used in X-ray and neutron diffraction studies.Nearest neighbour distances accurate to 0.01 Å are obtained routinely, and bond distortions of molecules can be determined from the ratio of first to second nearest neighbour distances. The accuracy of coordination number determinations from polycrystalline monatomic materials (eg Pt) is high (5%). In amorphous systems (eg carbon, silicon) it is reasonable (10%), but in multi-element systems there are a number of problems to be overcome; to reduce the diffraction pattern to G(r), the approximation must be made that for all elements i,j in the system, fj(s) = Kji fi,(s) where Kji is independent of s.


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