Biomedical subjects

Roberto C Salvarezza

Publications and source records attributed to Roberto C Salvarezza.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Electrochemical deposition onto self-assembled monolayers: new insights into micro- and nanofabrication.

Pattern transfer with high resolution is a frontier topic in the emerging field of nanotechnologies. Electrochemical molding is a possible route for nanopatterning metal, alloys and oxide surfaces with high resolution in a simple and inexpensive way. This method involves electrodeposition onto a conducting master covered by a self-assembled alkanethiolate monolayer (SAMs). This molecular film enables direct surface-relief pattern transfer from the conducting master to the inner face of the electrodeposit, and also allows an easy release of the electrodeposited film due their excellent anti-adherent properties. Replicas of the original conductive master can be also obtained by a simple two-step procedure. SAM quality and stability under electrodeposition conditions combined with the formation of smooth electrodeposits are crucial to obtain high-quality pattern transfer with sub-50 nm resolution.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Biomimetics with a self-assembled monolayer of catalytically active tethered isoalloxazine on Au.

A new biomimetic nanostructured electrocatalyst comprised of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of flavin covalently attached to Au by reaction of methylformylisoalloxazine with chemisorbed cysteamine is introduced. Examinations by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) show that the flavin molecules are oriented perpendicular to the surface with a 2 nm separation between flavin molecules. As a result of the contrast observed in the STM profiles between areas only covered by unreacted cysteamine and those covered by flavin-cysteamine moieties, it can be seen that the flavin molecules rise 0.7 nm above the chemisorbed cysteamines. The SAM flavin electrocatalyst undergoes fast electron transfer with the underlying Au and shows activity toward the oxidation of enzymatically active beta-NADH at pH 7 and very low potential (-0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl), a requirement for use in an enzymatic biofuel cell, and a 100-fold increase in activity with respect to the collisional reaction in solution.

Biomimetics↗

PubMed2005

Electrochemical self-assembly of melanin films on gold.

An electrochemical method for self-assembling melanin films on the Au(111) surface from melanin aggregates in alkaline media is reported. Electrochemical data combined with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy, and Auger electron spectoscopy show that the amount and structure of the deposited melanin film depend on the potential (E) applied to the electrochemical interface and deposition time. Film formation takes place at a noticeable rate at E = -1.0 V (vs SCE). High-resolution STM images at the early stages of growth show small particles, 5-8 nm in size and 0.3-0.4 nm in height, forming ordered arrays that follow closely the Au(111) topography. The size of the melanin particles increases as the film thickness increases, reaching 150 nm for deposits grown for 16 h. The deposited films are electrochemically active, showing well-defined redox couples preceding the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Biofilms↗

PubMed2004

Probing universality classes in solid-on-solid deposition.

We consider several stochastic processes corresponding to the same physical solid-on-solid deposition problem. Simplified models presenting the same (conditional) mean and variance for each process are also introduced as well as generalizations in terms of the deposition of blobs and probabilistic deposition rules. We compare the evolution of the roughness as a function of time for a three-parameter family that includes as limit cases the Family model and the Edwards-Wilkinson equation, showing that in all cases the derived models with the same mean and variance are indistinguishable from the originating models in terms of the evolution of the roughness. Finally, we show that although all the models studied belong to the same universality class, some relevant features such as the final surface roughness are reproduced only for models within a restricted class determined by sharing the same (conditional) mean and variance.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Dynamics of solid growth under a gravitational field: influence of the formation of a diffusive layer.

We discuss the gravitational sedimentation of particles in terms of a stochastic model considering, in view of experimental evidence, that the aggregation to the growing surface (deposit) is mediated by the formation of a layer of suspended particles subject to gravitational forces, thermal agitation, as well as aggregation (contact) forces. The aggregation of such partially buoyant particles is ruled by the rates of occurrence of the different stochastic events: incorporation to the layer of suspended particles, sedimentation, and gravitationally biased diffusion. The model introduces bridges across different standard solid on solid deposition models which can be considered as limit cases of the present one. Analytical and numerical results show that for finite (realistic) deposits there are different regimes of aggregation including situations in which the deposit is grown completely during the transient time of the system.

Journal Article↗