Related papers: Azobenzene photoisomerization probes cell membrane…
The photoisomerization of chromophores embedded in biological environments is of high importance for biomedical applications, but it is still challenging to define the photoisomerization mechanism both experimentally and computationally. We…
Viscosity is a key property of cell membranes that controls mobility of embedded proteins and membrane remodeling. Measuring it is challenging because existing approaches involve complex experimental designs and/or models, and the…
Photoresponsive materials feature properties that can be adjusted near- instantaneously, reversibly, and with high spatiotemporal precision, by light. There is considerable interest in maximising the degree of switching, and in measuring…
The viscosity of lipid bilayer membranes plays an important role in determining the diffusion constant of embedded proteins and the dynamics of membrane deformations, yet it has historically proven very difficult to measure. Here we…
In this paper we demonstrate a quantitative way to measure the membrane potential of live cells by dielectric spectroscopy. We also show that the values of the membrane potential obtained using our technique are in good agreement with those…
Molecular photoswitches are the foundation of light-activated drugs. A key photoswitch is azobenzene, which exhibits trans-cis isomerism in response to light. The thermal half-life of the cis isomer is of crucial importance, since it…
In-vivo, real-time study of the local and collective cellular biomechanical responses requires the fine and selective manipulation of the cellular environment. One innovative pathway is the use of photoactive bio-substrates such as…
The mechanical properties of azobenzene-containing polymer films are statistically measured by instrumented nanoindentation experiment in the dark and under illumination in the absorption band of the azobenzene molecules, with special…
Entanglement control of qubits in a photoisomerizing molecule is studied in the context of an NMR quantum computer by taking azobenzene as an example. Azobenzene has two different isomers, {\it{}trans}-azobenzene (TAB) and…
Gaining access to the cell interior is fundamental for many applications, such as electrical recording, drug and biomolecular delivery. A very promising technique consists of culturing cells on nano/micro pillars. The tight adhesion and…
We use large scale molecular dynamics simulations of the isomerizations of azobenzene molecules diluted inside a simple molecular material, to investigate the effect of a modification of the cis isomer shape on the induced diffusion…
We investigate the thermal and electronic collective fluctuations that contribute to the finite-temperature adsorption properties of flexible adsorbates on surfaces on the example of the molecular switch azobenzene C$_{12}$H$_{10}$N$_{2}$…
Membrane based nanocalorimeters have been developed for ac calorimetry experiments. It has allowed highly sensitive measurements of heat capacity from solid state physics to complex systems like polymers and proteins. In this article we…
Understanding the biophysical and biochemical properties of molecular nanocarriers under physiological conditions and with minimal interference is crucial for advancing nanomedicine, photopharmacology, drug delivery, nanotheranostics and…
Important aspects in the field of microrheology are the studies of the viscosity of fluids within structures with micron dimensions and fluid samples where only microlitre volumes are available. We have quantitatively investigated the…
We report here the reversibility and bistability of the switching behavior in an azobenzene derivative induced by the bias applied by a Scanning-Tunneling Microscopy (STM) tip, at low temperature and in ultra-high vacuum environment. This…
A thermocouple of Au-Ni with only 2.5-micrometers-wide electrodes on a 30-nm-thick Si3N4 membrane was fabricated by a simple low-resolution electron beam lithography and lift off procedure. The thermocouple is shown to be sensitive to heat…
The spatio-temporal organization of proteins within the cell membrane can affect numerous biological functions, including cell signaling, communication, and transportation. Deviations from normal spatial arrangements have been observed in…
Native membranes of biological cells display melting transitions of their lipids at a temperature of 10-20 degrees below body temperature. Such transitions can be observed in various bacterial cells, in nerves, in cancer cells, but also in…
Recent studies of AzoTAB activity in excitable cell cultures have shown that this substance is able to control excitability depending on isomer, cis or trans, predominating in the cellular membrane. Control of isomerization can be performed…