Name: confocal imaging of confined quiescent and flowing colloid-polymer mixtures
Uploaded: 2014-05-20T19:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures at JoVE.com

Research reported in this publication was supported by a University of Houston New Faculty Grant, a seed grant from the Texas Center for Superconductivity, and the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (52537-DNI).

1. Preparation of Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Note: This protocol uses poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles, sterically stabilized using poly (12-hydroxystearic acid) and labeled with a fluorescent dye (such as Nile Red, rhodamine B, or fluorescein), that were synthesized following a standard recipe52.
<ol>
	<li>Prepare a 3:1 w/w mixture of cyclohexyl bromide&#160;(CXB) and decahydronaphthalene (DHN) as a stock solvent. This mixture nearly matches the density and index of refra...

Colloidal suspensions are widely studied as models for confined phase behavior, because micron-sized colloidal particles exhibit significantly slower dynamics than atoms and molecules and thus can be readily imaged and tracked over time10. For these fundamental studies, understanding the effect of interparticle attractions on confined phase behavior offers the opportunity to explore phenomena such as capillary condensation and evaporation21,22,67. In addition, confined attractive suspensions appear ...

This paper demonstrates (a) confocal imaging of quiescent and flowing confined colloid-polymer mixtures in two and three dimensions and (b) particle-tracking and correlation analyses of the resultant images to obtain quantitative information on the phase behavior and flow properties.
Colloidal suspensions with attractive interparticle interactions appear ubiquitously in technological applications as materials for directed assembly1-3, drug delivery4, improved hydrocarbon recovery5-7, and energy storage8. A common feature of these applications is that the particles must be flowed through fine geometries, such as nozzles, print heads, microchannels, or porous media, and/or be shaped into thin films or rods. Techniques used to probe the structure of micron-sized colloids in confined geometries, including electron microscopy17,18, x-ray microscopy19, and laser-diffraction microscopy20, can be used to measure the structure and dynamics of particles on the microscale. These techniques, however, do not allow access to the trajectories of individual particles, from which structural and dynamic metrics can be computed for direct comparison to numerical simulations21,22.
Confocal microscopy is a variant of fluorescence microscopy that enables imaging of thin sections of a fluorescent sample. For colloidal science10, this technique is particularly useful for imaging deep within dense suspensions or in three dimensions. Particle-tracking algorithms23 applied to two- or three-dimensional time series of confocal micrographs yield the trajectories of all visible particles. As a result, the combination of confocal microscopy and particle-tracking has been applied to study the phase behavior, structure, and dynamics of colloidal suspensions, including ordered crystals24-27 and disordered glasses28-31 and gels32-35.
Other image analysis algorithms can be applied to measure particle dynamics from time series of confocal micrographs. For example, diffusive particle dynamics can be studied by analyzing the fluctuations in intensity over time using confocal differential dynamic microscopy36. When the particle displacements are larger than the interparticle spacing, image correlation37 based on particle image&#160;velocimetry38-40 can be applied to measure velocity profiles of the particles. The combination of tracking and correlation algorithms has allowed colloidal dynamics to be measured in systems undergoing slow and fast flow11-16,41-45.
We use colloid-polymer mixtures as models for attractive colloidal suspensions9. In these mixtures, the range and strength of the attractive interparticle potential are controlled via the ratio of the polymer radius of gyration to the particle radius&#160;and the concentration of the polymer and the electrostatic repulsion is controlled via the addition of a monovalent&#160;organic salt46. Because the interparticle interactions can be carefully tuned, the solidification of these mixtures has been extensively studied with confocal microscopy 34,47-51.
Here we demonstrate confocal imaging and image analysis37 of quiescent and flowing colloid-polymer mixtures, in which the colloid volume fraction is held fixed at &#934; = 0.15, that probe the effect of confinement on the phase behavior and flow properties of these mixtures. These techniques are widely applicable to particulate systems that are refractive index-matched and in which the particles and/or solvent can be labeled with a fluorescent dye.

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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Name of Material/ Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Comments/Description</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Cyclohexyl bromide</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">135194</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">CAS Number&#160; 108-85-0, Molecular wt. =163.06, Used in stock solvent</td>
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		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Decahydronapthalene</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D251</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">CAS Number 91-17-8, Molecular wt. = 138.25, Used in stock solvent</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Nile Red</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">72485</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Fluorescent dye</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Fluorescein 5(6)-isothiocyanate</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">F3651</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Fluorescent dye</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Rhodamine B</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">83689</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Fluorescent dye</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Dynamic Light Scattering&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Brookhaven Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BI-APD</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">DLS equipment used for particle size measurement</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Polystyrene&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Varian/Agilent</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">PL20138-23</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Polystyrene (polymer) for inducing depletion attraction</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">tetrabutyl(ammonium chloride) (TBAC)</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">86870</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">monovalent salt</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Cover slips</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">12-518-210&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">48&#10761;65 mm</td>
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		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Cover slips</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">12-540B</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">22&#10761;22 mm</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">UV Adhesive</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Norland Adhesive</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">NOA 68T</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Part Number 68T01 (UV cured adhesive)</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">VT Eye</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Visitech</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">VT Eye</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">confocal scanner</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">VT Infinity</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Visitech</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">VT Infinity</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">confocal scanner</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Microscope&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">DMI3000B</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Inverted Microscope</td>
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		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Centrifuge</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Thermo Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Sorvall ST 16</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">1-5000 rpm</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Glass slides</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">48382-171</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">25&#10761;75 mm, 1.0 mm thick</td>
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		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">microcapillary</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Vitrocom</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">8510-100</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">0.1&#10761;0.1 mm square cross section, 100 mm length</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Teflon tubing</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">smallparts</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">SLTT 26-72</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Zeus PTFE Sublite Wall Tubing 26 AWG .016&#34; ID x .0030&#34; Wall</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Epoxy</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Devcon</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">DA051</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">5 minute epoxy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Syringe</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Micromate/Cadence</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">5004</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">glass syringe with metal luer lock tip</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Syringe tips&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Nordson</td>
			<td align="right">7018462</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">32 GA precision tips&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Syringe pump&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">New Era Pump system Inc.&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">NE1002X</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">Programmable microfluidic pump (syringepump.com)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Weigh balance</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">Mettler Toledo</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">AB204-S</td>
			<td style="width:315px;">0.0001-220 g</td>
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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">PMMA particles</td>
			<td style="width:103px;">synthesized</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:315px;">poly(methylmethacrylate) colloidal particles</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
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confocal imaging of confined quiescent and flowing colloid-polymer mixtures

The behavior of confined colloidal suspensions with attractive interparticle interactions is critical to the rational design of materials for directed assembly1-3, drug delivery4, improved hydrocarbon recovery5-7, and flowable electrodes for energy storage8. Suspensions containing fluorescent colloids and non-adsorbing polymers are appealing model systems, as the ratio of the polymer radius of gyration to the particle radius&#160;and concentration of polymer control the range and strength of the interparticle attraction, respectively. By tuning the polymer properties and the volume fraction of the colloids, colloid fluids, fluids of clusters, gels, crystals, and glasses can be obtained9.&#160;Confocal microscopy, a variant of fluorescence microscopy, allows an optically transparent and fluorescent sample to be imaged with high spatial and temporal resolution in three dimensions. In this technique, a small pinhole or slit blocks the emitted fluorescent light from regions of the sample that are outside the focal volume of the microscope optical system. As a result, only a thin section of the sample in the focal plane is imaged. This technique is particularly well suited to probe the structure and dynamics in dense colloidal suspensions at the single-particle scale: the particles are large enough to be resolved using visible light and diffuse slowly enough to be captured at typical scan speeds of commercial confocal systems10. Improvements in scan speeds and analysis algorithms have also enabled quantitative confocal imaging of flowing suspensions11-16,37.&#160;In this paper, we demonstrate confocal microscopy experiments to probe the confined phase behavior and flow properties of colloid-polymer mixtures. We first prepare colloid-polymer mixtures that are density- and refractive-index matched. Next, we report a standard protocol for imaging quiescent dense colloid-polymer mixtures under varying confinement in thin wedge-shaped cells. Finally, we demonstrate a protocol for imaging colloid-polymer mixtures during microchannel flow.

To demonstrate confocal imaging and particle-tracking, we investigated the effect of confinement on the phase behavior of colloid-polymer mixtures63-65. For these experiments the colloid diameter was 2a = 0.865 &#956;m. The colloid volume fraction was fixed at &#934; = 0.15 and the concentration of polymer cp was varied from 0 to 23.6 mg/ml. Representative confocal images are shown in Figure 263, left column. From the particle positions obtained using tr...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures at JoVE.com

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Confocal microscopy is used to image quiescent and flowing colloid-polymer mixtures, which are studied as model systems for attractive suspensions. Image analysis algorithms are used to calculate structural and dynamic metrics for the colloidal particles that measure changes due to geometric confinement.

The behavior of confined colloidal suspensions with attractive interparticle interactions is critical to the rational design of materials for directed ...

confocal-imaging-confined-quiescent-flowing-colloid-polymer

Research

JoVE Journal

Chemistry

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Here, we describe a protocol for synthesis of magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles with a strong magnetic moment and a strong near-infrared (NIR) absorbance. The protocol also includes antibody conjugation to the nanoparticles through the Fc moiety for various biomedical applications which require molecular specific targeting.

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Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This protocol describes the preparation and characterization of a dendrimeric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent that carries cyclen-based macrocyclic chelates coordinating paramagnetic gadolinium ions. In a series of MRI experiments in vitro, this agent produced an amplified MRI signal when compared to the commercially available monomeric analogue.

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We present a protocol for creating a real-time movie of a molecular rotational wave packet using a high-resolution Coulomb explosion imaging setup.

We present a method for visualizing laser-induced, ultrafast molecular rotational wave packet dynamics. We have developed a new 2-dimensional Coulomb ...

Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene

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We describe an experiment designed to probe the electronic damage induced in nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene (C60) by intense, femtosecond pulses of X-rays. The experiment found that, surprisingly, rather than being stochastic, the X-ray induced electron dynamics in C60 are highly correlated, extending over hundreds of unit cells within the crystals1.

The precise details of the interaction of intense X-ray pulses with matter are a topic of intense interest to researchers attempting to interpret the ...

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Here, we present a protocol to remove aldehydes and reactive ketones from mixtures by a liquid-liquid extraction protocol directly with saturated sodium bisulfite in a miscible solvent. This combined protocol is rapid and facile to perform. The aldehyde or ketone can be re-isolated by the basification of the aqueous layer.

The purification of organic compounds is an essential component of routine synthetic operations. The ability to remove contaminants into an aqueous layer ...

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Here, we present protocols for the synthesis of disaccharide nucleosides by the regioselective O-glycosylation of ribonucleosides via a temporary protection of their 2&#39;,3&#39;-diol moieties utilizing a cyclic boronic ester. This method applies to several unprotected nucleosides such as adenosine, guanosine, cytidine, uridine, 5-methyluridine, and 5-fluorouridine to give corresponding disaccharide nucleosides.

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Positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging sites that are involved in multiple early clinical research trials need robust and versatile radiotracer manufacturing capabilities. Using the radiotracer [18F]Clofarabine as an example, we illustrate how to automate the synthesis of a radiotracer using a flexible, cassette-based radiosynthesizer and validate the synthesis for clinical use.

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Technical Aspect of the Automated Synthesis and Real-Time Kinetic Evaluation of [11C]SNAP-7941

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Positron emission tomography (PET) is an essential molecular imaging technique providing insights into pathways and using specific targeted radioligands ...

Resolving Water, Proteins, and Lipids from In Vivo Confocal Raman Spectra of Stratum Corneum through a Chemometric Approach

Development of this in vivo confocal Raman spectroscopic method enables the direct measurement of water, proteins, and lipids with depth resolution in human subjects. This information is very important for skin-related diseases and characterizing skin care product performance. This protocol illustrates a method for confocal Raman spectra collection and the subsequent analysis of the spectral dataset leveraging chemometrics. The goal of this method is to establish a standard protocol for data collection and provide general guidance for data analysis. Preprocessing (e.g., removal of outlier spectra) is a critical step when processing large datasets from clinical studies. As an example, we provide guidance based on prior knowledge of a dataset to identify the types of outliers and develop specific strategies to remove them. A principal component analysis is performed, and the loading spectra are compared with spectra from reference materials to select the number of components used in the final multivariate curve resolution (MCR) analysis. This approach is successful for extracting meaningful information from a large spectral dataset.

Here, we present a protocol for collection of confocal Raman spectra from human subjects in clinical studies combined with chemometric approaches for spectral outlier removal and the subsequent extraction of key features.

Development of this in vivo confocal Raman spectroscopic method enables the direct measurement of water, proteins, and lipids with depth resolution in ...

Solid Phase 11C-Methylation, Purification and Formulation for the Production of PET Tracers

Routine production of radiotracers used in positron emission tomography (PET) mostly relies on wet chemistry where the radioactive synthon reacts with a non-radioactive precursor in solution. This approach necessitates purification of the tracer by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by reformulation in a biocompatible solvent for human administration. We recently developed a novel 11C-methylation approach for the highly efficient synthesis of carbon-11 labeled PET radiopharmaceuticals, taking advantage of solid phase cartridges as disposable &#34;3-in-1&#34; units for the synthesis, purification and reformulation of the tracers. This approach obviates the use of preparative HPLC and reduces the losses of the tracer in transfer lines and due to radioactive decay. Furthermore, the cartridge-based technique improves synthesis reliability, simplifies the automation process and facilitates compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements. Here, we demonstrate this technique on the example of production of a PET tracer Pittsburgh compound B ([11C]PiB), a gold standard in vivo imaging agent for amyloid plaques in the human brains.

Solid Phase 11C-Methylation, Purification and Formulation for the Production of PET Tracers

We report an efficient carbon-11 radiolabeling technique to produce clinically relevant tracers for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) using solid phase extraction cartridges. 11C-methylating agent is passed through a cartridge preloaded with precursor and successive elution with aqueous ethanol provides chemically and radiochemically pure PET tracers in high radiochemical yields.

Routine production of radiotracers used in positron emission tomography (PET) mostly relies on wet chemistry where the radioactive synthon reacts with a ...