Activity Report 2010 - CNRS

SCIENTIFIC REPORT
The Nano-Chemistry and
Biology Facility
The objectives of these facilities are to
provide to the community the tools for
the synthesis and characterisation of
molecules as well as the equipments
required for analysis of organic/inorganic
heterostructures and interfaces.
NanoBio:
The "Plateforme NanoBio-Chimie" located
on the campus of Grenoble University
offers equipments and tools for the
synthesis of molecules, the grafting on
surfaces and their characterisation (mass
spectroscopy, AFM, IR spectroscopy...)
and the imagery.
IBS:
The electron microscopy team of the
‘Institut de Biologie Structurale’ (IBS) has
developed the tools to study fragile
materials such as living cells, proteins ,…
grafted on inorganic nanostructures.
The nano-chemistry and biology facility
initiated in 2006 is dedicated to the
conception and synthesis of bio molecules
and to surface grafting. It is now well
equipped for analytical characterization of
final products, functionalized surfaces
and molecular interactions, and is largely
open to the community - the number of
users increasing regularly.
In 2008, the Foundation funded the
purchase of an atomic force microscope
AFM that works in biological media. Set
up at the ‘Interdisciplinary Physics
Laboratory’ (LIPhy), this new equipment
belongs to the Nanobio facility (East
Campus) and scientific activities have
really started in September 2009.
Coupled to an inverted Zeiss optical
microscope, the JKP-Berlin AFM-Bio
instrument allows various measurements
such as cell-cell adhesion properties, the
elasticity of gels or the topography of
biological cells (Fig.5).
The types of molecules analyzed by this
technique are:
biopolymers (oligonucleotides,
peptides, carbohydrates)
synthetic polymers
various modified molecular
objects functionalized by bio-organic
molecules tag
bio organic and inorganic
complexes (non-covalent structure).
MALDI-TOF mass spectral analysis was
used to characterize the relative
molecular weight distribution of low
molecular weight polymers - decanoate
-CD ester (-CD-C 10 ) - presenting a
low polydispersity of substitution. The
correlation between the nanoparticle
ultrastructure and the total degree of
substitution has been demonstrated in
the case of -CD-C 10 derivatives. (DPM-
ICMG).
It will also be possible to perform surface
imaging (laser Smartbeam TM available
with this new instrument). This feature
has been used to discriminate between
different in vitro bacteria culture
(preliminary work, CERMAV-ICMG)
Finally, using modified supports by
adjunction of carbon nanotubes or others
nanoparticles (gold), it will be possible to
increase the capabilities of the
instrument. The mass spectrometry
technical staff is composed by 1 research
engineer (CNRS), 1 design engineer
(UJF) and 2 Technicians (CNRS and UJF).
In 2009, the NanoBio facility acquired a
new Maldi-ToF mass spectrometer
(standing for ‘Matrix assisted laser
desorption/ionisation – Time of Flight’).
The objectives of this facility are to
provide to the community the tools for
the characterization by mass
spectrometry of various kinds of
molecules of high mass (superior limit
500 000 Da).
Fig. 5: Example of AFM topography on
biological cell.
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