We explored a very interesting gold nanoparticle system-pegylated gold in colloidal solution-and analyzed its uptake by mice colorectal adenocarcinoma CT26 tumor cells and the impact on the cell's response to x-ray irradiation. We found that exposure to polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified ('pegylated') 4.7 ± 2.6 nm gold nanoparticles synthesized by a novel synchrotron-based method enhances the response of CT26 cells to x-ray irradiation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal microscopy revealed that substantial amounts of such nanoparticles are taken up and absorbed by the cells and this conclusion is supported by quantitative induced coupled plasma (ICP) results. Standard tests indicated that the internalized particles are highly biocompatible but strongly enhance the cell damage induced by x-ray irradiation. Synchrotron radiation Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectromicroscopy analyzed the chemical aspects of this phenomenon: the appearance of C = O stretching bond spectral features could be used as a marker for cell damage and confirmed the enhancement of the radiation-induced toxicity for cells.

Fossilized organic remains are important sources of information because they provide a unique form of biological and evolutionary information, and have the long-term potential for genomic explorations. Here we report evidence of protein preservation in a terrestrial vertebrate found inside the vascular canals of a rib of a 195-million-year-old sauropodomorph dinosaur, where blood vessels and nerves would normally have been present in the living organism. The in situ synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectra exhibit the characteristic infrared absorption bands for amide A and B, amide I, II and III of collagen. Aggregated haematite particles (α-Fe2O3) about 6∼8 μm in diameter are also identified inside the vascular canals using confocal Raman microscopy, where the organic remains were preserved. We propose that these particles likely had a crucial role in the preservation of the proteins, and may be remnants partially contributed from haemoglobin and other iron-rich proteins from the original blood.

Herein is described a general sampling protocol that includes culture, differentiation and fixing of cells in their preferred morphology on the one sample substrate (Si(3)N(4)) to enable subsequent diverse modern microspectroscopic analyses. The protocol enables unprecedented correlated and complementary information on the intracellular biochemistry of metabolic processes, diseases and their treatment, which offers the opportunity to revolutionize our understanding of cell and tissue biology at a molecular level. The culture of adherent cells onto inexpensive Si(3)N(4) membranes allows microspectroscopic analyses across the electromagnetic spectrum, from hard X-ray fluorescence (both XRF and XANES), through to visible and fluorescence light microscopies, and infrared microspectroscopy without substrate interference. Adherent mammalian cell lines (3T3-L1 adipocytes and H9c2 cardiac myocytes) illustrate the in vitro application of these protocols. The cells adhered strongly to Si(3)N(4) membranes and visually displayed normal proliferative and phenotypic growth; more importantly, rapid alcohol fixation of cells did not affect their structural integrity for subsequent analyses.

Although bimetallic core@shell structured nanoparticles (NPs) are achieving prominence due to their multifunctionalities and exceptional catalytic, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties, the rationale underlying their design remains unclear. Here we report a kinetically controlled autocatalytic chemical process, adaptable for use as a general protocol for the fabrication of bimetallic core@shell structured NPs, in which a sacrificial Cu ultrathin layer is autocatalytically deposited on a dimensionally stable noble-metal core under kinetically controlled conditions, which is then displaced to form an active ultrathin metal-layered shell by redox-transmetalation. Unlike thermodynamically controlled under-potential deposition processes, this general strategy allows for the scaling-up of production of high-quality core-shell structured NPs, without the need for any additional reducing agents and/or electrochemical treatments, some examples being Pd@Pt, Pt@Pd, Ir@Pt, and Ir@Pd. Having immediate and obvious commercial potential, Pd@Pt NPs have been systematically characterized by in situ X-ray absorption, electrochemical-FTIR, transmission electron microscopy, and electrochemical techniques, both during synthesis and subsequently during testing in one particularly important catalytic reaction, namely, the oxygen reduction reaction, which is pivotal in fuel cell operation. It was found that the bimetallic Pd@Pt NPs exhibited a significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity, with respect to this reaction, in comparison with their monometallic counterparts.