Functional polymers currently represent a basic component of a large range of biological and biomedical applications including molecular release, tissue engineering, bio-sensing and medical imaging. Advancements in these fields are driven by the use of a wide set of biodegradable polymers with controlled physical and bio-interactive properties. In this context, microscopy techniques such as Ato...

Nanotechnology is the set of techniques used to engineer, characterize, and produce materials that have at least one dimension within the nanoscale. These nanomaterials, or nanoobjects, include nanoparticles and nanotubes. As dictated by the laws of quantum physics, a size within the nanoscale results in unique physicochemical properties and distinctive behaviors. Nanotechnology has a host of a...

The development of bacteria on abiotic surfaces has important public health and sanitary consequences. However, despite several decades of study of bacterial adhesion to inert surfaces, the biophysical mechanisms governing this process remain poorly understood, due, in particular, to the lack of methodologies covering the appropriate time scale. Using micrometric colloidal surface particles and...

The present work explores the processability of an advanced aluminum alloy, namely AlCu-TiB2, by selective laser melting (SLM), and correlation between microstructure mechanical properties as built specimens. principal process parameters emission in pulsed wave (PW) mode, power exposure time, were varied to achieve full density parts starting from prealloyed powders. Detailed analysis defects h...

PURPOSE To investigate the biomechanics of the anterior human corneal stroma using atomic force microscopy (AFM). METHODS AFM measurements were performed in liquid on the anterior stroma of human corneas, after gently removing the epithelium, using an atomic force microscope in the force spectroscopy mode. Rectangular silicon cantilevers with tip radius of 10 nm and spring elastic constants o...

PURPOSE To develop standard microscopic hexagonal mosaics mimicking the human corneal endothelium for quality control of endothelial cell density (ECD) measurement and verification of cell counting strategy by light microscopy in eye banks using organ culture. METHODS A standard slide, the Keratotest, was developed with 10 laser-engraved mosaics and different predetermined "cell" densities re...