Fluctuation-induced dispersion forces on thin DNA films.

In this work, the calculation of Casimir forces across thin DNA films is carried out based on the Lifshitz theory. The variations of Casimir forces due to the DNA thicknesses, volume fractions of containing water, covering media, and substrates are investigated. For a DNA film suspended in air or water, the Casimir force is attractive, and its magnitude increases with decreasing thickness of DNA films and the water volume fraction. For DNA films deposited on a dielectric (silica) substrate, the Casimir force is attractive for the air environment. However, the Casimir force shows unusual features in a water environment. Under specific conditions, switching sign of the Casimir force from attractive to repulsive can be achieved by increasing the DNA-film thickness. Finally, the Casimir force for DNA films deposited on a metallic substrate is investigated. The Casimir force is dominated by the repulsive interactions at a small DNA-film thickness for both the air and water environments. In a water environment, the Casimir force turns out to be attractive for a large DNA-film thickness, and a stable Casimir equilibrium can be found. The influences of electrolyte screening on the Casimir pressure of DNA films are also discussed at the end. In addition to the adhesion stability, our finding could be applicable to the problems of condensation and decondensation of DNA, due to fluctuation-induced dispersion forces.

[Simultaneous determination of the total content of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Se, Sb in paint coating on toys by ICP-AES].

ICP-AES was used for the simultaneous determination of the total content of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Se, Sb in paint coating on toys. Digestion procedures of these materials with different acid mixtures have been developed. The sample was dissvolved in the acid mixture of nitric acid, tartaric acid, and a little phosphoric acid. The matrix elements effect was studied and the preferable experimental conditions were investigated. The recovery rates of this procedure were between 99% and 109%. The RSD was within 1.5%. The proposed method was simple, rapid and can be used in daily inspection of toys.