Stability and instability for low refractive-index-contrast particle trapping in a dual-beam optical trap.

A dual-beam optical trap is used to trap and manipulate dielectric particles. When the refractive index of these particles is comparable to that of the surrounding medium, equilibrium trapping locations within the system shift from stable to unstable depending on fiber separation and particle size. This is due to to the relationship between gradient and scattering forces. We experimentally and computationally study the transitions between stable and unstable trapping of poly(methyl methacrylate) beads for a range of parameters relevant to experimental setups involving giant unilamellar vesicles. We present stability maps for various fiber separations and particle sizes, and find that careful attention to particle size and configuration is necessary to obtain reproducible quantitative results for soft matter stretching experiments.

Note: A micro-perfusion system for use during real-time physiological studies under high pressure.

We construct a micro-perfusion system using piston screw pump generators for use during real-time, high-pressure physiological studies. Perfusion is achieved using two generators, with one generator being compressed while the other is retracted, thus maintaining pressurization while producing fluid flow. We demonstrate control over perfusion rates in the 10-µl/s range and the ability to change between fluid reservoirs at up to 50 MPa. We validate the screw-pump approach by monitoring the cyanide-induced response of UV-excited autofluorescence from Saccharomyces cerevisiae under pressurization.

Micellization and phase separation for triblock copolymer 17R4 in H2O and in D2O.

The reverse Pluronic triblock copolymer 17R4 is formed from poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO): PPO(14)-PEO(24)-PPO(14), where the subscripts denote the number of monomers in each block. In water, 17R4 shows both a transition to aggregated micellar species at lower temperatures and a separation into copolymer-rich and copolymer-poor liquid phases at higher temperatures. For 17R4 in H(2)O and in D(2)O, we have determined (1) the phase boundaries corresponding to the micellization line, (2) the cloud point curves marking the onset of phase separation at various compositions, and (3) the coexistence curves for the phase separation (the compositions of coexisting phases). In both H(2)O and in D(2)O, 17R4 exhibits coexistence curves with lower consolute temperatures and compositions that differ from the minima in the cloud point curves; we take this as an indication of the polydispersity of the micellar species. The coexistence curves for compositions near the critical composition are described well by an Ising model. For 17R4 in both H(2)O and D(2)O, the critical composition is 0.22 ± 0.01 in volume fraction. The critical temperatures differ: 44.8 °C in H(2)O and 43.6 °C in D(2)O. The cloud point curve for the 17R4/D(2)O is as much as 9 °C lower than in H(2)O.