Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    Light emission intensities of luminescent Y2O3:Eu and Gd2O3:Eu particles of various sizes
    (Basel : MDPI, 2017) Adam, Jens; Metzger, Wilhelm; Koch, Marcus; Rogin, Peter; Coenen, Toon; Atchison, Jennifer S.; König, Peter
    There is great technological interest in elucidating the effect of particle size on the luminescence efficiency of doped rare earth oxides. This study demonstrates unambiguously that there is a size effect and that it is not dependent on the calcination temperature. The Y2O3:Eu and Gd2O3:Eu particles used in this study were synthesized using wet chemistry to produce particles ranging in size between 7 nm and 326 nm and a commercially available phosphor. These particles were characterized using three excitation methods: UV light at 250 nm wavelength, electron beam at 10 kV, and X-rays generated at 100 kV. Regardless of the excitation source, it was found that with increasing particle diameter there is an increase in emitted light. Furthermore, dense particles emit more light than porous particles. These results can be explained by considering the larger surface area to volume ratio of the smallest particles and increased internal surface area of the pores found in the large particles. For the small particles, the additional surface area hosts adsorbates that lead to non-radiative recombination, and in the porous particles, the pore walls can quench fluorescence. This trend is valid across calcination temperatures and is evident when comparing particles from the same calcination temperature.
  • Item
    Fluorescence Microscopy of the HIV-1 Envelope
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Carravilla, Pablo; Nieva, José L.; Eggeling, Christian
    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection constitutes a major health and social issue worldwide. HIV infects cells by fusing its envelope with the target cell plasma membrane. This process is mediated by the viral Env glycoprotein and depends on the envelope lipid composition. Fluorescent microscopy has been employed to investigate the envelope properties, and the processes of viral assembly and fusion, but the application of this technique to the study of HIV is still limited by a number of factors, such as the small size of HIV virions or the difficulty to label the envelope components. Here, we review fluorescence imaging studies of the envelope lipids and proteins, focusing on labelling strategies and model systems.