ORNL researchers develop new method to observe biofuel materials
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have created a new method to look deep into the nanostructure of biomaterials, without causing damage to the sample.
The new technique can confirm structural features in starch, for example, which is important in biofuel production.
The team used the sharp probe tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) to precisely punch tiny holes into a soft surface, such as a biological membrane, creating a detached layer that can then be peeled back.
By using the new nonintrusive soft mechanical nanoablation (sMNA) technique, the ORNL team was able to assess starch granule without altering the nanostructure. Current observation methods result in the damage or destruction of the starch’s outer layer, which can affect the physical properties of the granules.
"Our technique basically lifts the outer membrane," explained Ali Passian of ORNL's Quantum Information Science group. "This leaves the interior structures almost untouched."
The paper, which has been published in the journal ACS Omega, notes that the researchers observed the interior properties of starch granules from stem samples of poplar trees. Although most biofuel produced in the US is sourced from corn kernels broken down into ethanol, poplar trees have long been considered as a feedstock for biofuels as they grow quickly and produce mass amounts of biomass.
The ORNL researchers now want to learn more about the nanoscale properties of both starch granules and structural materials to grow productive poplars and establish how best to use them as feedstock for biofuels.
"Plant cell wall structure is really important if we're going to go to the next generation of biofuels," added Brian Davison, ORNL's chief scientist for systems biology and biotechnology. "This study used starch as an example of how this technique can start to access some of these nanomechanical structural materials that we currently cannot observe in their original cellular surroundings."
ORNL collaborated with Aix Marseille University's Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille on the research.
The new technique can confirm structural features in starch, for example, which is important in biofuel production.
The team used the sharp probe tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) to precisely punch tiny holes into a soft surface, such as a biological membrane, creating a detached layer that can then be peeled back.
By using the new nonintrusive soft mechanical nanoablation (sMNA) technique, the ORNL team was able to assess starch granule without altering the nanostructure. Current observation methods result in the damage or destruction of the starch’s outer layer, which can affect the physical properties of the granules.
"Our technique basically lifts the outer membrane," explained Ali Passian of ORNL's Quantum Information Science group. "This leaves the interior structures almost untouched."
The paper, which has been published in the journal ACS Omega, notes that the researchers observed the interior properties of starch granules from stem samples of poplar trees. Although most biofuel produced in the US is sourced from corn kernels broken down into ethanol, poplar trees have long been considered as a feedstock for biofuels as they grow quickly and produce mass amounts of biomass.
The ORNL researchers now want to learn more about the nanoscale properties of both starch granules and structural materials to grow productive poplars and establish how best to use them as feedstock for biofuels.
"Plant cell wall structure is really important if we're going to go to the next generation of biofuels," added Brian Davison, ORNL's chief scientist for systems biology and biotechnology. "This study used starch as an example of how this technique can start to access some of these nanomechanical structural materials that we currently cannot observe in their original cellular surroundings."
ORNL collaborated with Aix Marseille University's Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille on the research.
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