Atom-scale depth localization of biologically important chemical elements in molecular layers.

ABSTRACT: In nature, biomolecules are often organized as functional thin layers in interfacial architectures, the most prominent examples being biological membranes. Biomolecular layers play also important roles in context with biotechnological surfaces, for instance, when they are the result of adsorption processes. For the understanding of many biological or biotechnologically relevant phenomena, detailed structural insight into the involved biomolecular layers is required. Here, we use standing-wave X-ray fluorescence (SWXF) to localize chemical elements in solid-supported lipid and protein layers with near-Ångstrom precision. The technique complements traditional specular reflectometry experiments that merely yield the layers' global density profiles. While earlier work mostly focused on relativ

SUBMITTER: Schneck E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5003287 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature