Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Nanospiked bacteria are the brightest hard X-ray emitters

This image shows a 10,000 fold enhanced X-ray emission from nanoparticle doped bacteria, from plasma generated by intense ultra short infrared pulses.
CREDIT: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
This image shows a 10,000 fold enhanced X-ray emission from nanoparticle doped bacteria, from plasma generated by intense ultra short infrared pulses.

CREDIT: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Abstract:
In a step that overturns traditional assumptions and practice, researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai and Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhi Nagar have fashioned bacteria to emit intense, hard x-ray radiation.

Nanospiked bacteria are the brightest hard X-ray emitters

Mumbai, India | Posted on July 2nd, 2015

When one thinks of hard x-rays and bacteria it is usually that the bacteria are at the receiving end of the x-ray source - being imaged, irradiated for some modification or simply assessed for radiation damage. One hardly thinks of using bacteria as a source of x-rays, far from turning them into the brightest among such sources.

The experiment consists of a femtosecond, infrared, high intensity laser irradiating a glass slide coated with E. coli bacterial cells, turning the cell material into a hot, dense plasma. Laser driven plasmas have been known to be very useful table top x-ray sources and efforts are constantly being made to improve their brightness. One such effort, an important one, has been to create plasmas on a nanostructured surface where the nanostructure amplifies the incident intensity by electromagnetic local field enhancement. The present advance has been made possible by the insight the researchers had when they realized that natural micro and nanostructures in the bacteria can be readily used for such intensity enhancement leading to hotter, brighter plasma. They showed that the bacterial cells increased the x-ray flux by a factor of 100 in the 50 - 300 keV x-ray region [1]. Further they grow the bacterial cells in a silver chloride solution whereby the silver atoms aggregated as nanoparticles inside the cell. They could then use these bacteria spiked with nanoparticles to boost the emission another 100 times, leading to an overall enhancement of 10,000 times from the flux emitted by plain glass slides without the bacterial coating [1]. This is the highest conversion of laser light to hard x-rays ever achieved.

This lateral stride could potentially lead to biologically inspired plasma physics and high energy density science with myriad applications among novel particle sources, creation of extreme excited states and related areas.

[1] Enhanced x-ray emission from nano-particle doped bacteria, Krishnamurthy et.al., Opt. Exp. (2015); ibid Opt. Exp. 20, 5754-5761 (2012).

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
M Krishnamurthy

91-850-002-7747

Copyright © Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Physics

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

Scientists use heat to create transformations between skyrmions and antiskyrmions January 12th, 2024

Focused ion beam technology: A single tool for a wide range of applications January 12th, 2024

Discoveries

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project