School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
School of Physics, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2024 Jun 17;7(6):4029-4038. doi: 10.1021/acsabm.4c00367. Epub 2024 May 16.
Pollen grains are remarkable material composites, with various organelles in their fragile interior protected by a strong shell made of sporopollenin. The outermost layer of angiosperm pollen grains contains a lipid-rich substance called pollenkitt, which is a natural bioadhesive that helps preserve structural integrity when the pollen grain is exposed to external environmental stresses. In addition, its viscous nature enables it to adhere to various floral and insect surfaces, facilitating the pollination process. To examine the physicochemical properties of aqueous pollenkitt droplets, we used in-line digital holographic microscopy to capture light scattering from individual pollenkitt particles. Comparison of pollenkitt holograms to those modeled using the Lorenz-Mie theory enables investigations into the minute variations in the refractive index and size resulting from changes in local temperature and pollen aging.
花粉粒是由各种细胞器组成的特殊复合材料,其脆弱的内部被一层由孢粉素组成的坚固外壳所保护。被子植物花粉粒的最外层含有一种富含脂质的物质,称为花粉粒胶,它是一种天然的生物粘合剂,有助于在花粉粒暴露于外部环境压力时保持结构完整性。此外,其粘性特性使其能够附着在各种花卉和昆虫表面,促进授粉过程。为了研究水基花粉粒胶滴的物理化学性质,我们使用在线数字全息显微镜来捕获单个花粉粒胶的光散射。将花粉粒胶的全息图与使用洛伦兹-米理论建模的全息图进行比较,可以研究局部温度变化和花粉老化导致的折射率和尺寸的微小变化。