1. A belt or belt segment defining a longitudinal direction and comprising:
a plurality of steel ropes arranged to be essentially mutually in parallel and to extend essentially in said longitudinal direction;
said belt or belt segment having at least one open end whereat said steel ropes have respective rope segments extending outwardly therefrom; and,
an attachment device disposed at said open end and being attached to at least a portion of said rope segments via clamping.
2. The belt or belt segment of claim 1, further comprising essentially an elastomer material with said steel ropes being embedded therein as reinforcement elements.
3. An attachment device for a belt or belt segment defining a longitudinal direction and having a plurality of steel ropes arranged essentially mutually in parallel and extending essentially in said longitudinal direction, the attachment device comprising:
a first component region having a connecting element configured to coact with a corresponding connecting element; and,
a second component region having a clamping unit for receiving said steel ropes at least partially therein and said clamping unit being configured to hold said steel ropes therein by clamping said steel ropes.
4. The attachment device of claim 3, wherein said belt or belt segment comprises essentially an elastomeric material with said steel ropes being embedded therein as reinforcement elements.
5. The attachment device of claim 4, wherein said clamping unit has a plurality of openings for accommodating corresponding ones of said steel ropes therein whereat steel ropes are clamped.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Photolinker macromolecule, which is a saccharide-based polymer that contains photoactivable groups apt to be activated at a wavelength of at least 320 nm, and sulfur-containing groups, the sulfur-containing groups being selected from the group consisting of thiol (\u2014SH), thioacid (\u2014COSH), dithioacid (\u2014CSSH), sulfide (\u2014S\u2014) and disulfide (\u2014SS\u2014), attached to a metallic substrate.
2. Macromolecule of claim 1, covalently bonded to a biomolecule in an active form.
3. Macromolecule of claim 1, wherein the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of agarose, dextran, carrageenan, alginic acid, starch, and cellulose, and a derivative thereof.
4. Macromolecule of claim 1, wherein the polysaccharide is dextran, in particular amino-dextran or carboxymethyl-dextran.
5. Macromolecule of claim 4, wherein the saccharide is amino-dextrane or carboxydextrane, the total amino functions or carboxy functions available for subsequent functionalization with both the photoactivatable groups and the sulfur-containing groups being 0.01 to 0.5 mol per mol glucose monomer.
6. Macromolecule of claim 1, wherein the photoactivable groups are selected from the group consisting of aryldiazirines and benzophenones.
7. Macromolecule of claim 1, wherein the photoactivable groups are selected from the group consisting 4-(p-azidosalicylamido)butylamine, N-hydroxysuccinimidyl-4-azidosalicylic acid, p o-phenone-4-maleimide, 4-benzylbenzoic adic succimidyl ester, or -azidophenyl-isothiocyanate, benzophenone-4-isothiocyanate, benz 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-isothiocyanophenyl) diazirine
8. Macromolecule of claim 1, wherein the metal is selected from the group of aluminum, copper, gold, palladium, platinum and silver.
9. Sensing surface of biosensor, which comprises a macromolecule of claim 2.
10. Microarray, which comprises a macromolecule of claim 2.
11. Nanoparticle, nanoassembly or microparticle comprising a macromolecule of claim 2.
12. Method of preparing a preparing a photolinker macromolecule of claim 1 which comprises derivatizing a polysaccharide by multiple substitution with photoactivable groups and sulfur-containing groups, and attaching the derivatized saccharide to a metal by chemisorption or sulfur-metal complex formation processes.
13. Method of preparing a macromolecule of claim 2 which comprises submitting a mixture of a photolinker macromolecule, which is a saccharide-based polymer that contains photoactivable groups apt to be activated at a wavelength of at least 320 nm, and sulfur-containing groups, the sulfur-containing groups being selected from the group consisting of thiol (\u2014SH), thioacid (\u2014COSH), dithioacid (\u2014CSSH), sulfide (\u2014S\u2014) and disulfide (\u2014SS\u2014), attached to a metallic substrate and a biomolecule in an active form to a photoreaction at wavelength of at least 320 nm, in the absence of any incident light below 320 nm.
14. Macromolecule of claim 2, wherein the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of agarose, dextran, carrageenan, alginic acid, starch, and cellulose, and a derivative thereof.
15. Macromolecule of claim 2, wherein the polysaccharide is dextran, in particular amino-dextran or carboxymethyl-dextran.
16. Macromolecule of claim 15, wherein the saccharide is amino-dextrane or carboxydextrane, the total amino functions or carboxy functions available for subsequent functionalization with both the photoactivatable groups and the sulfur-containing groups being 0.01 to 0.5 mol per mol glucose monomer.