Surfaces and Interfaces of Nanoscale Silicon Materials

2013 ◽  
Vol 1550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean R. Wagner ◽  
Pengpeng Zhang

AbstractSurfaces and interfaces play a critical role in determining properties and functions of nanomaterials, in many cases dominating bulk properties, owing to the large surface- and interface-area-to-volume ratio. Using Si nanomembranes, a well-controlled two-dimensional single-crystalline semiconductor, as a prototype system, we discuss how surfaces and interfaces influence electrical transport properties at the nanoscale. We show that electronic conduction in Si nanomembranes is not determined by bulk dopants but by the interplay of surface and interface electronic structures with the “bulk” band structure of the thin Si membrane. Additionally, we describe our recent experimental results on the control of highly ordered molecular structures on Si surfaces, which is of intense interest for the integration of ordered organic thin films in silicon-based electronics. This could also potentially lead to the rational design of Si nanostructures with controlled properties through regulation of the surface chemistry.

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 382
Author(s):  
Camelia-Maria Toma ◽  
Silvia Imre ◽  
Camil-Eugen Vari ◽  
Daniela-Lucia Muntean ◽  
Amelia Tero-Vescan

Plasma protein binding plays a critical role in drug therapy, being a key part in the characterization of any compound. Among other methods, this process is largely studied by ultrafiltration based on its advantages. However, the method also has some limitations that could negatively influence the experimental results. The aim of this study was to underline key aspects regarding the limitations of the ultrafiltration method, and the potential ways to overcome them. The main limitations are given by the non-specific binding of the substances, the effect of the volume ratio obtained, and the need of a rigorous control of the experimental conditions, especially pH and temperature. This review presents a variety of methods that can hypothetically reduce the limitations, and concludes that ultrafiltration remains a reliable method for the study of protein binding. However, the methodology of the study should be carefully chosen.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5989
Author(s):  
Bilal Ahmad ◽  
Maria Batool ◽  
Moon Suk Kim ◽  
Sangdun Choi

Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling plays a critical role in the induction and progression of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematous, experimental autoimmune encephalitis, type 1 diabetes mellitus and neurodegenerative diseases. Deciphering antigen recognition by antibodies provides insights and defines the mechanism of action into the progression of immune responses. Multiple strategies, including phage display and hybridoma technologies, have been used to enhance the affinity of antibodies for their respective epitopes. Here, we investigate the TLR4 antibody-binding epitope by computational-driven approach. We demonstrate that three important residues, i.e., Y328, N329, and K349 of TLR4 antibody binding epitope identified upon in silico mutagenesis, affect not only the interaction and binding affinity of antibody but also influence the structural integrity of TLR4. Furthermore, we predict a novel epitope at the TLR4-MD2 interface which can be targeted and explored for therapeutic antibodies and small molecules. This technique provides an in-depth insight into antibody–antigen interactions at the resolution and will be beneficial for the development of new monoclonal antibodies. Computational techniques, if coupled with experimental methods, will shorten the duration of rational design and development of antibody therapeutics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongha Shin ◽  
Hwa Rang Kim ◽  
Byung Hee Hong

Since of its first discovery, graphene has attracted much attention because of the unique electrical transport properties that can be applied to high-performance field-effect transistor (FET). However, mounting chemical functionalities...


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 746
Author(s):  
Meiling Hong ◽  
Lidong Dai ◽  
Haiying Hu ◽  
Xinyu Zhang

A series of investigations on the structural, vibrational, and electrical transport characterizations for Ga2Se3 were conducted up to 40.2 GPa under different hydrostatic environments by virtue of Raman scattering, electrical conductivity, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Upon compression, Ga2Se3 underwent a phase transformation from the zinc-blende to NaCl-type structure at 10.6 GPa under non-hydrostatic conditions, which was manifested by the disappearance of an A mode and the noticeable discontinuities in the pressure-dependent Raman full width at half maximum (FWHMs) and electrical conductivity. Further increasing the pressure to 18.8 GPa, the semiconductor-to-metal phase transition occurred in Ga2Se3, which was evidenced by the high-pressure variable-temperature electrical conductivity measurements. However, the higher structural transition pressure point of 13.2 GPa was detected for Ga2Se3 under hydrostatic conditions, which was possibly related to the protective influence of the pressure medium. Upon decompression, the phase transformation and metallization were found to be reversible but existed in the large pressure hysteresis effect under different hydrostatic environments. Systematic research on the high-pressure structural and electrical transport properties for Ga2Se3 would be helpful to further explore the crystal structure evolution and electrical transport properties for other A2B3-type compounds.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3222
Author(s):  
Kamil Goc ◽  
Janusz Przewoźnik ◽  
Katarzyna Witulska ◽  
Leszek Chlubny ◽  
Waldemar Tokarz ◽  
...  

A study of Ti3Al1−xSixC2 (x = 0 to x = 1) MAX-phase alloys is reported. The materials were obtained from mixtures of Ti3AlC2 and Ti3SiC2 powders with hot pressing sintering technique. They were characterised with X-ray diffraction, heat capacity, electrical resistivity, and magnetoresistance measurements. The results show a good quality crystal structure and metallic properties with high residual resistivity. The resistivity weakly varies with Si doping and shows a small, positive magnetoresistance effect. The magnetoresistance exhibits a quadratic dependence on the magnetic field, which indicates a dominant contribution from open electronic orbits. The Debye temperatures and Sommerfeld coefficient values derived from specific heat data show slight variations with Si content, with decreasing tendency for the former and an increase for the latter. Experimental results were supported by band structure calculations whose results are consistent with the experiment concerning specific heat, resistivity, and magnetoresistance measurements. In particular, they reveal that of the s-electrons at the Fermi level, those of Al and Si have prevailing density of states and, thus predominantly contribute to the metallic conductivity. This also shows that the high residual resistivity of the materials studied is an intrinsic effect, not due to defects of the crystal structure.


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