Tuning Intermolecular Interactions with Nanostructured Environments

in Chemistry of Materials (2016), ASAP

Tuning the defect configurations in nematic and smectic liquid crystalline shells.

in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A : Mathematical and Physical Sciences (2013), 371(1988), 20120258

Thin liquid crystalline shells surrounding and surrounded by aqueous phases can be conveniently produced using a nested capillary microfluidic system, as was first demonstrated by Fernandez-Nieves et al ... [more ▼]

Thin liquid crystalline shells surrounding and surrounded by aqueous phases can be conveniently produced using a nested capillary microfluidic system, as was first demonstrated by Fernandez-Nieves et al. in 2007. By choosing particular combinations of stabilizers in the internal and external phases, different types of alignment, uniform or hybrid, can be ensured within the shell. Here, we investigate shells in the nematic and smectic phases under varying boundary conditions, focusing in particular on textural transformations during phase transitions, on the interaction between topological defects in the director field and inclusions in the liquid crystal (LC), and on the possibility to relocate defects within the shell by rotating the shell in the gravitational field. We demonstrate that inclusions in a shell can seed defects that cannot form in a pristine shell, adding a further means of tuning the defect configuration, and that shells in which the internal aqueous phase is not density matched with the LC will gently rearrange the internal structure upon a rotation that changes the influence of gravity. Because the defects can act as anchor points for added linker molecules, allowing self-assembly of adjacent shells, the various arrangements of defects developing in these shells and the possibility of tuning the result by modifying boundary conditions, LC phase, thickness and diameter of the shell or applying external forces make this new LC configuration very attractive. [less ▲]

Tuning the Magneto-Optical Response of Nanosize Ferromagnetic Ni Disks Using the Phase of Localized Plasmons

in Physical Review Letters (2013), 111(16), 167401

We explore the influence of the phase of localized plasmon resonances on the magneto-optical activity of nanoferromagnets. We demonstrate that these systems can be described as two orthogonal damped ... [more ▼]

We explore the influence of the phase of localized plasmon resonances on the magneto-optical activity of nanoferromagnets. We demonstrate that these systems can be described as two orthogonal damped oscillators coupled by the spin-orbit interaction. We prove that only the spin-orbit induced transverse plasmon plays an active role on the magneto-optical properties by controlling the relative amplitude and phase lag between the two oscillators. Our theoretical predictions are fully confirmed by magneto-optical Kerr effect and optical extinction measurements in nanostructures of different size and shape. [less ▲]

Tuning the Pseudospin Polarization of Graphene by a Pseudomagnetic Field

in Nano Letters (2017), 17

One of the intriguing characteristics of honeycomb lattices is the appearance of a pseudomagnetic field as a result of mechanical deformation. In the case of graphene, the Landau quantization resulting ... [more ▼]

One of the intriguing characteristics of honeycomb lattices is the appearance of a pseudomagnetic field as a result of mechanical deformation. In the case of graphene, the Landau quantization resulting from this pseudomagnetic field has been measured using scanning tunneling microscopy. Here we show that a signature of the pseudomagnetic field is a local sublattice symmetry breaking observable as a redistribution of the local density of states. This can be interpreted as a polarization of graphene’s pseudospin due to a strain induced pseudomagnetic field, in analogy to the alignment of a real spin in a magnetic field. We reveal this sublattice symmetry breaking by tunably straining graphene using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The tip locally lifts the graphene membrane from a SiO2 support, as visible by an increased slope of the I(z) curves. The amount of lifting is consistent with molecular dynamics calculations, which reveal a deformed graphene area under the tip in the shape of a Gaussian. The pseudomagnetic field induced by the deformation becomes visible as a sublattice symmetry breaking which scales with the lifting height of the strained deformation and therefore with the pseudomagnetic field strength. Its magnitude is quantitatively reproduced by analytic and tight-binding models, revealing fields of 1000 T. These results might be the starting point for an effective THz valley filter, as a basic element of valleytronics. [less ▲]

Tuning the work function of stepped metal surfaces by adsorption of organic molecules

in Journal of Physics : Condensed Matter (2017), 29

Understanding the binding mechanisms for aromatic molecules on transition-metal surfaces, especially with defects such as vacancies, steps and kinks, is a major challenge in designing functional ... [more ▼]

Understanding the binding mechanisms for aromatic molecules on transition-metal surfaces, especially with defects such as vacancies, steps and kinks, is a major challenge in designing functional interfaces for organic devices. One important parameter in the performance of organic/inorganic devices is the barrier of charge carrier injection. In the case of a metallic electrode, tuning the electronic interface potential or the work function for electronic level alignment is crucial. Here, we use density-functional theory (DFT) calculations with van der Waals (vdW) interactions treated with both screened pairwise (vdWsurf) and many-body dispersion (MBD) methods, to systematically study the interactions of benzene with a variety of stepped surfaces. Our calculations confirm the physisorptive character of Ag(2 1 1), Ag(5 3 3), Ag(3 2 2), Ag(7 5 5) and Ag(5 4 4) surfaces upon the adsorption of benzene. The MBD effects reduce the adsorption energies by about 0.15 eV per molecule compared to the results from the DFT + vdWsurf method. In addition, we find that the higher the step density, the larger the reduction of the work function upon the adsorption of benzene. We also study the effect of vdW interactions on the electronic structure using a fully selfconsistent implementation of the vdWsurf method in the Kohn–Sham DFT framework. We find that the self-consistent vdWsurf effects increase the work function due to the lowered Fermi level and the increased vacuum level. As a result, the benzene/Ag(2 1 1) system has the lowest work function (3.67 eV) among the five adsorption systems, significantly smaller than the work function of the clean Ag(1 1 1) surface (4.74 eV). Our results provide important insights into the stability and electronic properties of molecules adsorbed on stepped metal surfaces, which could help in designing more appropriate interfaces with low work functions for electron transfer. [less ▲]

Tunneling Conductivity in Composites of Attractive Colloids

in Journal of Chemical Physics (2012), 136(164903), 1-5

Turkey declares state of emergency and derogates from ECHR after failed coup d’état

E-print/Working paper (2016)

Turkish migrants and native Germans compared: The effect of inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic friendships on the transition from unemployment to work

in International Migration (2012), 50(1), 39-54

The Turkish State of Emergency Under Turkish Constitutional Law and International Human Rights Law

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Turn up the heat: circulating serotonin tunes our internal heating system.

in Cell metabolism (2015), 21(2), 156-8

Serotonin acts as neurotransmitter in the brain and as a multifaceted signaling molecule coordinating many physiological processes in the periphery. In a recent issue of Nature Medicine, Crane et al ... [more ▼]

Serotonin acts as neurotransmitter in the brain and as a multifaceted signaling molecule coordinating many physiological processes in the periphery. In a recent issue of Nature Medicine, Crane et al. (2014) find that peripheral serotonin controls thermogenesis in adipose tissue by modulating beta-adrenergic stimulation of UCP-1, thereby affecting glucose homeostasis and weight gain. [less ▲]