Multicomponent Electron-Hole Superfluidity and the BCS-BEC Crossover in Double Bilayer Graphene

Superfluidity in coupled electron-hole sheets of bilayer graphene is predicted here to be multicomponent because of the conduction and valence bands. We investigate the superfluid crossover properties as functions of the tunable carrier densities and the tunable energy band gap E_{g}. For small band gaps there is a significant boost in the two superfluid gaps, but the interaction-driven excitations from the valence to the conduction band can weaken the superfluidity, even blocking the system from entering the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) regime at low densities. At a given larger density, a band gap E_{g}∼80-120  meV can carry the system into the strong-pairing multiband BCS-BEC crossover regime, the optimal range for realization of high-T_{c} superfluidity.

Piecewise affine stress-free martensitic inclusions in planar nonlinear elasticity

We consider a partial differential inclusion problem which models stress-free martensitic inclusions in an austenitic matrix, based on the standard geometrically nonlinear elasticity theory. We show that for specific parameter choices there exist piecewise affine continuous solutions for the square-to-oblique and the hexagonal-to-oblique phase transitions. This suggests that for specific crystallographic parameters the hysteresis of the phase transformation will be particularly small.

Predicting molecular self-assembly at surfaces: a statistical thermodynamics and modeling approach

A self-consistent framework based on modeling and statistical mechanics for the theoretical interpretation of self-assembly at surfaces and interfaces is presented.

Perchlorination of Coronene Enhances its Propensity for Self-Assembly on Graphene

Providing a quantitative understanding of the thermodynamics involved in molecular adsorption and self-assembly at a nanostructured carbon material is of fundamental importance and finds outstanding applications in the graphene era. Here, we study the effect of edge perchlorination of coronene, which is a prototypical polyaromatic hydrocarbon, on the binding affinity for the basal planes of graphite. First, by comparing the desorption barrier of hydrogenated versus perchlorinated coronene measured by temperature-programmed desorption, we quantify the enhancement of the strength of physisorption at the single-molecule level though chlorine substitution. Then, by a thermodynamic analysis of the corresponding monolayers based on force-field calculations and statistical mechanics, we show that perchlorination decreases the free energy of self-assembly, not only enthalpically (by enhancing the strength of surface binding), but also entropically (by decreasing the surface concentration). The functional advantage of a chemically modulated 2D self-assembly is demonstrated in the context of the molecule-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite into graphene.

The endogenous caspase-8 inhibitor c-FLIPL regulates ER morphology and crosstalk with mitochondria

Components of the death receptor-mediated pathways like caspase-8 have been identified in complexes at intracellular membranes to spatially restrict the processing of local targets. In this study, we report that the long isoform of the cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP(L)), a well-known inhibitor of the extrinsic cell death initiator caspase-8, localizes at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs). ER morphology was disrupted and ER Ca(2+)-release as well as ER-mitochondria tethering was decreased in c-FLIP(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Mechanistically, c-FLIP ablation resulted in enhanced basal caspase-8 activation and in caspase-mediated processing of the ER-shaping protein reticulon-4 (RTN4) that was corrected by re-introduction of c-FLIP(L) and caspase inhibition, resulting in the recovery of a normal ER morphology and ER-mitochondria juxtaposition. Thus, the caspase-8 inhibitor c-FLIP(L) emerges as a component of the MAMs signaling platforms, where caspases appear to regulate ER morphology and ER-mitochondria crosstalk by impinging on ER-shaping proteins like the RTN4.

A supramolecular strategy to leverage the liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene in the presence of surfactants: unraveling the role of the length of fatty acids

Achieving the full control over the production as well as processability of high-quality graphene represents a major challenge with potential interest in the field of fabrication of multifunctional devices. The outstanding effort dedicated to tackle this challenge in the last decade revealed that certain organic molecules are capable of leveraging the exfoliation of graphite with different efficiencies. Here, a fundamental understanding on a straightforward supramolecular approach for producing homogenous dispersions of unfunctionalized and non-oxidized graphene nanosheets in four different solvents is attained, namely N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, N,N-dimethylformamide, ortho-dichlorobenzene, and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene. In particular, a comparative study on the liquid-phase exfoliation of graphene in the presence of linear alkanes of different lengths terminated by a carboxylic-acid head group is performed. These molecules act as graphene dispersion-stabilizing agents during the exfoliation process. The efficiency of the exfoliation in terms of concentration of exfoliated graphene is found to be proportional to the length of the employed fatty acid. Importantly, a high percentage of single-layer graphene flakes is revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses. A simple yet effective thermodynamic model is developed to interpret the chain-length dependence of the exfoliation yield. This approach relying on the synergistic effect of a ad-hoc solvent and molecules to promote the exfoliation of graphene in liquid media represents a promising and modular strategy towards the rational design of improved dispersion-stabilizing agents.

Surface-induced selection during in situ photoswitching at the solid/liquid interface

Here we report for the first time a submolecularly resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study at the solid/liquid interface of the in situ reversible interconversion between two isomers of a diarylethene photoswitch, that is, open and closed form, self-assembled on a graphite surface. Prolonged irradiation with UV light led to the in situ irreversible formation of another isomer as by-product of the reaction, which due to its preferential physisorption accumulates at the surface. By making use of a simple yet powerful thermodynamic model we provide a quantitative description for the observed surface-induced selection of one isomeric form.

An unanticipated role for survivin in organ transplant damage

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major determinant of graft survival in kidney transplantation. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis that participates in the control of mitosis and cell cycle progression, has been implicated in renal protection and repair after I/R injury; however, no study has been performed in the transplant setting. We investigated the role of survivin in modulating posttransplant I/R injury in syngeneic and allogeneic kidney grafts, and studied whether protection from I/R injury impacted on the recipient immune system, on chronic allograft nephropathy and rejection. We used genetically engineered mice with survivin haploinsufficiency and WT mice in which survivin over-expression was induced by gene-delivery. Survivin haploinsufficiency in syngeneic grafts was associated with exuberant I/R tissue injury, which triggered inflammation eventually resulting in graft loss. Conversely, survivin over-expression in the grafts minimized I/R injury and dysfunction in syngeneic grafts and in a clinically relevant fully MHC-mismatched allogeneic combination. In the latter, survivin over-expression translated into limited anti-donor adaptive immune response and less long-term allograft injury with protection from renal parenchymal damage. Our data support survivin over-expression in the graft as a novel target for protocols aimed at limiting tissue damage at the time of transplant ultimately modulating the recipient immune system.

Sterically driven synthesis of ruthenium and ruthenium–silver N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

A sterically driven synthetic route from non-bulky silver NHC to novel Ru(NHC) complexes and from bulky Ag(NHC) to unprecedented heterobimetallic Ru–Ag(NHC) complexes is presented.