Lipid Monolayer Formation and Lipid Exchange Monitored by a Graphene Field-Effect Transistor.

Anionic and cationic lipids are key molecules involved in many cellular processes; their distribution in biomembranes is highly asymmetric, and their concentration is well-controlled. Graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (SGFETs) exhibit high sensitivity toward the presence of surface charges. Here, we establish conditions that allow the observation of the formation of charged lipid layers on solution-gated field-effect transistors in real time.

Uniformly coated highly porous graphene/MnO foams for flexible asymmetric supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors are called to play a prominent role in the newly emerging markets of electric vehicles, flexible displays and sensors, and wearable electronics. In order to compete with current battery technology, supercapacitors have to be designed with highly conductive current collectors exhibiting high surface area per unit volume and uniformly coated with pseudocapacitive materials, which is crucial to boost the energy density while maintaining a high power density. Here, we present a versatile technique to prepare thickness-controlled thin-film micro graphene foams (μGFs) with pores in the lower micrometer range grown by chemical vapor deposition which can be used as highly conductive current collectors in flexible supercapacitors.

Alignment and Graphene-Assisted Decoration of Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals Containing DNA Origami Nanostructures.

Composites of DNA origami nanostructures dispersed in a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal are studied by polarizing optical microscopy. The homogeneous aqueous dispersions can be uniformly aligned by confinement between two glass substrates, either parallel to the substrates owing to uniaxial rubbing or perpendicular to the substrates using ozonized graphene layers. These opportunities of uniform alignment may pave the way for tailored anisometric plasmonic DNA nanostructures to photonic materials.

Photocatalytic Stability of Single- and Few-Layer MoS₂.

MoS2 crystals exhibit excellent catalytic properties and great potential for photocatalytic production of solar fuels such as hydrogen gas. In this regard, the photocatalytic stability of exfoliated single- and few-layer MoS2 immersed in water is investigated by μ-Raman spectroscopy. We find that while the basal plane of MoS2 can be treated as stable under photocatalytic conditions, the edge sites and presumably also defect sites are highly affected by a photoinduced corrosion process.

Electrical coupling between cells and graphene transistors.

In this work, both experimental data and a model are presented on the coupling between living cells and graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors. Modified HEK 293 cells are successfully cultured on graphene transistor arrays and electrically accessed by the patch clamp method. Transistor recordings are presented, showing the opening and closing of voltage-gated potassium ion channels in the cell membrane.

Cornering law: the difficulty of negotiating corners with an unmanned ground vehicle.

Objective: We investigated skill development and workload of pilots driving teleoperated unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) through different apertures and viewpoints using the cornering law.

Background: Due to technological and cost restraints, humans are still needed for tasks involving UGVs. Operators of teleoperated UGVs are likely to have less situation awareness and thus are more prone to getting stuck or damaged when negotiating apertures.