Publications by authors named "Costanzo Tommaso"

When two insulating, neutral materials are contacted and separated, they exchange electrical charge. Experiments have long suggested that this 'contact electrification' is transitive, with different materials ordering into 'triboelectric series' based on the sign of charge acquired. At the same time, the effect is plagued by unpredictability, preventing consensus on the mechanism and casting doubt on the rhyme and reason that series imply.

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This paper introduces a simple method for the measurement of the relative permittivity and the Pockels coefficient of electro-optic (EO) materials in a waveguide up to sub-THz frequencies. By miniaturizing the device and making use of plasmonics, the complexities of traditional methods are mitigated. This work elaborates the fabrication tolerance and simplicity of the method, and highlights its applicability to various materials, substrates and configurations.

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Biological systems are the sum of their dynamic three-dimensional (3D) parts. Therefore, it is critical to study biological structures in 3D and at high resolution to gain insights into their physiological functions. Electron microscopy of metal replicas of unroofed cells and isolated organelles has been a key technique to visualize intracellular structures at nanometer resolution.

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The broad implementation of thermoelectricity requires high-performance and low-cost materials. One possibility is employing surfactant-free solution synthesis to produce nanopowders. We propose the strategy of functionalizing "naked" particles' surface by inorganic molecules to control the nanostructure and, consequently, thermoelectric performance.

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Lymph nodes (LNs) comprise two main structural elements: fibroblastic reticular cells that form dedicated niches for immune cell interaction and capsular fibroblasts that build a shell around the organ. Immunological challenge causes LNs to increase more than tenfold in size within a few days. Here, we characterized the biomechanics of LN swelling on the cellular and organ scale.

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The broad implementation of thermoelectricity requires high-performance and low-cost materials. One possibility is employing surfactant-free solution synthesis to produce nanopowders. We propose the strategy of functionalizing "naked" particles' surface by inorganic molecules to control the nanostructure and, consequently, thermoelectric performance.

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Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is the major route of entry of cargos into cells and thus underpins many physiological processes. During endocytosis, an area of flat membrane is remodeled by proteins to create a spherical vesicle against intracellular forces. The protein machinery which mediates this membrane bending in plants is unknown.

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Solution synthesis of particles emerges as an alternative to prepare thermoelectric materials with less demanding processing conditions than conventional solid-state synthetic methods. However, solution synthesis generally involves the presence of additional molecules or ions belonging to the precursors or added to enable solubility and/or regulate nucleation and growth. These molecules or ions can end up in the particles as surface adsorbates and interfere in the material properties.

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The rational design of monodisperse ferroelectric nanocrystals with controlled size and shape and their organization into hierarchical structures has been a critical step for understanding the polar ordering in nanoscale ferroelectrics, as well as the design of nanocrystal-based functional materials which harness the properties of individual nanoparticles and the collective interactions between them. We report here on the synthesis and self-assembly of aggregate-free, single-crystalline titanium-based perovskite nanoparticles with controlled morphology and surface composition by using a simple, easily scalable and highly versatile colloidal route. Single-crystalline, non-aggregated BaTiO3 colloidal nanocrystals, used as a model system, have been prepared under solvothermal conditions at temperatures as low as 180 °C.

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The reaction between NiO and (0001)- and (1102)-oriented Al2O3 single crystals has been investigated on model experimental systems by using the ReflEXAFS technique. Depth-sensitive information is obtained by collecting data above and below the critical angle for total reflection. A systematic protocol for data analysis, based on the recently developed CARD code, was implemented, and a detailed description of the reactive systems was obtained.

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