Effect of Band Symmetry on Photocurrent Production in Quasi-One-Dimensional Transition-Metal Trichalcogenides.

Photocurrent production in quasi-one-dimensional (1D) transition-metal trichalcogenides, TiS(001) and ZrS(001), was examined using polarization-dependent scanning photocurrent microscopy. The photocurrent intensity was the strongest when the excitation source was polarized along the 1D chains with dichroic ratios of 4:1 and 1.2:1 for ZrS and TiS, respectively.

Layer-controlled single-crystalline graphene film with stacking order via Cu-Si alloy formation.

Multilayer graphene and its stacking order provide both fundamentally intriguing properties and technological engineering applications. Several approaches to control the stacking order have been demonstrated, but a method of precisely controlling the number of layers with desired stacking sequences is still lacking. Here, we propose an approach for controlling the layer thickness and crystallographic stacking sequence of multilayer graphene films at the wafer scale via Cu-Si alloy formation using direct chemical vapour deposition.

Intrinsic Mixed Bloch-Néel Character and Chirality of Skyrmions in Asymmetric Epitaxial Trilayers.

Recent advances in the stabilization and manipulation of chiral magnetization configurations in systems consisting of alternating atomic layers of ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic materials hold promise for innovation in spintronics technology. The low dimensionality of the systems promotes spin orbit driven interfacial effects like antisymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) and surface magnetic anisotropy, whose relative strengths may be tuned to achieve stable nanometer sized magnetic objects with fixed chirality. While in most of the cases this is obtained by engineering complex multilayers stacks in which interlayer dipolar fields become important, we consider here a simple epitaxial trilayer in which a ferromagnet, with variable thickness, is embedded between a heavy metal and graphene.

Zein-layered hydroxide biohybrids: strategies of synthesis and characterization.

This work constitutes a basic study about the first exploration on the preparation of biohybrids based on the corn protein zein and layered metal hydroxides, such as layered double hydroxides (LDH) and layered single hydroxides (LSHs). For this purpose, MgAl layered double hydroxide and the Co(OH) layered single hydroxide were selected as hosts, and various synthetic approaches were explored to achieve the formation of the zein-layered hydroxide biohybrids, profiting from the presence of negatively charged groups in zein in basic medium. Zein-based layered hydroxide biohybrids were characterized by diverse physicochemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), solid state C cross-polarization magical angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-MAS NMR), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), etc.

Large-area epitaxial growth of curvature-stabilized ABC trilayer graphene.

The properties of van der Waals (vdW) materials often vary dramatically with the atomic stacking order between layers, but this order can be difficult to control. Trilayer graphene (TLG) stacks in either a semimetallic ABA or a semiconducting ABC configuration with a gate-tunable band gap, but the latter has only been produced by exfoliation. Here we present a chemical vapor deposition approach to TLG growth that yields greatly enhanced fraction and size of ABC domains.

Modulation of the Catalytic Properties of Lipase B from by Immobilization on Tailor-Made Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: The Key Role of Nanocarrier Surface Engineering.

The immobilization of biocatalysts on magnetic nanomaterial surface is a very attractive alternative to achieve enzyme nanoderivatives with highly improved properties. The combination between the careful tailoring of nanocarrier surfaces and the site-specific chemical modification of biomacromolecules is a crucial parameter to finely modulate the catalytic behavior of the biocatalyst. In this work, a useful strategy to immobilize chemically aminated lipase B from on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) by covalent multipoint attachment or hydrophobic physical adsorption upon previous tailored engineering of nanocarriers with poly-carboxylic groups (citric acid or succinic anhydride, CALB@CA-NPs and CALB@SA-NPs respectively) or hydrophobic layer (oleic acid, CALB@OA-NPs) is described.

Integration of a Copper-Containing Biohybrid (CuHARS) with Cellulose for Subsequent Degradation and Biomedical Control.

We previously described the novel synthesis of a copper high-aspect ratio structure (CuHARS) biohybrid material using cystine. While extremely stable in water, CuHARS is completely (but slowly) degradable in cellular media. Here, integration of the CuHARS into cellulose matrices was carried out to provide added control for CuHARS degradation.

Effect of Nanoclustering and Dipolar Interactions in Heat Generation for Magnetic Hyperthermia.

Biomedical magnetic colloids commonly used in magnetic hyperthermia experiments often display a bidisperse structure, i.e., are composed of stable nanoclusters coexisting with well-dispersed nanoparticles.

Peptide-functionalized zirconia and new zirconia/titanium biocermets for dental applications.

Objective: Titanium materials have been functionalized with biomolecules as a modern strategy to incorporate bioactive motifs that will expand and improve their biomedical applications. Here, we have biofunctionalized biomaterials based on zirconia of much interest for dentistry: the widely used bioceramic 3Y-TZP and a newly developed 3Y-TZP/Ti biocermet.

Methods: The biosurfaces were activated, silanized, and functionalized with coatings made of oligopeptides.

Glass-(nAg, nCu) biocide coatings on ceramic oxide substrates.

The present work was focused on obtaining biocide coatings constituted by a glassy soda-lime matrix containing silver or copper nanoparticles on ceramic (alumina and zirconia based) substrates. Both glassy coatings showed a high biocide activity against Gram-, Gram+ bacteria and yeast, reducing cell numbers more than three logarithms. Silver nanoparticles had a significantly higher biocide activity than copper nanoparticles, since the lixiviation levels required to reduce cell numbers more than 3 logarithms was of almost 1-2 µg/cm(2) in the case of silver nanoparticles, and 10-15 µg/cm(2) for the copper nanoparticles.