291 research outputs found
Chemically active substitutional nitrogen impurity in carbon nanotubes
We investigate the nitrogen substitutional impurity in semiconducting zigzag
and metallic armchair single-wall carbon nanotubes using ab initio density
functional theory. At low concentrations (less than 1 atomic %), the defect
state in a semiconducting tube becomes spatially localized and develops a flat
energy level in the band gap. Such a localized state makes the impurity site
chemically and electronically active. We find that if two neighboring tubes
have their impurities facing one another, an intertube covalent bond forms.
This finding opens an intriguing possibility for tunnel junctions, as well as
the functionalization of suitably doped carbon nanotubes by selectively forming
chemical bonds with ligands at the impurity site. If the intertube bond density
is high enough, a highly packed bundle of interlinked single-wall nanotubes can
form.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; major changes to the tex
BN domains included into carbon nanotubes: role of interface
We present a density functional theory study on the shape and arrangement of
small BN domains embedded into single-walled carbon nanotubes. We show a strong
tendency for the BN hexagons formation at the simultaneous inclusion of B and N
atoms within the walls of carbon nanotubes. The work emphasizes the importance
of a correct description of the BN-C frontier. We suggest that BN-C interface
will be formed preferentially with the participation of N-C bonds. Thus, we
propose a new way of stabilizing the small BN inclusions through the formation
of nitrogen terminated borders. The comparison between the obtained results and
the available experimental data on formation of BN plackets within the single
walled carbon nanotubes is presented. The mirror situation of inclusion of
carbon plackets within single walled BN nanotubes is considered within the
proposed formalism. Finally, we show that the inclusion of small BN plackets
inside the CNTs strongly affects the electronic character of the initial
systems, opening a band gap. The nitrogen excess in the BN plackets introduces
donor states in the band gap and it might thus result in a promising way for
n-doping single walled carbon nanotubes
Identification of a new cholesterol-binding site within the IFN-γ receptor that is required for signal transduction.
The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a master regulator of innate and adaptive immunity involved in a broad array of human diseases that range from atherosclerosis to cancer. IFN-γ exerts it signaling action by binding to a specific cell surface receptor, the IFN-γ receptor (IFN-γR), whose activation critically depends on its partition into lipid nanodomains. However, little is known about the impact of specific lipids on IFN-γR signal transduction activity. Here, a new conserved cholesterol (chol) binding motif localized within its single transmembrane domain is identified. Through direct binding, chol drives the partition of IFN-γR2 chains into plasma membrane lipid nanodomains, orchestrating IFN-γR oligomerization and transmembrane signaling. Bioinformatics studies show that the signature sequence stands for a conserved chol-binding motif presented in many mammalian membrane proteins. The discovery of chol as the molecular switch governing IFN-γR transmembrane signaling represents a significant advance for understanding the mechanism of lipid selectivity by membrane proteins, but also for figuring out the role of lipids in modulating cell surface receptor function. Finally, this study suggests that inhibition of the chol-IFNγR2 interaction may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for various IFN-γ-dependent diseases
Transport theory of carbon nanotube Y junctions
We describe a generalization of Landauer-B\"uttiker theory for networks of
interacting metallic carbon nanotubes. We start with symmetric starlike
junctions and then extend our approach to asymmetric systems. While the
symmetric case is solved in closed form, the asymmetric situation is treated by
a mix of perturbative and non-perturbative methods. For N>2 repulsively
interacting nanotubes, the only stable fixed point of the symmetric system
corresponds to an isolated node. Detailed results for both symmetric and
asymmetric systems are shown for N=3, corresponding to carbon nanotube Y
junctions.Comment: submitted to New Journal of Physics, Focus Issue on Carbon Nanotubes,
15 pages, 3 figure
Stochastic Heterostructures in B/N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes are one-dimensional and very narrow. These obvious facts
imply that under doping with boron and nitrogen, microscopic doping
inhomogeneity is much more important than for bulk semiconductors. We consider
the possibility of exploiting such fluctuations to create interesting devices.
Using self-consistent tight-binding (SCTB), we study heavily doped highly
compensated nanotubes, revealing the spontaneous formation of structures
resembling chains of random quantum dots, or nano-scale diode-like elements in
series. We also consider truly isolated impurities, revealing simple scaling
properties of bound state sizes and energies.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 4 PostScript figure
Correlation effects on electronic transport through dots and wires
We investigate how two-particle interactions affect the electronic transport
through meso- and nanoscopic systems of two different types: quantum dots with
local Coulomb correlations and quasi one-dimensional quantum wires of
interacting electrons. A recently developed functional renormalization group
scheme is used that allows to investigate systems of complex geometry.
Considering simple setups we show that the method includes the essential
aspects of Luttinger liquid physics (one-dimensional wires) as well as of the
physics of local correlations, with the Kondo effect being an important
example. For more complex systems of coupled dots and Y-junctions of
interacting wires we find surprising new correlation effects.Comment: to appear in "Advances in Solid State Physics" Volume 46, Ed. R. Haug
(Springer, 2006
Making Atomic-Level Magnetism Tunable with Light at Room Temperature
The capacity to manipulate magnetization in two-dimensional dilute magnetic
semiconductors (2D-DMSs) using light, specifically in magnetically doped
transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers (M-doped TX2, where M = V, Fe,
Cr; T = W, Mo; X = S, Se, Te), may lead to innovative applications in
spintronics, spin-caloritronics, valleytronics, and quantum computation. This
Perspective paper explores the mediation of magnetization by light under
ambient conditions in 2D-TMD DMSs and heterostructures. By combining magneto-LC
resonance (MLCR) experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations,
we show that the magnetization can be enhanced using light in V-doped TMD
monolayers (e.g., V-WS2, V-WSe2, V-MoS2). This phenomenon is attributed to
excess holes in the conduction and valence bands, as well as carriers trapped
in magnetic doping states, which together mediate the magnetization of the
semiconducting layer. In 2D-TMD heterostructures such as VSe2/WS2 and
VSe2/MoS2, we demonstrate the significance of proximity, charge-transfer, and
confinement effects in amplifying light-mediated magnetism. This effect is
attributed to photon absorption at the TMD layer (e.g., WS2, MoS2) that
generates electron-hole pairs mediating the magnetization of the
heterostructure. These findings will encourage further research in the field of
2D magnetism and establish a novel direction for designing 2D-TMDs and
heterostructures with optically tunable magnetic functionalities, paving the
way for next-generation magneto-optic nanodevices
Interfacial Profile and Propagation of Frontal Photopolymerization Waves
We investigate the frontal photopolymerization
of a thiol–ene
system with a combination of experiments and modeling, focusing on
the interfacial conversion profile and its planar wave propagation.
We spatially resolve the solid-to-liquid front by FT-IR and AFM mechanical
measurements, supplemented by differential scanning calorimetry. A
simple coarse-grained model is found to describe remarkably well the
frontal kinetics and the sigmoidal interface, capturing the effects
of UV light exposure time (or dose) and temperature, as well as the
front position and resulting patterned dimensions after development.
Analytical solutions for the conversion profile enable the description
of all conditions with a single master curve in the moving frame of
the front position. Building on this understanding, we demonstrate
the design and fabrication of gradient polymer materials, with tunable
properties <i>along</i> the direction of illumination, which
can be coupled with lateral patterning by modulated illumination or
grayscale lithography
Estudio de casos sobre el nivel de profesionalizaci?n de las empresas familiares peruanas
Las empresas familiares representan m?s de dos tercios del total de las compa??as y, en el Per? la mayor?a de empresas son familiares y muchas de ellas lideran las industrias que promueven el crecimiento econ?mico, sin embargo, muchas de ellas no transcienden en el tiempo. El inter?s de esta tesis es profundizar en los problemas internos que surgen de la empresa familiar por falta de profesionalizaci?n de la misma, por lo que se considera necesario encuestarlas y diagnosticar con instrumentos de medici?n validados cu?l es su nivel de profesionalizaci?n actual de una muestra por conveniencia y sobre la base de ello determinar las actividades y acuerdos organizacionales que se requieren para mantener y/o lograr alto grado de profesionalizaci?n en base a la escala metodol?gica validada; y, formular recomendaciones que puedan ser beneficiosos para optimizar la profesionalizaci?n de dichas empresas, lo que a su vez sirve para determinar las caracter?sticas de las empresas analizadas en los distintos niveles de profesionalizaci?n para que puedan servir como punto de referencia para otras empresas que deseen someterse al diagn?stico de profesionalizaci?n propuesto
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