Abstract: The dynamics of fullerene-cubane (C60⋅C8H8) cocrystal is studied combining experimental [x-ray diffuse scattering, quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering (INS)] and simulation (molecular dynamics) investigations. Neutron scattering gives direct evidence of the free rotation of fullerenes and of the libration of cubanes in the high-temperature phase, validating the rotor-stator description of this molecular system. X-ray diffuse scattering shows that orientational disorder survives the order/disorder transition in the low-temperature phase, although the loss of fullerene isotropic rotational diffusion is featured by the appearance of a 2.2 meV mode in the INS spectra. The coupling between INS and simulations allows identifying a degeneracy lift of the cubane librations in the low temperature phase, which is used as a tool for probing the environment of cubane in this phase and for getting further insights into the phase transition mechanism.

Abstract: We investigate the magnetic interface states of graphene quantum dots that contain p-n junctions. Within a tight-binding approach, we consider rectangular quantum dots in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field containing p-n as well as p-n-p and n-p-n junctions. The results show the interplay between the edge states associated with the zigzag terminations of the sample and the snake states that arise at the p-n junction due to the overlap between electron and hole states at the potential interface. Remarkable localized states are found at the crossing of the p-n junction with the zigzag edge having a dumb-bell-shaped electron distribution. The results are presented as a function of the junction parameters and the applied magnetic flux. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.035426

Abstract: Animal models are being used extensively in pre-clinical and safety assessment studies to assess the effectiveness and safety of new chemical entities and delivery systems. Although never entirely replacing the need for animal testing, the use of computer simulations could eventually reduce the amount of animals needed for research purposes and refine the data acquired from the animal studies. Computational fluid dynamics is a powerful tool that makes it possible to simulate flow and particle behavior in animal or patient-specific respiratory models, for purposes of inhaled delivery. This tool requires an accurate representation of the respiratory system, respiration and dose delivery attributes. The aim of this study is to develop a representative airway model of the Sprague-Dawley rat using static and dynamic micro-CT scans. The entire respiratory tract was modeled, from the snout and nares down to the central airways at the point where no distinction could be made between intraluminal air and the surrounding tissue. For the selection of the representative model, variables such as upper airway movement, segmentation length, airway volume and size are taken into account. Dynamic scans of the nostril region were used to illustrate the characteristic morphology of this region in anaesthetized animals. It could be concluded from this study that it was possible to construct a highly detailed representative model of a Sprague-Dawley rat based on imaging modalities such as micro-CT scans

Abstract: Using density-functional theory in combination with the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism, we study the effect of the crystal lattice structure of organometallic perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 on its electronic transport properties. Both dispersive interactions and spin-orbit coupling are taken into account in describing structural and electronic properties of the system. We consider two different phases of the material, namely the orthorhombic and cubic lattice structures, which are energetically stable at low (< 160 K) and high (> 330 K) temperatures, respectively. The sizable geometrical differences between the two structures in term of lattice parameters, PbI6 octahedral tilts, rotation and deformations, have considerable impact on the transport properties of the material. For example, at zero bias and for all considered electron energies, the cubic phase has a larger transmission than the orthorhombic one, although both show similar electronic densities of states. Depending on the applied voltage, the current in the cubic system can be several orders of magnitude larger as compared to the one obtained for the orthorhombic sample. We attribute this enhancement in the transmission to the presence of extended states in the cubic phase due to the symmetrically shaped and ordered PbI6 octaherdra. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The melting of fluorographene is very unusual and depends strongly on the degree of fluorination. For temperatures below 1000 K, fully fluorinated graphene (FFG) is thermomechanically more stable than graphene but at T-m approximate to 2800 K FFG transits to random coils which is almost 2 times lower than the melting temperature of graphene, i.e., 5300 K. For fluorinated graphene up to 30% ripples causes detachment of individual F-atoms around 2000 K, while for 40%-60% fluorination large defects are formed beyond 1500 K and beyond 60% of fluorination F-atoms remain bonded to graphene until melting. The results agree with recent experiments on the dependence of the reversibility of the fluorination process on the percentage of fluorination.

Abstract: Recently, Sr-doped LaCrO3 has been experimentally introduced as a new p-type transparent conducting oxide. It is demonstrated that substituting Sr for La results in inducing p-type conductivity in LaCrO3. Performing first principles calculations we study the electronic structure and formation energy of various point defects in LaCrO3. Our results for the formation energies show that in addition to Sr, two more divalent defects, Ca and Ba, substituting for La in LaCrO3, behave as shallow acceptors in line with previous experimental reports. We further demonstrate that under oxygen-poor growth conditions, these shallow acceptors will be compensated by intrinsic donor-like defects (an oxygen vacancy and Cr on an oxygen site), but in the oxygen-rich growth regime the shallow acceptors have the lowest formation energies between all considered defects and will lead to p-type conductivity.

Abstract: By employing density functional theory-based methods, the structural, vibrational, electronic, and magnetic properties of monolayer -RuCl3 were investigated. It was demonstrated that ferromagnetic (FM) and zigzag-antiferromagnetic (ZZ-AFM) spin orders in the material have very close total energies with the latter being the ground state. We found that each Ru atom possesses a magnetic moment of 0.9 (B) and the material exhibits strong magnetic anisotropy. While both phases exhibit indirect gaps, the FM phase is a magnetic semiconductor and the ZZ-AFM phase is a non-magnetic semiconductor. The structural stability of the material was confirmed by phonon calculations. Moreover, dynamical analysis revealed that the magnetic order in the material can be monitored via Raman measurements of the crystal structure. In addition, the magnetic ground state of the material changes from ZZ-AFM to FM upon certain applied strains. Valence and conduction band-edges of the material vary considerably under in-plane strains. Owing to the stable lattice structure and unique and controllable magnetic properties, monolayer -RuCl3 is a promising material in nanoscale device applications.

Abstract: When approaching the atomically thin limit, defects and disorder play an increasingly important role in the properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials. While defects are generally thought to negatively affect superconductivity in 2D materials, here we demonstrate the contrary in the case of oxygenation of ultrathin tantalum disulfide (TaS2). Our first-principles calculations show that incorporation of oxygen into the TaS2 crystal lattice is energetically favorable and effectively heals sulfur vacancies typically present in these crystals, thus restoring the electronic band structure and the carrier density to the intrinsic characteristics of TaS2. Strikingly, this leads to a strong enhancement of the electron-phonon coupling, by up to 80% in the highly oxygenated limit. Using transport measurements on fresh and aged (oxygenated) few-layer TaS2, we found a marked increase of the superconducting critical temperature (T-c) upon aging, in agreement with our theory, while concurrent electron microscopy and electron-energy loss spectroscopy confirmed the presence of sulfur vacancies in freshly prepared TaS2 and incorporation of oxygen into the crystal lattice with time. Our work thus reveals the mechanism by which certain atomic-scale defects can be beneficial to superconductivity and opens a new route to engineer T-c in ultrathin materials.

Abstract: The thermal signatures of superconductivity in mesoscopic disks, rings and cylinders are calculated within the Ginzburg-Landau theory. In an applied perpendicular magnetic field H the heat capacity of mesoscopic samples shows a strong dependence on the realized vortex state; discontinuities are found at the critical field for different vorticities, as well as at the superconducting-to-normal state transition. The same applies to the intermediate state of type-I superconductors. Even the subtle changes in the fluxoid distribution inside the sample leave clear signatures on heat capacity, which is particularly useful for fully three-dimensional samples whose interior is often inaccessible by magnetometry. The heat-capacity jump ΔC(H) at the critical temperature exhibits quasiperiodic modulations as a function of magnetic field. In mesoscopic superconducting rings, these oscillations provide calorimetric verification of the Little-Parks effect.