Abstract: The artificial leaf project calls for new materials enabling multielectron catalysis with minimal overpotential, high turnover frequency, and long-term stability. Is graphene a better material than carbon nanotubes to enhance water oxidation catalysis for energy applications? Here we show that functionalized graphene with a tailored distribution of polycationic, quaternized, ammonium pendants provides an sp(2) carbon nanoplatform to anchor a totally inorganic tetraruthenate catalyst, mimicking the oxygen evolving center of natural PSII. The resulting hybrid material displays oxygen evolution at overpotential as low as 300 mV at neutral pH with negligible loss of performance after 4 h testing. This multilayer electroactive asset enhances the turnover frequency by 1 order of magnitude with respect to the isolated catalyst, and provides a definite up-grade of the carbon nanotube material, with a similar surface functionalization. Our innovation is based on a noninvasive, synthetic protocol for graphene functionalization that goes beyond the ill-defined oxidation-reduction methods, allowing a definite control of the surface properties.

Abstract: We show that the transmission through single and double δ-function potential barriers of strength P=VWb/ℏvF in bilayer graphene is periodic in P with period π. For a certain range of P values we find states that are bound to the potential barrier and that run along the potential barrier. Similar periodic behavior is found for the conductance. The spectrum of a periodic succession of δ-function barriers (Kronig-Penney model) in bilayer graphene is periodic in P with period 2π. For P smaller than a critical value Pc, the spectrum exhibits two Dirac points while for P larger than Pc an energy gap opens. These results are extended to the case of a superlattice of δ-function barriers with P alternating in sign between successive barriers; the corresponding spectrum is periodic in P with period π.

Abstract: We study the quantum Hall effect (QHE) in bilayer graphene using the Kubo-Greenwood formula. At zero temperature the Hall conductivity sigma(yx) is given by sigma(yx) – 4(N + 1)e(2)/h with N the index of the highest occupied Landau level (LL). Including the dispersion of the LLs and their width, due to e. g. scattering by impurities, produces the plateau of the n = 0 LL in agreement with experimental results on doped samples and similar theoretical results on single-layer graphene plateaus widen with impurity concentration. Further, the evaluated resistivity rho(xx) exhibits a strong, oscillatory dependence on the electron concentration. Explicit results are obtained for delta-function impurities.

Abstract: We investigate localized electron and hole states in parabolic quantum dots of biased graphene bilayers in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. These quantum dots can be created by means of nanostructured gates or by position-dependent doping, which can create a gap in the otherwise gapless dispersion of a graphene bilayer. Numerical results show the energy levels of confined electrons and holes as a function of the dot parameters and the magnetic field. Remarkable crossings of energy levels are found.

Abstract: We show in the case of a superconducting Nb ladder that a mesoscopic superconductor typically exhibits magnetoresistance oscillations whose amplitude and temperature dependence are different from those stemming from the Little-Parks effect. We demonstrate that these large resistance oscillations (as well as the monotonic background on which they are superimposed) are due to current-excited moving vortices, where the applied current in competition with the oscillating Meissner currents imposes or removes the barriers for vortex motion in an increasing magnetic field. Because of the ever present current in transport measurements, this effect should be considered in parallel with the Little-Parks effect in low-critical temperature (T-c) samples, as well as with recently proposed thermal activation of dissipative vortex-antivortex pairs in high-T-c samples.

Abstract: The large-scale production of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is reported. Large quantities of SWNTs can be synthesised by catalytic decomposition of methane over well-dispersed metal particles supported on MgO at 1000 degrees C. The thus produced SWNTs can be separated easily from the support by a simple acidic treatment to obtain a product with high yields (70-80%) of SWNTs. Because the typical synthesis time is 10 min, 1 g of SWNTs can be synthesised per day by this method. The SWNTs are characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and by Raman spectroscopy, showing the quality and the quantity of products. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: We report on the formation of laser-induced periodic annular surface structures on fused silica irradiated with multiple femtosecond laser pulses. This surface morphology emerges after the disappearance of the conventional laser induced periodic surface structures, under successive laser pulse irradiation. It is independent of the laser polarization and universally observed for different focusing geometries. We interpret its formation in terms of the interference between the reflected laser field on the surface of the damage crater and the incident laser pulse. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Abstract: Laser-induced plasmas are transient systems rapidly aging in few nanoseconds of evolution. Time-of-flight spectrometry allowed studying initial plasma characteristics based on frozen translational degrees of freedom, hence overcoming intrinsic limitations of optical spectroscopy. Experimental ion velocity distributions were reconstructed as developed during the longitudinal plasma expansion. The obtained onset plasma temperatures are in the range of similar to 18-45 eV depending on the ablated metals. Also the ion angular spreads were found to be a function of ablated metal, e.g., the narrowest for Fe, the broadest for Al, due to different collisional coupling in the plasma population. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.