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Using self-consistent field and density-functional theories, we first investigate colloidal self-assembling of colloid/polymer films confined between two soft surfaces grafted by polymers. With the increase of colloidal concentrations, the…
Thin films made of deformable micro- and nano-units, such as biological membranes, polymer interfaces, and particle-laden liquid surfaces, exhibit a complex behavior during drying, with consequences for various applications like wound…
Assembled monolayers of colloidal particles are crucial for various applications, including opto-electronics, surface engineering, as well as light harvesting, and catalysis. A common approach for self-assembly is the drying of a colloidal…
Although coherent light is usually required for the self-organization of regular spatial patterns from optical beams, we show that peculiar light matter interaction can break this evidence. In the traditional method to record laser-induced…
Investigations of free-standing liquid films enjoy an increasing popularity due to their relevance for many fundamental and applied scientific problems. They constitute soap bubbles and foams, serve as membranes for gas transport or as…
By combining first principles theoretical calculations and experimental optical and structural characterization such as spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray spectroscopy, and electron microscopy, we study the dielectric permittivity and…
Self-assembled monolayers of polyalanine $\alpha$-helices exhibit distinct structural phases with implications for chiral-induced spin selectivity. We combine scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical modeling to reveal how chiral…
We propose a continuum theory to model the Mullins effect, which is ubiquitously observed in polymer composites. In the theory, the softening of the materials during the stretching process is accounted for by considering the delamination of…
Molecular dynamics simulations of ultrathin water film confined between atomically flat rigid diamond plates are described. Films with thickness of one and two molecular diameters are concerned and TIP4P model is used for water molecules.…
Sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) consists in a controlled sequence of metal organic precursors and co-reactant vapor exposure cycles of polymer films. Two aspects characterize a SIS process: precursor molecule diffusion within the…
Exciton-polaritons (EP), half-light half-matter quasiparticles that form in optical cavities, are attractive platforms for creating macroscopic coherent states like BECs. EPs based on organic molecules are of particular interest for…
Melting is typically viewed as a bulk first-order phase transition that proceeds once nucleation barriers are overcome. Here we demonstrate an interfacially arrested melting regime in molecularly thin crystalline films, where large liquid…
A facile route for the fabrication of surface-attached hydrogel thin films with well-controlled chemistry and tailored architecture on wide range of thickness from nanometers to micrometers is reported. The synthesis, which consists in…
While all the information required for the folding of a protein is contained in its amino acid sequence, one has not yet learned how to extract this information to predict the three--dimensional, biologically active, native conformation of…
We demonstrate that an applied electric field causes piezoelectric distortion across single molecular monolayers of oligopeptides. We deposited self-assembled monolayers ~1.5 nm high onto smooth gold surfaces. These monolayers exhibit…
The pursuit of more advanced electronics, finding solutions to energy needs, and tackling a wealth of social issues often hinges upon the discovery and optimization of new functional materials that enable disruptive technologies or…
Nanoporous metals are a class of nanostructured materials finding extensive applications in multiple fields thanks to their unique properties attributed to their high surface area and interconnected nanoscale ligaments. They can be…
Hydrocarbon films confined between smooth mica surfaces have long provided an experimental playground for model studies of structure and dynamics of confined liquids. However fundamental questions regarding the phase behavior and shear…
We describe several unexpected phenomena, caused by a solid-solid phase transition (gel-to-crystal) typical for all main classes of lipid substances - phospholipids, triglycerides, diglycerides, alkanes, etc. We discovered that this…
The structure of membrane-active peptides and their interaction with lipid bilayers can be studied in oriented lipid membranes deposited on solid substrates. Such systems are desirable for a number of surface-sensitive techniques. Here we…