Related papers: Self-assembling redox-wires form the 2D power grid…
Cellular decision-making based on information received from the external environment is frequently initiated by transmembrane receptors. These receptors are known to propagate such information by triggering a series of irreversible,…
Equilibrium self-assembly and conventional materials processing techniques fall far short of mimicking dynamic self-actuating processes that are commonplace throughout biology. To bridge the gap between living and synthetic matter, we study…
We present two models for electron-driven uphill proton transport across lipid membranes, with the electron energy converted to the proton gradient via the electrostatic interaction. In the first model, associated with the cytochrome c…
Recently, great attention has been paid to the possibility of implementing hybrid electronic devices exploiting the self-assembling properties of single molecules. Impressive progress has been done in this field by using organic molecules…
Respiration in bacteria involves a sequence of energetically-coupled electron and proton transfers creating an electrochemical gradient of protons (a proton-motive force) across the inner bacterial membrane. With a simple kinetic model we…
A new model for the interaction of an electric pulse with a lipid membrane is proposed. Using this model we show that when a DC electric pulse is applied to an insulating lipid membrane separating fluids with different conductivities, the…
Thin-film self-assembly of three-dimensional (3D) microsystems presents a compelling route to integrate complex functionalities into ultra-compact volumes, yet strategies for incorporating tunable ion-conducting elements remain limited.…
Cellular membranes are elastic lipid bilayers that contain a variety of proteins, including ion channels, receptors, and scaffolding proteins. These proteins are known to diffuse in the plane of the membrane and to influence the bending of…
Self-assembly processes provide the means to achieve scalable and versatile metamaterials by "bottom-up" fabrication. Despite their enormous potential, especially as a platform for energy materials, self-assembled metamaterials are often…
Dynamic lateral transport of lipids, proteins, and self-assembled structures in biomembranes plays crucial roles in diverse cellular processes. In this study, we perform a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation on a vesicle composed…
The mammalian cell membrane is embedded with biomolecular condensates of protein and lipid clusters, which interact with an underlying viscoelastic cytoskeleton network to organize the cell surface and mechanically interact with the…
Random lateral translocation of lipids and proteins is a universal process on membrane surfaces. Local aggregation or organization of lipids and proteins can be induced when this lateral random diffusion is mediated by the electrostatic…
Molecular self-assembly is a well-known technique to create highly functional nanostructures on surfaces. Self-assembly on two-dimensional materials is a developing field and has already resulted in the discovery of several rich and…
Self-assembly is the autonomous organization of components into patterns or structures: an essential ingredient of biology and a desired route to complex organization. At equilibrium, the structure is encoded through specific interactions,…
Two-dimensional (2D) materials are a new class of materials with interesting physical properties and applications ranging from nanoelectronics to sensing and photonics. In addition to graphene, the most studied 2D material, monolayers of…
Molecular-scale diodes made from self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) could complement silicon-based technologies with smaller, cheaper, and more versatile devices. However, advancement of this emerging technology is limited by insufficient…
We derive an explicit expression for the quantum conductivity of a molecular wire containing a redox center, which is embedded in an electrochemical environment. The redox center interacts with the solvent, and the average over the solvent…
Development of new polymeric binders can help enable the use of silicon-rich anodes in Li-ion batteries, by providing stronger adhesion to the active material particles. The compositional features that improve interfacial interactions and…
Redox-based electrical conduction in nonconjugated polymers has been explored less than a decade, yet is already showing promise as a new concept for electrical energy transport. Here using monolayers and sub-monolayers of touching…
It is well known that lipid membranes respond to a threshold transmembrane electric field through a reversible mechanism called electroporation, where hydrophilic water pores form across the membrane, an effect widely used in biological…