Related papers: Grafted Rods: A Tilting Phase Transition
The helix-coil transition is modified by grafting to a surface. This modification is studied for short peptides capable of forming $\alpha$-helices. Three factors are involved: (i) the grafting can induced change of the boundary free energy…
Despite the common expectation that conjugated organic molecules on metals tend to adsorb in a flat-lying wetting layer, several recent studies have found strong indications for coverage-dependent transitions to upright-standing phases,…
We study geometrically-controlled twist transitions of a nematic confined between a sinusoidal grating and a flat substrate. In these cells the transition to the twisted state is driven by surface effects. We have identified the mechanisms…
Crystallographic alignment between two-dimensional crystals in van der Waals heterostructures brought a number of profound physical phenomena, including observation of Hofstadter butterfly and topological currents, and promising novel…
We study the finite-temperature dynamics of thin elastic sheets in a single-clamped cantilever configuration. This system is known to exhibit a tilt transition at which the preferred mean plane of the sheet shifts from horizontal to a plane…
The glass transition is considered as a phase transition in the system of topologically protected excitations in matter structure. The critical behavior of the system is considered both in statics and dynamics cases. It is shown in the…
The interplay between the diffusion-controlled dynamics of a solidification front and the trajectory of a grain boundary groove at the solid-liquid interface is studied by means of thin-sample directional solidification experiments of a…
The analogue of a Mott-Hubbard transition is discussed, which appears at an incommensurate filling in a model of a two-dimensional plane, randomly tiled with CuO_4 `molecules', simulating the copper-oxide planes of high-T_c superconductors.…
Extensive Langevin dynamics simulations are used to characterize the adsorption transition of a flexible magnetic filament grafted onto an attractive planar surface. Our results identify different structural transitions at different ratios…
We consider the interaction between two rods embedded in a fluctuating surface. The modification of fluctuations by the rods leads to an attractive long-range interaction between them. We consider fluctuations governed by either surface…
The ability to reversibly toggle between two distinct states in a non-volatile method is important for information storage applications. Such devices have been realized for phase-change materials, which utilizes local heating methods to…
We formulate an approximate thermodynamic theory of the phase transition in driven lattice gases with attractive nearest-neighbor interactions. We construct the van der Waals equation of state for a driven system where a nonequilibrium…
In a system of interacting thin rigid rods of equal length $2 \ell$ on a two-dimensional grid of lattice spacing $a$, we show that there are multiple phase transitions as the coupling strength $\kappa=\ell/a$ and the temperature are varied.…
Twisted van der Waals materials provide a tunable platform for investigating two-dimensional superconductivity and quantum phases. Using spectra-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we study the superconducting states in twisted bilayer…
Very thin elastic sheets, even at zero temperature, exhibit nonlinear elastic response by virtue of their dominant bending modes. Their behavior is even richer at finite temperature. Here we use molecular dynamics (MD) to study the…
Grain boundaries facet due to anisotropic grain boundary energies: While the faceted boundary has a larger area than the corresponding straight boundary, a significantly lower energy of the facets compared to a straight segment can drive…
The deformation of thin rods in a viscous liquid is central to the mechanics of motility in cells ranging from \textit{Escherichia coli} to sperm. Here we use experiments and theory to study the shape transition of a flexible rod rotating…
Graphene is well known for its extraordinary mechanical properties combining brittleness and ductility. While most mechanical studies of graphene focused on the strength and brittle fracture behavior, its ductility, plastic deformation, and…
We measure the torque acting on a rod rotated perpendicular to its axis in a granular bed, through which an upflow of gas is utilized to tune the hydrostatic loading between grains. At low rotation rates the torque is independent of speed,…
The anchoring of nematic liquid crystals on surfaces with grafted liquid crystalline chain molecules is studied by computer simulations and within a mean field approach. The computer simulations show that a swollen layer of collectively…