Functionalizing the well-known MIL-53(Al) metal-organic framework with amino groups increases its selectivity in CO(2)/CH(4) separations by orders of magnitude while maintaining a very high capacity for CO(2) capture.

We present here the use of amino-terminated DNA strands in functionalizing the open ends and defect sites of oxidatively prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes, an important first step in realizing a DNA-guided self-assembly process for carbon nanotubes.

We present a model system that might serve as a blueprint for the controlled layout of graphene based nanodevices. The systems consists of chains of B(7) clusters implanted in a graphene matrix, where the boron clusters are not directly connected. We show that the graphene matrix easily accepts these alternating B(7)-C(6) chains and that the implanted boron components may dramatically modify th...

The information age was enabled by advances in microfabrication and communication theory that allowed information to be processed by electrons and transmitted by electromagnetic radiation. Despite immense capabilities, microelectronics has limited abilities to access and participate in the molecular-based communication that characterizes our biological world. Here, we use biological materials a...

We demonstrate a silicon gratings-based biosensor to detect functionalized protein binding on its surface. The designed silicon gratings have sensitivities up to 197 nm/RIU in detecting refractive index change and 1.61 nm per nanometer of thickness change of bio-material on the surface of silicon gratings. Functionalizing proteins on gratings surface by eliminating unspecific binding makes this...

The efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) depends critically on the electronic structure of the interfaces in the active region. We employ recently developed dispersion-inclusive density functional theory (DFT) and GW methods to study the electronic structure of TiO2 clusters sensitized with catechol molecules. We show that the energy level alignment at the dye-TiO2 interface is the r...