Mildred S. Dresselhaus

Bio: Mildred S. Dresselhaus is an academic researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Carbon nanotube & Raman spectroscopy. The author has an hindex of 136, co-authored 762 publications receiving 112525 citations. Previous affiliations of Mildred S. Dresselhaus include University of California, Los Angeles & Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.

Characterization of Activated Carbon Fibers

Abstract: Low-temperature electrical conductivity and Raman scattering are studied as characterization tools for activated carbon fibers, which have a high density of defects and a huge specific surface area. The transport mechanism at low temperature is governed by variablerange hopping, as in other strongly disordered systems. From the Raman spectra obtained, we deduce that the long phenolic fibers are more disordered than the acrylic fibers and that increased specific surface area corresponds to increased disorder. The average in-plane microcrystallite size is about 20–30 A.

Disorder-induced double resonant Raman process in graphene

Abstract: J. F. Rodriguez-Nieva,1 E. B. Barros,1,2 R. Saito,3 and M. S. Dresselhaus1,4 1Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA 2Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara 60455-760, Brazil 3Department of Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan 4Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA (Received 6 May 2014; revised manuscript received 29 August 2014; published 3 December 2014)

Probing structures of nanomaterials using advanced electron microscopy methods, including aberration‐corrected electron microscopy at the angstrom scale

Abstract: Structural and compositional studies of nanomaterials of technological importance have been carried out using advanced electron microscopy methods, including aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (AC-TEM), AC-high angle annular dark field scanning TEM (AC-HAADF-STEM), AC-energy filtered TEM, electron-stimulated energy dispersive spectroscopy in the AC-(S)TEM and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) holder The AC-EM data reveal improvements in resolution and minimization in image delocalization A JEOL 2200FS double-AC field emission gun TEM/STEM operating at 200 kV in the Nanocentre at the University of York has been used to image single metal atoms on crystalline supports in catalysts, grain boundaries in nanotwinned metals, and nanostructures of tetrapods Joule heating studies using HRTEM integrated with an STM holder reveal in situ crystallization and edge reconstruction in graphene Real-time in situ AC-HAADF-STEM studies at elevated temperatures are described Dynamic in-column energy filtering in an AC environment provides an integral new approach to perform dynamic in situ studies with aberration correction The new results presented here open up striking new opportunities for atomic scale studies of nanomaterials and indicate future development directions Microsc Res Tech, 2011 © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Carbon nanotubes and nucleic acids: tools and targets

Abstract: Nucleic acids; with their intrinsic structural properties as well as their high specificity, are playing an important role in the rapid development of nano-technologies. In turn, these new technologies and their efficient performance enable fast and precise methods for detection of nucleic acids, improving the diagnosis of diseases and identification of pathogens. We discuss the use of nucleic acids to disperse and sort single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), and carbon nanotube-based field effect transistors (CNT-FETs) to electrically detect specific nucleic acid sequences. Both DNA and RNA are efficient agents for dispersion and separation of SWNTs by diameter and chirality. Fractions enriched in a narrow band gap distribution of DNA: SWNT hybrids do not alter the electronic performance of field effect transistors. A CNT-FET fulfills the requirements for a nanosensing device that can greatly exceed the existing technologies. Electrical detection of specific nucleic acid sequence could potentially overcome the current limitations of optical detection, by increasing sensitivity and speed, while reducing sample manipulation, size, and cost.

Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films

Abstract: We describe monocrystalline graphitic films, which are a few atoms thick but are nonetheless stable under ambient conditions, metallic, and of remarkably high quality. The films are found to be a two-dimensional semimetal with a tiny overlap between valence and conductance bands, and they exhibit a strong ambipolar electric field effect such that electrons and holes in concentrations up to 10 13 per square centimeter and with room-temperature mobilities of ∼10,000 square centimeters per volt-second can be induced by applying gate voltage.

Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon

Abstract: THE synthesis of molecular carbon structures in the form of C60 and other fullerenes1 has stimulated intense interest in the structures accessible to graphitic carbon sheets. Here I report the preparation of a new type of finite carbon structure consisting of needle-like tubes. Produced using an arc-discharge evaporation method similar to that used for fullerene synthesis, the needles grow at the negative end of the electrode used for the arc discharge. Electron microscopy reveals that each needle comprises coaxial tubes of graphitic sheets, ranging in number from 2 up to about 50. On each tube the carbon-atom hexagons are arranged in a helical fashion about the needle axis. The helical pitch varies from needle to needle and from tube to tube within a single needle. It appears that this helical structure may aid the growth process. The formation of these needles, ranging from a few to a few tens of nanometres in diameter, suggests that engineering of carbon structures should be possible on scales considerably greater than those relevant to the fullerenes. On 7 November 1991, Sumio Iijima announced in Nature the preparation of nanometre-size, needle-like tubes of carbon — now familiar as 'nanotubes'. Used in microelectronic circuitry and microscopy, and as a tool to test quantum mechanics and model biological systems, nanotubes seem to have unlimited potential.

The rise of graphene

Abstract: Graphene is a rapidly rising star on the horizon of materials science and condensed-matter physics. This strictly two-dimensional material exhibits exceptionally high crystal and electronic quality, and, despite its short history, has already revealed a cornucopia of new physics and potential applications, which are briefly discussed here. Whereas one can be certain of the realness of applications only when commercial products appear, graphene no longer requires any further proof of its importance in terms of fundamental physics. Owing to its unusual electronic spectrum, graphene has led to the emergence of a new paradigm of 'relativistic' condensed-matter physics, where quantum relativistic phenomena, some of which are unobservable in high-energy physics, can now be mimicked and tested in table-top experiments. More generally, graphene represents a conceptually new class of materials that are only one atom thick, and, on this basis, offers new inroads into low-dimensional physics that has never ceased to surprise and continues to provide a fertile ground for applications.

Fast parallel algorithms for short-range molecular dynamics

Abstract: Three parallel algorithms for classical molecular dynamics are presented. The first assigns each processor a fixed subset of atoms; the second assigns each a fixed subset of inter-atomic forces to compute; the third assigns each a fixed spatial region. The algorithms are suitable for molecular dynamics models which can be difficult to parallelize efficiently—those with short-range forces where the neighbors of each atom change rapidly. They can be implemented on any distributed-memory parallel machine which allows for message-passing of data between independently executing processors. The algorithms are tested on a standard Lennard-Jones benchmark problem for system sizes ranging from 500 to 100,000,000 atoms on several parallel supercomputers--the nCUBE 2, Intel iPSC/860 and Paragon, and Cray T3D. Comparing the results to the fastest reported vectorized Cray Y-MP and C90 algorithm shows that the current generation of parallel machines is competitive with conventional vector supercomputers even for small problems. For large problems, the spatial algorithm achieves parallel efficiencies of 90% and a 1840-node Intel Paragon performs up to 165 faster than a single Cray C9O processor. Trade-offs between the three algorithms and guidelines for adapting them to more complex molecular dynamics simulations are also discussed.

The electronic properties of graphene

Abstract: This article reviews the basic theoretical aspects of graphene, a one-atom-thick allotrope of carbon, with unusual two-dimensional Dirac-like electronic excitations. The Dirac electrons can be controlled by application of external electric and magnetic fields, or by altering sample geometry and/or topology. The Dirac electrons behave in unusual ways in tunneling, confinement, and the integer quantum Hall effect. The electronic properties of graphene stacks are discussed and vary with stacking order and number of layers. Edge (surface) states in graphene depend on the edge termination (zigzag or armchair) and affect the physical properties of nanoribbons. Different types of disorder modify the Dirac equation leading to unusual spectroscopic and transport properties. The effects of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in single layer and multilayer graphene are also presented.