[신간의 별자리x] 우리/미술, 그리고 ‘슬픔의 박물관’

▪ Abstract Soft lithography, a set of techniques for microfabrication, is based on printing and molding using elastomeric stamps with the patterns of interest in bas-relief. As a technique for fabricating microstructures for biological applications, soft lithography overcomes many of the shortcomings of photolithography. In particular, soft lithography offers the ability to control the molecular structure of surfaces and to pattern the complex molecules relevant to biology, to fabricate channel structures appropriate for microfluidics, and to pattern and manipulate cells. For the relatively large feature sizes used in biology (≥50 μm), production of prototype patterns and structures is convenient, inexpensive, and rapid. Self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiolates on gold are particularly easy to pattern by soft lithography, and they provide exquisite control over surface biochemistry.

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Soft Lithography in Biology and Biochemistry

日本物理学会誌及びJournal of the Physical Society of Japanの月刊について

Hydrogen sensors are of increasing importance in connection with the development and expanded use of hydrogen gas as an energy carrier and as a chemical reactant. There are an immense number of sensors reported in the literature for hydrogen detection and in this work these sensors are classified into eight different operating principles. Characteristic performance parameters of these sensor types, such as measuring range, sensitivity, selectivity and response time are reviewed and the latest technology developments are reported. Testing and validation of sensor performance are described in relation to standardisation and use in potentially explosive atmospheres so as to identify the requirements on hydrogen sensors for practical applications.

Hydrogen Sensors - A review

Crystal engineering--the planning and construction of crystalline supramolecular architectures from modular building blocks--permits the rational design of functional molecular materials that exhibit technologically useful behaviour such as conductivity and superconductivity, ferromagnetism and nonlinear optical properties. Because the presence of two cooperative properties in the same crystal lattice might result in new physical phenomena and novel applications, a particularly attractive goal is the design of molecular materials with two properties that are difficult or impossible to combine in a conventional inorganic solid with a continuous lattice. A promising strategy for creating this type of 'bi-functionality' targets hybrid organic/inorganic crystals comprising two functional sub-lattices exhibiting distinct properties. In this way, the organic pi-electron donor bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) and its derivatives, which form the basis of most known molecular conductors and superconductors, have been combined with molecular magnetic anions, yielding predominantly materials with conventional semiconducting or conducting properties, but also systems that are both superconducting and paramagnetic. But interesting bulk magnetic properties fail to develop, owing to the discrete nature of the inorganic anions. Another strategy for achieving cooperative magnetism involves insertion of functional bulky cations into a polymeric magnetic anion, such as the bimetallic oxalato complex [MnIICrIII(C2O4)3]-, but only insoluble powders have been obtained in most cases. Here we report the synthesis of single crystals formed by infinite sheets of this magnetic coordination polymer interleaved with layers of conducting BEDT-TTF cations, and show that this molecule-based compound displays ferromagnetism and metallic conductivity.

Coexistence of ferromagnetism and metallic conductivity in a molecule-based layered compound

Compact solid-state sources of terahertz (THz) radiation are being sought for sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy applications across the physical and biological sciences. We demonstrate that coherent continuous-wave THz radiation of sizable power can be extracted from intrinsic Josephson junctions in the layered high-temperature superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 . In analogy to a laser cavity, the excitation of an electromagnetic cavity resonance inside the sample generates a macroscopic coherent state in which a large number of junctions are synchronized to oscillate in phase. The emission power is found to increase as the square of the number of junctions reaching values of 0.5 microwatt at frequencies up to 0.85 THz, and persists up to ∼50 kelvin. These results should stimulate the development of superconducting compact sources of THz radiation.

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Emission of coherent THz radiation from superconductors.

Recent advances in the design and synthesis of organic synthetic metals have yielded materials that have the highest superconducting transition temperatures ( T c ≈ 13 kelvin) reported for these systems These materials have crystal structures consisting of alternating layers of organic donor molecules and inorganic anions Organic superconductors have various electronic and magnetic properties and crystal structures that are similar to those of the inorganic copper oxide superconductors (which have high T c values); these similarities include highly anisotropic conductivities, critical fields, and short coherence lengths The largest number of organic superconductors, including those with the highest T c values, are charge-transfer salts derived from the electron donor molecule BEDT-TTF or ET [bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene] The synthesis and crystal structures of these salts are discussed; their electrical, magnetic, and band electronic structure properties and their many similarities to the copper oxide superconductors are treated as well

Organic superconductors--new benchmarks.

Resistive-type palladium structures for hydrogen sensing remains as a research focus for their simplicity in device construction. We demonstrate that a siloxane self-assembled monolayer placed between a substrate and an evaporated ultrathin Pd film promotes the formation of small Pd nanoclusters and reduces the stiction between the palladium and the substrate. The resulting Pd nanocluster film can detect 2%H2 with a rapid response time of ∼70ms and is sensitive to 25 ppm hydrogen, detectable by a 2% increase in conductance due to the hydrogen-induced palladium lattice expansion.

Self-assembled monolayer-enhanced hydrogen sensing with ultrathin palladium films

THE magnetic vortex lattice of copper oxide superconductors in the mixed (field-penetrated) state 'liquefies'1,2 on increasing the temperature T or the external magnetic field H, giving rise to an ohmic resistivity well below the fluctuation-dominated crossover to the normal state at the upper critical field Hc2(T). Theoretical work suggests that in clean materials this melting is a first-order phase transition3; features in the resistivity4–6 and magnetization7–10, as well as results from muon spin rotation11 and neutron-diffraction work12, have been cited to support this hypothesis. A calorimetric measurement of a latent heat provides the most definitive proof of the occurrence of a first-order transition, but such measurements require very high sensitivity. Here we report calorimetric measurements on an untwinned single crystal of YBa2Cu3O7–δ that have sufficient precision to clearly resolve the latent heat. The value obtained, ∼0.45kBT per vortex per superconducting layer (where kB is the Boltzmann constant), is consistent with that inferred from magnetization data using the Clapeyron equation. This result is compelling evidence for a first-order transition at a well defined phase boundary Hm(T).

Calorimetric measurement of the latent heat of vortex-lattice melting in untwinned YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ

Porous alumina membranes are commercially available and have been widely used in recent nanoscale research, for example, as templates in nanowire fabrication through electrodeposition. In this report, we present a new use for porous alumina membranes in the fabrication of alumina nanotubes/nanowires desired in electrochemical devices and catalytic applications. A high yield of alumina nanotubes/nanowires is obtained by etching porous alumina membranes in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. We studied the effects of etching time and solution concentration and characterized the alumina nanotubes/nanowires using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A discussion of the possible mechanism for the formation of nanotubes/nanowires is given. Our results also imply that in nanowire fabrication through the template approach where alumina membranes are removed with sodium hydroxide solution to release the nanowires special attention is needed in characterizing the nanowires with the SEM because alumina nanotubes/nanowires can be easily mistaken for electrodeposited nanowires.

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Wai-Kwong Kwok

Papers

Emission of coherent THz radiation from superconductors.

Organic superconductors--new benchmarks.

Self-assembled monolayer-enhanced hydrogen sensing with ultrathin palladium films

Calorimetric measurement of the latent heat of vortex-lattice melting in untwinned YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ

Fabrication of Alumina Nanotubes and Nanowires by Etching Porous Alumina Membranes