PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Fabio Biscarini

Publications and source records attributed to Fabio Biscarini.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Multiscale self-organization of the organic semiconductor alpha-quinquethiophene.

We show that thin films grown by vacuum sublimation, or formed by melted powders, of semiconductor alpha-quinquethiophene (T5) exhibit a hierarchical self-affinity organization that spans scales from tens of nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. T5 organization was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical microscopy. XRD showed that vacuum-evaporated T5 films were characterized by a preferred orientation of the h00 planes parallel to the glass substrate. Melting of the films followed by rapid quenching to room temperature led to the formation of micrometer-sized, single-crystal-like structures, characterized by uniaxially aligned stripes. XRD proved that the melting-quenching process enhanced molecular ordering and increased the size of domains with the molecule's long axes tilted by about 65 degrees with respect to the substrate plane and piled up side-by-side along parallel columns. AFM measurements on the melt-quenched structures showed that a hierarchical architecture was built by reiteration across multiple length scales of the same recurring motif. Because of the tendency of T5 to form highly crystalline vacuum-evaporated thin films, a field-effect hole mobility comparable to state-of-the-art FET mobility of alpha-sexithiophene films was reached, without any attempt to optimize deposition conditions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

A nanoporous molecular magnet with reversible solvent-induced mechanical and magnetic properties.

Interest in metal-organic open-framework structures has increased enormously in the past few years because of the potential benefits of using crystal engineering techniques to yield nanoporous materials with predictable structures and interesting properties. Here we report a new efficient methodology for the preparation of metal-organic open-framework magnetic structures based on the use of a persistent organic free radical (PTMTC), functionalized with three carboxylic groups. Using this approach, we create an open-framework structure Cu3(PTMTC)2(py)6(CH3CH2OH)2(H2O), which we call MOROF-1, combining very large pores (2.8-3.1 nm) with bulk magnetic ordering. MOROF-1 shows a reversible and highly selective solvent-induced 'shrinking-breathing' process involving large volume changes (25-35%) that strongly influence the magnetic properties of the material. This magnetic sponge-like behaviour could be the first stage of a new route towards magnetic solvent sensors.

Copper↗
PubMed2003

The contact mechanics of fractal surfaces.

The role of surface roughness in contact mechanics is relevant to processes ranging from adhesion to friction, wear and lubrication. It also promises to have a deep impact on applied science, including coatings technology and design of microelectromechanical systems. Despite the considerable results achieved by indentation experiments, particularly in the measurement of bulk hardness on nanometre scales, the contact behaviour of realistic surfaces, showing random multiscale roughness, remains largely unknown. Here we report experimental results concerning the mechanical response of self-affine thin films indented by a micrometric flat probe. The specimens, made of cluster-assembled carbon or of sexithienyl, an organic molecular material, were chosen as prototype systems for the broad class of self-affine fractal interfaces, today including surfaces grown under non-equilibrium conditions, fractures, manufactured metal surfaces and solidified liquid fronts. We observe that a regime exists in which roughness drives the contact mechanics: in this range surface stiffness varies by a few orders of magnitude on small but significant changes of fractal parameters. As a consequence, we demonstrate that soft solid interfaces can be appreciably strengthened by reducing both fractal dimension and surface roughness. This indicates a general route for tailoring the mechanical properties of solid bodies.

Carbon↗
PubMed2002

The effect of mechanical interlocking on crystal packing: predictions and testing.

The first statistical analyses of the X-ray crystal structures of mechanically interlocked molecular architectures, the first molecular mechanics-based solid-state calculations on such structures and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments are used in combination to predict and test which types of benzylic amide macrocycle-containing rotaxanes possess mobile components in the crystalline phase and thus could form the basis of solid-state devices that function through mechanical motion at the molecular level. The statistical studies and calculations show that crystals formed by rotaxanes possess similarities and unanticipated differences with respect to the crystal packing of noninterlocked molecules. Trends in the rotaxane series correlate quantities related to crystal packing, molecular size, stoichiometry, and H-bonding. In accordance with the findings of Gavezzotti et al. for conventional molecular architectures, a principal component analysis (PCA) showed that three vectors related to the size, packing parameters, and stoichiometry are sufficient to describe the crystal properties of benzylic amide macrocycle-containing rotaxanes. When hydrogen bond-related quantities are included in a second PCA, they combine with the size and the stoichiometry vectors but not with packing-related parameters, indicating that the intramolecular "saturation" of the H-bonds (between the interlocked components) takes precedence over crystal assembly (i.e., intermolecular packing) in these systems. However, cluster analyses also suggest a major role for the energy of interaction between the macrocycle and its crystal environment. The identification of such a "privileged" interaction is of fundamental importance to the development of rotaxanes with in-crystal mobility of one or more of their interlocked components, a prerequisite for the exploitation of molecular level mechanical motion in the solid state. The set of trends found, together with the calculated energies, was used to propose guidelines for which benzylic amide macrocycle-containing rotaxanes are best suited to become building blocks for systems with mobile submolecular units in the crystalline phase. An experimental test of the predictive power of such guidelines was carried out using AFM on a rotaxane and its thread, identified by the study as a promising candidate for solid-state mobility. Intuitively, the rotaxane should be less mobile in the solid state since it has multiple sets of both hydrogen bond donors and acceptors that can form strong inter- and intramolecular H-bonds. Conversely, the thread has no hydrogen bond donors and cannot form such bonds. The AFM experiments, however, confirm the statistical analysis prediction that the rotaxane is considerably more mobile in the solid than the thread.

Journal Article↗