Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are well-ordered, single-molecule-thick structures in two dimensions, which form spontaneously at interfaces (usually at solid surfaces). SAMs have been used for controlling physical properties of interfaces, such as wetting, adhesion, lubrication, and corrosion, as well as understanding fundamental aspects of interfacial phenomena. In addition, SAMs comprise an...

This paper describes a new type of metal-insulator-metal junction based on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The junction consists of a drop of liquid mercury supporting a SAM, in contact with a flat metal surface (M′), also supporting a SAM: that is, a Hg-SAM/SAM-M′ junction. This junction is stable, easy to assemble, and reproducible: it can generate areas of contact down to 0.01 mm2 without ...

Pacemaker myocytes in the sinoatrial node of the heart initiate each heartbeat by firing spontaneous action potentials. However, the molecular processes that underlie pacemaking are incompletely understood, in part because of our limited ability to manipulate protein expression within the native cellular context of sinoatrial node myocytes (SAMs). Here we describe a new method for the culture o...

The kinetics of thermal desorption and displacement of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold derived from the adsorption of 2,2-dipentadecylpropane-1,3-dithiol (d-C17, [CH3(CH2)14]2C[CH2SH]2), 2-pentadecylpropane-1,3-dithiol (m-C17, CH3(CH2)14CH[CH2SH]2), and heptadecanethiol (n-C17, CH3(CH2)16SH) were explored. The kinetics were monitored by optical ellipsometry, contact angle goniometry, a...

The selling of sophisticated equipment is very different from the sale of simple products and requires a considerable amount of strategizing to achieve success. In clear recognition of this fact, Canon has a sales strategy training program that uses SPIN@ selling methodology to train major account sales representatives. However, this training gets quickly lost in the multitude of daily tasks th...

Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins assemble a chromatin state that maintains developmental gene repression. A new study combining structure and in vivo analysis details a molecular network from DNA recognition to PcG recruitment, highlighting the essential role of Sterile Alpha Motifs.

This survey of the literature on the value of active management shows that the average active manager does not outperform but that a significant minority of active managers do add value. Further, studies suggest that investors may be able to identify superior active managers (SAMs) in advance by using public information. Investors who can identify SAMs should be able to improve their overall Sh...

As determined by scratch tests, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) on a muscovite mica substrate were found to be mechanically robust and to serve as a lubricant to protect the underlying mica substrate. For comparison purposes, three polymer films were subjected to scratch tests under the same conditions. The scratch tests were conducted using a diamond-tipped s...

This paper describes the engineering of patterned calcite films using templating by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) supported on micropatterned mixed metal substrates. The substrates were prepared by deposition of one metal (Au, Ag) onto the surface of another metal (Au, Ag) through a stencil or photoresist masks. The micropatterning arises from the generation of disordered regions in SAMs at ...

The self-assembly of molecules into structurally organized monolayers (SAMs) uses the flexibility of organic chemistry and coordination chemistry to generate well-defined, synthetic surfaces with known molecular and macroscopic properties. The process of designing monolayers with a specified structure gives a high level of control over the molecular-level composition in the direction perpendicu...