Ultra-low Young’s modulus and high super-exchange interactions in monolayer CrN: A promising candidate for flexible spintronic applications

Monolayer CrN has been predicted to be half-metallic ferromagnet with high Curie temperature.Due to bulk CrN’s biocompatibility,the monolayer is a promising candidate for bio-related devices.Here,using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory,we find that the formation energy of the bulk CrN stacking from layers with square lattice is only 68 meV/atom above the convex hull,suggesting a great potential to fabricate the monolayer CrN in a square lattice by using molecular beam epitaxy method.The monolayer CrN is then proved to be a soft material with an ultra-low Young’s modulus and can sustain very large strains.Moreover,the analysis of the projected density of states demonstrates that the ferromagnetic half-metallicity originates from the splitting of Cr-d orbitals in the CrN square crystal field,the bonding interaction between Cr-N,and that between Cr-Cr atoms.It is worth noting that the super-exchange interaction is much larger than the direct-exchange interaction and contributes to the ultra-high Curie temperature,which is obtained from Monte Carlo simulations based on Heisenberg model.Our findings suggest that the monolayer CrN can be an indispensable candidate for nanoscale flexible spintronic applications with good biocompatibility and is considerable appealing to be realized in experiment.

A DFT Investigation on the Electronic Structures and Au Adatom Assisted Hydrogenation of Graphene Nanoflake Array

Graphene nanoribbons with zigzag edges(ZGNRs)have attracted much attention for their spin-polarized edge states predicted more than 15 years ago.Since the ZGNRs are fabricated on metal substrates using molecular precursors,due to their strong coupling with metal substrates,experimental detection of the spin-polarized edge states is still difficult.Here,we design a partially hydrogenated graphene(PHGr).

Two-dimensional polyaniline nanosheets via liquid-phase exfoliation

Two-dimensional（2D） organic nanomaterials are fascinating because of their unique properties and pentential applications in future optoelectronic devices.Polyaniline（PANI） has attracted much attention for its high conductivity,good environmental stability and unusual doping chemistry.We report on liquid-phase exfoliation of layered PANI films grown by electrochemical polymerization.Atomic force microscopy images demonstrate that few-or even mono-layer PANI nanosheets can be fabricated.The PANI nanosheets can be transferred onto a variety of surfaces,providing a promising route to their incorporation into a variety of devices for further studies and various applications.

Bloom's syndrome protein unfolding G-quadruplexes in two pathways

The Bloom helicase （BLM） gene product encodes a DNA helicase that functions in homologous recombination repair to prevent genomic instability. BLM is highly active in binding and unfolding G-quadruplexes （G4）, which are non- canonical DNA structures formed by Hoogsteen base-pairing in guanine-rich sequences. Here we use single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer （smFRET） to study the molecular mechanism of BLM-catalysed G4 unfolding and show that BLM unfolds G4 in two pathways. Our data enable us to propose a model in which the HRDC domain functions as a regulator of BLM, depending on the position of the HRDC domain of BLM in action： when HRDC binds to the G4 sequence, BLM may hold G4 in the unfolded state; otherwise, it may remain on the unfolded G4 transiently so that G4 can refold immediately.