Electric Potential at the Interface of Membraneless Organelles Gauged by Graphene
 

Christian Hoffman, Gennadiy Murastov, Johannes Vincent Tromm, Muhammad Awais Aslam,  Aleksandar Matkovic, Dragomir Milovanovic 2D_Mat_Lab
Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound and membrane-less organelles that are often in contact with each other. How the interface properties of membrane-less organelles regulate their interactions with membranes remains challenging to assess. Here, we employ graphene-based sensors to investigate the electrostatic properties of synapsin 1, a major synaptic phosphoprotein, either in a single phase or after undergoing phase separation to form synapsin condensates. Using these graphene-based sensors, we discover that synapsin condensates generate strong electrical responses that are otherwise absent when synapsin is present as a single phase. By introducing atomically thin dielectric barriers, we show that the electrical response originates in an electric double layer whose formation governs the interaction between synapsin condensates and graphene. Our data indicate that the interface properties of the same protein are substantially different when the protein is in a single phase versus within a biomolecular condensate, unraveling that condensates can harbor ion potential differences at their interface.

Photoinduced edge-specific nanoparticle decoration of two-dimensional tungsten diselenide nanoribbons

Gennadiy Murastov  Muhammad Awais Aslam, Aleksandar Matkovic  2D Mat_Lab

Combining metallic nanoparticles and 2D semiconductors is a promising pathway to tailor hybrid mixed-dimentional plasmonic systems. However, current research focuses on either stacking nanopartiles on 2D layers or vice versa, commonly compromising electronic properties of the 2D materials due to perturbation of its basal plane. Here, we report a direct one-step controllable growth of silver nanoparticles along tungsten diselenide nanoribbon edges via edge-specific on-surface photochemistry for boosting light-matter coupling effect, optoelectronic response, and improving photocatalytic performance. 

Probing Magnetic Ordering in Air Stable Iron-Rich Van der Waals Minerals
Muhammad Zubair Khan Oleg E. Peil  Muhammad Awais Aslam Johann G. Raith  2DMat_Lab

2D Phyllosilicates bridge the gap between nanotechnology and mineralogy, revealing a novel class of 2D magnetic insulators. These minerals can incorporate substantial amount of local magnetic moment bearing ions with ambient stability. This paper demonstrates the relation between their structure and magnetic properties, offering insights into achieving higher critical ordering temperatures through oxidation state engineering.