Collective bistability of pyridine-furan nanosprings coupled by a graphene plate

TL;DR

This study investigates how multiple pyridine-furan nanosprings attached to a graphene plate can synchronize their bistable switching behavior, using molecular dynamics simulations and theoretical modeling to explore their collective response to stimuli.

Contribution

The paper introduces a hybrid nanosystem of coupled pyridine-furan nanosprings and a graphene plate, analyzing their synchronized bistable dynamics through simulations and theoretical analysis.

Findings

Nanosprings exhibit bistable dynamics similar to Duffing oscillators.

Coupling via the graphene plate can induce synchronized switching.

Theoretical model explains the dependence of synchronization on coupling strength.

Abstract

Nanometer-sized molecular structures exhibiting mechanical-like switching between discrete states are of great interest for their potential uses in nanotechnology and materials science. Designing such structures and understanding how they can be combined to operate synchronously is a key to creating nanoscale functional units. Notable examples recently discovered using atomistic simulations are pyridine-furan and pyridine-pyrrole nanosprings. When slightly stretched in aqueous or organic solutions, these nanosprings exhibit bistable dynamics akin to Duffing nonlinear oscillators. Based on these findings, we designed a hybrid system consisting of several pyridine furan nanosprings attached to a graphene plate in organic solvent and simulated the molecular dynamics of the construct. Our focus is on how the nanosprings coupled by a graphene plate work together, and whether such a design enables the nanosprings to respond synchronously to random perturbations and weak external stimuli. Molecular dynamics simulations of this specific construct are complemented by a theoretical model of coupled bistable systems to understand how the synchronization depends on coupling of bistable units.