Probing the interlayer mechanical coupling of 2D layered materials - A review

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are assembled through the intralayer covalent bonds and interlayer van der Waals (vdWs) interactions. The relatively weak interlayer vdWs interactions result in the weak interlayer mechanical coupling between layers, which strongly impacts the overall mechanical properties of multilayer 2D materials or heterostructures. Experimentally probing the interlayer mechanical coupling is of vital importance on the accumulation of fundamental parameters for their applications in flexible and stretchable devices, yet there are hardly comprehensive reviews in this research field. In this review, we firstly introduce the probing methods of interlayer mechanical coupling, including high-frequency and ultralow-frequency Raman characterizations, nanoindentation of multilayer 2D materials or heterostructures, surface indentation, pressurized blister test, characterization of spontaneously formed nanoblisters, and nano-friction tests. Based on the analysis and comparison of the existing methods and results, we also discuss the advantages and limitations of each method. Finally, the challenges and opportunities in this promising field are discussed. This review summarizes the recent progress in the probing of interlayer mechanical coupling of 2D layered materials and will provide important reference for the rational design of flexible and stretchable devices.     

Highly mechanical and high-temperature properties of Cu–Cu joints using citrate-coated nanosized Ag paste in air

Today,a growing number of third-generation semiconductor-based power devices are used in products that can continuously operate at high temperatures for extended periods of time.Hence,traditional tin-lead and lead-free solders are no longer suitable for modern electronic packaging.A common method is to apply Ag paste for bare Cu-Cu joints under an inert or reductive atmosphere.In this study,the citrate-coated nanosized Ag paste was utilized to generate robust bare Cu-Cu joints under atmospheric ...     

Enhanced low-humidity performance of proton-exchange membrane fuel cell by introducing hydrophilic CNTs in membrane electrode assembly

Hydrophilic carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) were introduced into the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) to improve its low-humidity performance. The effects of types, placement, loading, and relative humidity on the MEA performance were investigated. It has been found that the MEA with 20 ?wt% HCNTs loading both in anode and cathode achieved the best self-humidifying performance. Its current density reached 1550 ?mA ?cm^?2 at 0.6 ?V, with a maximum power density of 953 ?mW/cm² at 70 ?°C, 30 psi and 30% relative humidity conditions. Besides, the stability test shows that its current density at 0.6 ?V only decreased by 6.4% after 44 ?h performance test, while the performance of blank MEA without HCNTs decreased by 45% within 6 ?h testing period. This extraordinary performance under low humidity condition is ascribed to that the HCNTs contained in the MEA improve the water management and mass transportation by functioning as a dispersant and hydrophilic agent.     

Highly stable N-containing polymer-based Fe/Nx/C electrocatalyst for alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cell applications

A cost-effective electrocatalyst with high activity and stability was developed. The Fe-Nx and pyridinic-N active sites were embedded in nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanomaterial by carbonization at high temperature. The electrocatalyst exhibited excellent electrochemical performance for the oxygen reduction reaction, with high onset potential and half-wave potential values (E_onset = 1.10 ?V and E_1/2 ?= ?0.944 ?V) than 20 ?wt % Pt/C catalyst (1.04 and 0.910 ?V). The mass activity of the Schiff base network (SNW) based SNW-Fe/N/C@800° electrocatalyst (0.64 ?mA ?mg^?1 @ 1 ?V) reached about half of the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst (1.35 ?mA ?mg^?1 @ 1 ?V). The electrocatalyst followed the 4-electron transfer mechanism due to very low hydrogen peroxide yield (H₂O₂ ?< ?1.5%) was obtained. In addition, this electrocatalyst with dual active sites showed high stability during cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry measurements. More importantly, the electrocatalyst also demonstrated the power density of 266 ?mW ?cm^?2 in the alkaline anions exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) test, indicating its prospective application for fuel cells.     

Studies on the effects of pre-firing and sintering temperature on NSDC nanocomposite electrolytes

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) technology, with fuel flexibility, is one of the most promising power generation technology. However, the high operating temperature of SOFCs has hindered their commercial applications. As a crucial requirement to enhance its performance, SOFCs electrolytes should operate at a low temperature. Carbonate/ceria composites are developed as electrolytes for low operating temperature SOFCs, and a better understanding of the mechanism of its ionic conductivity serves this purpose. In this work, ceria-carbonate composite electrolyte, Na₂CO₃/samarium doped ceria (NSDC) were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The synthesized electrolytes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The XRD and SEM results showed that the sintered NSDC nanocomposite comprised a single-phase dense electrolyte structure. The crystallite size of the NSDC nanocomposite was greatly affected by the different pre-firing temperatures and different sintering temperatures. Also, the ionic conductivity of the prepared NSDC nanocomposite electrolytes was strongly dependent on the pre-firing and sintering temperatures. The NSDC nanocomposite electrolytes were pre-fired at 950 ?°C and 650 ?°C and sintered at 1200 ?°C and 900 ?°C respectively, had ionic conductivity in H₂ and air high as 0.36 ?S/cm and 0.3 ?S/cm.     

Effect of Zr addition on the stability of precipitated Laves phase and mechanical properties of Fe–Cr–Al-based alloys at high temperatures

The effect of a small amount of Zr addition on the temperature-dependent stability of Laves phase particles and mechanical properties of Fe-13.5Cr-4.73Al-2.07Mo-(0.34–0.5)Nb-(0.65–0.98)Ta-(0–0.33)Zr (wt. %) ferritic alloys was investigated in the present study. The designed alloy ingots were hot-rolled, aged at 1073 ?K for 24 ?h, and then re-treated at 1273 ?K, 1323 ?K, 1373 ?K, and 1473 ?K for 1 ?h, respectively. It was found that the Zr addition could not only stabilize the Fe₂M Laves phase (M ?= ?Mo,Nb,Ta,Zr) to a much higher temperature, but also induce the formation of stable Fe₂₃Zr₆ phase. The high-temperature (HT) microstructural stability of the alloys significantly was improved, as evidenced by the fact that a certain amount (0.66–1.19%) of precipitates (Fe₂M, Fe₂₃Zr₆, and core(Fe₂₃Zr₆)-shell(Fe₂M)-structured particles) with an appropriate size (～1.0 ?μm) uniformly distributed in the ferritic matrix even after being re-treated at 1473 ?K. Particularly, the formation of core-shell-structured particles at HTs was studied from the viewpoint of both solid solubility and diffusion coefficient of M in the matrix. All these aged alloys exhibited prominent mechanical properties at both room and elevated temperatures, showing high yield strength with σ_YS ?= ?490–560 ?MPa at room-temperature and σ_YS ?= ?80–85 ?MPa at 1073 ?K. The strengthening effect was further discussed in light of various strengthening mechanisms, and the calculated strength are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Flexible micro-supercapacitors fabricated from MnO2 nanosheet/graphene composites with black phosphorus additive

Supercapacitors are widely used for powering flexible/wearable electronics owing to their excellent charge storage capabilities. In this study, MnO₂ nanosheets were grown on the surface of graphene using a simple water bath method to prepare graphene/MnO₂ composites for fabricating supercapacitors. In addition, two-dimensional black phosphorus was introduced as an additive into the electronic ink based on the as-prepared graphene/MnO₂ composites. The characterization and electrochemical analyses results showed that adding black phosphorus considerably improved the capacitive performance of the material, yielding a high specific capacitance of 241.5 ?F ?g^-1 at 0.1 ?A ?g^-1 and an impressive rate capability improvement from 52.5% to 80.3%. Then the micro-supercapacitor having an area-specific capacitance of 20.15 ?mF ?cm^-2 at a scanning rate of 2 ?mV ?s^-1 was utilized to demonstrate the practical applicability of this material. To further evaluate the practical applicability of this micro-supercapacitor, the micro-supercapacitor was integrated with a flexible thin-film pressure sensor on paper and cloth through screen printing.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of hydroxyapatite coating on the surface of medical magnesium alloy and its corrosion resistance

The early corrosion control of biomedical magnesium alloy is an important measure to determine its good performance during implantation into human body. The deposition of calcium phosphate biological coating is the most effective solution at present. In this paper, hydroxyapatite (HAP) coating was hydrothermal synthesized on the surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy, and the influence mechanism of hydrothermal synthesis temperature, time and solution concentration was investigated. The synthesis conditions and deposition mechanism of hydroxyapatite coating without DCPA (CaHPO₄) were proposed. The surface morphology of the coating was observed by field emission electron scanning microscope (FESEM). The types and contents of microelements in the material were analyzed by energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the functional group information of the coating surface. The corrosion resistance of different experimental groups was studied by electrochemical test. The results showed that when the calcium phosphate solution concentration was 0.1 ?mol/L and the calcium/phosphorus ratio was 1.67, the coating had better morphology structure and corrosion resistance, and the calcium/phosphorus ratio of HAP crystals reached 1.58, the epit of the prepared AZ31B-HAP coating by bare metal increased from ?1.51 ?V to ?1.18 ?V, the impedance value reached 1.0 ?× ?10⁵ ?Ω?cm², and the early corrosion of magnesium alloy substrate was effectively delayed.     

Influence of modulation period for β-Cu2+xSe/SiC nano-multilayer films on their thermoelectric properties

In this study, β-Cu_2+xSe/SiC nano-multilayer films with different modulation period were successfully deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates by sputtering alternately using Cu–Se and SiC targets. The deposited films were observed on both surface and cross-section, and the thermoelectric properties were studied. The results show that both carrier concentration and mobility at room temperature decreased with the reducing modulation period for the nano-multilayer films. The conductivity slightly decreased and Seebeck coefficient greatly increased with the reducing modulation period. As a result of competition, the power factor of the nano multilayer films increased with the reducing modulation period because the positive effect of the Seebeck coefficient exceeded the negative effect of the conductivity. In the case of β-Cu_2+xSe/SiC nano multilayer film with the smallest modulation periods (210 ?nm), the power factor reached 0.39 ?mWm^?1K^?2 and 0.59 ?mWm^?1K^?2 at room temperature and 325 ?°C, respectively. The enhanced power factor for nano multilayer films is attributed to the scattering process at the β-Cu_2+xSe/SiC layer interface, which reduces the carrier concentration and the mobility. It is concluded that the thermoelectric properties of β-Cu_2+xSe films can be effectively improved by designing nano multilayer structure.     

Improving the tensile properties of extruded Mg–Ga alloy by ageing treatment

A hot-extruded Mg-5Ga alloy was subjected to ageing treatment at 150 ?°C, 190 ?°C and 230 ?°C. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the extruded and aged alloy were examined in this study. Microstructure examinations suggested that particle-shaped and rod-shaped Mg₅Ga₂ were precipitated in the alloy after peak ageing treatment. The extruded alloy showed the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation to fracture of 157.6 ?MPa, 248.6 ?MPa and 17.5%, respectively. After peak ageing, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength can be enhanced by as much as 15.7% and 8.6% reaching 182.3 ?MPa and 270 ?MPa, respectively. The improvement of the tensile strengths is mainly attributed to the enhanced precipitation strengthening by newly formed fine Mg₅Ga₂ precipitates. The ductility of the alloy was slightly increased by peak ageing at low temperatures (150 ?°C and 190 ?°C), but remarkably decreased by peak ageing at high temperature (230 ?°C) due to the formation of coarsened Mg₅Ga₂ particles which easily initiated the cracks during tensile deformation.     

Effect of spark plasma sintering and reinforcements on the formation of ultra-fine and nanograins in AA2024-TiB2-Y hybrid composites

This study reports the influence of sintering mechanism and reinforcement materials on the formation of ultra-fine and nanograins in Al-TiB₂-Y nanohybrid composites. The mechanical properties of the composites and their corresponding micro and nanostructures are correlated. The experimental and characterization results revealed that despite the addition of TiB₂, the hard and brittle Al₃Ti phase formation in the composites was suppressed and hence, their ductility was retained. It was found that yttrium content of 0.3 ?wt% was the optimum amount which created advantageous spark plasma sintering conditions, and the addition of 0.3 ?wt% promoted the formation of bi-modal size grains (ultra-fine and nano) along with micro grains, Ω and other nano precipitates, resulting in a significant enhancement in the composite properties. The formation of ultra-fine and nanograins may be attributed to the combined effect of melting and rapid solidification at necking zones due to Joule's heating and thermo-mechanical fatigue. Among all the sintered composites, the highest hardness (137 HV), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) (496 ?MPa), yield strength (YS) (438 ?MPa) with 15.7% elongation were obtained in the sintered sample reinforced with 1.0 ?wt% TiB₂ and 0.3 ?wt% yttrium.     

Reduced graphene oxide wrapped 3D-ultrathin CoS2 nanoflakes as an absorbing material with enhanced microwave absorption

Novel 3D-ultrathin CoS₂ nanoflakes wrapped by reduced graphene oxide (CoS₂/RGO) were successfully prepared via a facile method. The morphology and structure of the materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The microwave absorption properties of the CoS₂/RGO composites were also investigated. The composites exhibited optimal microwave absorption properties at a CoS₂/RGO loading of 20 ?wt.% in paraffin matrix, with a reflection loss (R_L) value of ?36.5 ?dB at 12.1 ?GHz and a thickness of 2.0 ?mm. Furthermore, CoS₂/RGO composites have an excellent absorption bandwidth (reflection loss below ?10 dB) of 6.5 ?GHz. The results indicate that the RGO-wrapped 3D-ultrathin CoS₂ nanoflakes have a broad microwave absorption bandwidth, strong absorption, and are the candidates for the application as the advanced microwave absorbers.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiAl/TiAl joints brazed with a newly developed Ti–Ni–Nb–Zr quaternary filler alloy

A novel Ti-Ni-Nb-Zr quaternary filler alloy with the composition of Ti-(19～25)Ni-(15～25)(Nb+Zr)(wt.%) was designed.The filler alloy was composed of(Ti,Nb)ss,(Ti,Zr,Nb)ss+(Ti,Zr)₂Ni,α-Ti and Ti₂Ni phases.It was fabricated into filler foil with a thickness of about 45 μm by a rapid solidification technique.The results indicate that the liquidus temperature of the Ti-Ni-Nb-Zr brazing alloy was about 978℃,and the brazing alloy presented excellent wettability on TiAl substrate.T...     

Effect of long-term aging treatment on the tensile strength and ductility of GH 605 superalloy

Aging treatment is an effective way to optimize the mechanical properties of Co-based superalloys. In this study, commercial GH 605 superalloy was subjected to aging treatment at 650 ?°C in a wide time range up to 1000 ?h. The effects of aging time on the tensile characteristics, microstructure evolution and mechanical properties were systematically investigated at room temperature (RT) and 900 ?°C. The results showed that the volume fractions of M₆C and M₂₃C₆ carbide increased with the aging time. After long-term aging treatment, the yield strength (YS) at RT was enhanced from 490.3 ?MPa to 805.9 ?MPa, while the alloy still had high tensile ductility (above 20%). Microscopic observations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that the strengthening mechanism was related to carbide precipitation inside the grains and the change in the dislocation slipping mode. Moreover, long-term aging treatment can increase the elongation from 24.1% to 47.3% at 900 ?°C accompanied by a slight increase of YS from 299.3 ?MPa to 313.9 ?MPa. Based on detailed microstructure analysis the strengthening mechanism can be attributed to the refined grains as well as carbide precipitation inside the grains and around the grain boundaries.     

An evidence for the strong association of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone with some organic species in three Chinese bituminous coals

Three Chinese bituminous coals collected from Shenfu, Heidaigou and Feicheng coal fields were respectively extracted with carbon-disulfide/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone （CS2/NMP） mixed solvent （volume ratio 1：1） at room temperature followed by distillation of CS2 under ambient pressure and subsequent removal of most of NMP by distillation at 110℃ under reduced pressure to afford mixed solvent-extractable fractions （MSEFs） with small amount of NMP. Acetone-extractable fraction 1 （AEF1） was obtained by extracting each MSEF under ultrasonic irradiation at room temperature and subsequently using a Soxhlet extractor. Direct extraction of each bituminous coal affords acetone-soluble fraction 2 （AEF2）. GC/MS analysis shows that m/z of base or secondary peak in mass spectra of a series of components from each AEF1 is 98, whereas such components were not detected in AEF2. Since m/z of base peak in mass spectrum of NMP itself is 99, the base or secondary peak at m/z 98 should result from loss of α-H from NMP, i.e., NMP is strongly associated with some organic species （OSs） and thereby the components detected with base or secodary peak at m/z 98 in their mass spectra should be associated NMP-OS.     

Cu2O-templated fabrication of Ni(OH)2·0.75H2O hollow tubes for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Cu₂O is an ideal template material for the preparation of transition metal hydroxide/oxyhydroxides with oxygen evolution reaction (OER) enhanced catalytic performance. Here, inspired by Pearson's principle, Cu₂O wires were prepared and used as a sacrificial template to prepare Ni(OH)₂·0.75H₂O hollow tubes (Ni(OH)₂ HTs) with highly improved surface roughness. Benefiting from unique structural advantages, the Ni(OH)₂ HTs showed excellent catalytic activity, rapid kinetics and a long-term stability as the OER catalyst, where an overpotential of only 207 ?mV was required to drive a current density of 10 ?mA ?cm^?2, an ideal kinetics with a Tafel slope as 79.8 ?mV dec^?1 was calculated, and no obvious attenuation in chronoamperometry was discovered after operation for 24 ?h. This paper provides a novel template-assisted strategy to prepare high-performance transition metal-based OER catalysts possessing hollow and tubular structures.     

Organic dye removal and recycling performances of graphene oxide-coated biopolymer sponge

In this study, a biopolymer sponge (PS) with a crosslinked mixture of gelatin-chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol) was dipped into graphene oxide (GO) solution to form a composite sponge (CS, GO-coated PS) by a combination of simple dip-coating and freeze-drying procedures, as a sponge-like adsorbent in organic dye removal applications. The morphological, chemical, crystalline, mechanical and thermal characterizations of the as-obtained sponges were further investigated for the possible changes in the structure of sponge-like adsorbent after coating the GO sheets on the 3D porous structure of PS. The results showed that the CS had possessed effectively organic dye removal performances comparing to the PS. In the adsorption, the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models corresponding to a monolayer approach and a chemical adsorption were appropriated. The maximum adsorption capacity of Rhodamine B and Congo red reached 126.8 and 135.0 ?mg?g^?1; and 145.6 and 148.6 ?mg?g^?1 corresponding onto the PS and CS. It indicates that the maximum adsorption capacity on the CS enhanced significantly comparing to those on the PS owing to the functional GO sheets coated in the 3D porous structure of PS, which leads to supplying further functional adsorption sides on the whole 3D porous structure of CS. Notably, the sponges-like adsorbents could be regenerated and used again without a remarkable decrease of dye removal ability occurred in 9 adsorbing–desorbing cycles. Therefore, the CS prepared in this study can become a potential adsorbent for actual applications because of non-toxic materials, proper structural features, low-cost material and operation, and reliable recyclability.     

Effect of temperature on carrier transport and photoconductivity of Mn-doped FeS2 thin films

Thin-film of Mn-doped iron disulfide (FeS₂) has been prepared using the thermal evaporation method. This work reports the Hall measurements, temperature and light intensity-dependent photoconductivity, electrical transport mechanism, and photodetection properties of Mn-doped FeS₂ thin film. The transient photoconductivity measurements of p-type Mn-doped FeS₂ thin film show a consistent dependence upon temperature and light intensity. Charge transport mechanism was illustrated using different models. In region-I (303–393 ?K) deposited film followed the thermally activated transport mechanism. Nearest neighbour hopping (NNH) transport mechanism was followed by region-II (274–293 ?K), and Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) mechanism was dominant in region-III (108–273 ?K). The fabricated device resulted in higher photoconductivity due to collecting charge carriers through electrodes under light illumination. The results also revealed that Mn-doped thin film possessed good photoresponsivity (～19 ?mA/W) as well as photo-detectivity (～3.4 ?× ?10¹² Jones) due to the occupation of localized states formed by Mn-doping. Light intensity-dependent photodetection properties suggested the potential for real-time photodetection applications.     

超声处理对酵母细胞的致死及相关影响

超声处理作为新兴的非热杀菌技术,由于对超声处理条件的作用规律和对微生物细胞的影响研究不足,在实际应用中还不成熟.文中以酿酒酵母为对象,考察超声杀菌处理效果的三个主要影响因素(即超声功率、时间和脉冲占空比)对细胞致死作用的影响规律,并采用选择性平板法对超声引起的细胞亚致死效应进行检测,采用TEM对细胞超微结构变化进行检测.结果表明:超声功率及时间对细胞的致死作用影响显著;超声处理后细胞未检出显著的亚致死损伤;超声处理对细胞的超微结构破坏大,表明结构完整性的破坏可能是细胞死亡的直接原因.     

Preparation,characterization and antibacterial property of naringin loaded PLGA nanospheres

Naringin is a predominant flavanone in grapefruit and shows a variety of biological effects such as antioxidative, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity. However, its application in pharmaceutical field is limited by low water solubility, poor bioavailability and instability. To overcome the problem, naringin has been encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymer by emulsion-diffusion-evaporation method in this work. Moreover, naringin loaded PLGA nanospheres were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), dynamic light scatter method (DLS), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, UV–vis spectra and fluorescence spectra of DNA-EB competition displacement. The mean diameter of PLGA nanospheres and NRG/PLGA nanospheres was 123 ?± ?25 ?nm and 137 ?± ?30 ?nm, respectively. The drug encapsulation efficiency was 86.4% while the drug loading rate was 22.3%. The fluorescence spectra of the competitive DNA-binding experiments revealed that the functional activity of naringin was retained after loaded in PLGA. It is revealed that the initial burst effect happened in the initial 24 ?h and followed by sustained release lasting for 10 days. Moreover, the nanospheres exhibited strong antibacterial activity, and 99.9% of E. coli and S. aureus were killed when treated with naringin loaded PLGA nanospheres at the concentration of 0.2 ?mg ?mL^?1 within 24 ?h. Furthermore, the viable cells remained only 48% when the concentration of NRG/PLGA nanospheres was 32 ?μg ?mL^?1 and NRG/PLGA nanospheres was important for inhibition of cancer cells. It is concluded that the stable naringin loaded PLGA nanospheres could have potential application in food industry and nanomedicine field.