Inclusion systems of organic molecules in restacked single-layer molybdenum disulfide

Novel materials have been obtained by restacking single-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS(2)) with organic molecules included between the layers. A large variety of organic molecules can be included between layers of MoS(2) and other transition-metal dichalcogenides. The films with the included organics are formed at the interface between an aqueous suspension of the MoS(2) and a water-immiscible organic liquid. The organic molecules are not necessarily electron donors. A highly oriented, conducting film of restacked MoS(2) containing ferrocene is presented as an example.     

Bioinspired design and assembly of platelet reinforced polymer films

Although strong and stiff human-made composites have long been developed, the microstructure of today's most advanced composites has yet to achieve the order and sophisticated hierarchy of hybrid materials built up by living organisms in nature. Clay-based nanocomposites with layered structure can reach notable stiffness and strength, but these properties are usually not accompanied by the ductility and flaw tolerance found in the structures generated by natural hybrid materials. By using principles found in natural composites, we showed that layered hybrid films combining high tensile strength and ductile behavior can be obtained through the bottom-up colloidal assembly of strong submicrometer-thick ceramic platelets within a ductile polymer matrix.     

Oriented 2D covalent organic framework thin films on single-layer graphene

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), in which molecular building blocks form robust microporous networks, are usually synthesized as insoluble and unprocessable powders. We have grown two-dimensional (2D) COF films on single-layer graphene (SLG) under operationally simple solvothermal conditions. The layered films stack normal to the SLG surface and show improved crystallinity compared with COF powders. We used SLG surfaces supported on copper, silicon carbide, and transparent fused silica (SiO(2)) substrates, enabling optical spectroscopy of COFs in transmission mode. Three chemically distinct COF films grown on SLG exhibit similar vertical alignment and long-range order, and two of these are of interest for organic electronic devices for which thin-film formation is a prerequisite for characterizing their optoelectronic properties.     

Multipolymer systems

Different polymers can be combined to yield a wide variety of composite materials: layered sheets and films, homogeneous and heterogeneous blends, interpenetrating polymer networks, bicomponent fibers, and others. Some properties of a multipolymer material are roughly additive, but synergistic interactions can yield properties and performances superior to those of the individual constituents. Consequently, the use of polymers in combination is a rapidly growing component of polymer materials technology.     

缓/控释肥料纳米-亚微米级胶结包膜复合材料的制备与表征

【目的】以天然高岭土和废弃泡沫塑料为原料，制备高岭土和塑料-淀粉的纳米-亚微米级复合材料，用来作缓/控释肥料的胶结剂和包膜剂。【方法】采用有机物质插层复合、微乳化和高剪切方法制备了高岭土和塑料-淀粉的纳米-亚微米级复合材料，并通过扫描电镜、X-射线衍射、红外光谱和激光粒度分析对复合材料进行了测试和表征。【结果】（1）有机物质插入了高岭土的层间，天然高岭土被剥离成纳米尺寸的片状结构，有机物质和高岭土层间的水合羟基形成氢键连接；（2）塑料-淀粉纳米-亚微米级复合材料表面存在10～20 nm左右大小不一的皱褶或孔径。【结论】此2种复合材料可用来作缓/控释肥料的胶结剂和包膜剂。     

Transferable GaN layers grown on ZnO-coated graphene layers for optoelectronic devices

We fabricated transferable gallium nitride (GaN) thin films and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) using graphene-layered sheets. Heteroepitaxial nitride thin films were grown on graphene layers by using high-density, vertically aligned zinc oxide nanowalls as an intermediate layer. The nitride thin films on graphene layers show excellent optical characteristics at room temperature, such as stimulated emission. As one of the examples for device applications, LEDs that emit strong electroluminescence emission under room illumination were fabricated. Furthermore, the layered structure of a graphene substrate made it possible to easily transfer GaN thin films and GaN-based LEDs onto foreign substrates such as glass, metal, or plastic.     

不同生物质原料水热生物炭特性的研究

以木屑、小麦秸秆和玉米秸秆为原料,采用水热法制备生物炭,研究不同生物质水热生物炭特性,分析了水热生物炭的产率、元素组成、表面特性、多环芳烃含量及表面官能团的变化。结果表明:以木屑为原料制备的水热生物炭产率最高(54.66%),C含量(52.59%)较水热小麦和玉米秸秆生物炭(分别为43.73%和43.93%)高,但O含量(41.56%)明显低于水热小麦和玉米秸秆生物炭(分别为49.94%和50.95%)。扫描电镜显示水热木屑生物炭表面光滑,孔状结构较多且排列整齐,水热小麦生物炭表面粗糙孔隙较少,而水热玉米生物炭孔隙结构不明显。傅里叶红外光谱分析显示原料经水热炭化后官能团种类差异不大,但相对含量发生了变化:水热小麦和玉米秸秆生物炭有机官能团含量相对增加,而无机矿物(如SiO2)含量略有减少;水热木屑生物炭有机官能团和无机矿物的含量均明显增加。采用气质联用仪(GC-MS)分析水热生物炭多环芳烃含量,结果表明三种水热生物炭总多环芳烃含量依次为水热小麦秸秆生物炭水热木屑生物炭水热玉米秸秆生物炭,并以菲和萘为主。     

Machining oxide thin films with an atomic force microscope: pattern and object formation on the nanometer scale

An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used to machine complex patterns and to form free structural objects in thin layers of MoO(3) grown on the surface of MoS(2). The AFM tip can pattern lines with 相似文献   

A material with electrically tunable strength and flow stress

The selection of a structural material requires a compromise between strength and ductility. The material properties will then be set by the choice of alloy composition and microstructure during synthesis and processing, although the requirements may change during service life. Materials design strategies that allow for a recoverable tuning of the mechanical properties would thus be desirable, either in response to external control signals or in the form of a spontaneous adaptation, for instance in self-healing. We have designed a material that has a hybrid nanostructure consisting of a strong metal backbone that is interpenetrated by an electrolyte as the second component. By polarizing the internal interface via an applied electric potential, we accomplish fast and repeatable tuning of yield strength, flow stress, and ductility. The concept allows the user to select, for instance, a soft and ductile state for processing and a high-strength state for service as a structural material.     

Spontaneous ferroelectric order in a bent-core smectic liquid crystal of fluid orthorhombic layers

Macroscopic polarization density, characteristic of ferroelectric phases, is stabilized by dipolar intermolecular interactions. These are weakened as materials become more fluid and of higher symmetry, limiting ferroelectricity to crystals and to smectic liquid crystal stackings of fluid layers. We report the SmAP(F), the smectic of fluid polar orthorhombic layers that order into a three-dimensional ferroelectric state, the highest-symmetry layered ferroelectric possible and the highest-symmetry ferroelectric material found to date. Its bent-core molecular design employs a single flexible tail that stabilizes layers with untilted molecules and in-plane polar ordering, evident in monolayer-thick freely suspended films. Electro-optic response reveals the three-dimensional orthorhombic ferroelectric structure, stabilized by silane molecular terminations that promote parallel alignment of the molecular dipoles in adjacent layers.     

Ultralow thermal conductivity in disordered, layered WSe2 crystals

The cross-plane thermal conductivity of thin films of WSe2 grown from alternating W and Se layers is as small as 0.05 watts per meter per degree kelvin at room temperature, 30 times smaller than the c-axis thermal conductivity of single-crystal WSe2 and a factor of 6 smaller than the predicted minimum thermal conductivity for this material. We attribute the ultralow thermal conductivity of these disordered, layered crystals to the localization of lattice vibrations induced by the random stacking of two-dimensional crystalline WSe2 sheets. Disordering of the layered structure by ion bombardment increases the thermal conductivity.     

Identification of active edge sites for electrochemical H2 evolution from MoS2 nanocatalysts

The identification of the active sites in heterogeneous catalysis requires a combination of surface sensitive methods and reactivity studies. We determined the active site for hydrogen evolution, a reaction catalyzed by precious metals, on nanoparticulate molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by atomically resolving the surface of this catalyst before measuring electrochemical activity in solution. By preparing MoS2 nanoparticles of different sizes, we systematically varied the distribution of surface sites on MoS2 nanoparticles on Au(111), which we quantified with scanning tunneling microscopy. Electrocatalytic activity measurements for hydrogen evolution correlate linearly with the number of edge sites on the MoS2 catalyst.     

Electric field-induced modification of magnetism in thin-film ferromagnets

A large electric field at the surface of a ferromagnetic metal is expected to appreciably change its electron density. In particular, the metal's intrinsic magnetic properties, which are commonly regarded as fixed material constants, will be affected. This requires, however, that the surface has a strong influence on the material's properties, as is the case with ultrathin films. We demonstrated that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of ordered iron-platinum (FePt) and iron-palladium (FePd) intermetallic compounds can be reversibly modified by an applied electric field when immersed in an electrolyte. A voltage change of -0.6 volts on 2-nanometer-thick films altered the coercivity by -4.5 and +1% in FePt and FePd, respectively. The modification of the magnetic parameters was attributed to a change in the number of unpaired d electrons in response to the applied electric field. Our device structure is general and should be applicable for characterization of other thin-film magnetic systems.     

Growth Mechanism of Sputtered Films of YBa2Cu3O7 Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

The surface microstructures of c-axis-oriented films of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7), deposited by off-axis magnetron sputtering on MgO and SrTiO(3) single crystal (100) substrates, have been investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. There is strong evidence that the films nucleate as islands and grow by adding material to the edge of a spirally rising step. This results in columnar grains, each of which contains a screw dislocation at its center. This microstructure may be of significance in determining superconducting properties such as critical current, and represents a significant difference between thin films (especially those grown in situ) and bulk materials.     

Experimental realization of the covalent solid carbon nitride

Pulsed laser ablation of graphite targets combined with an intense, atomic nitrogen source has been used to prepare C-N thin film materials. The average nitrogen content in the films was systematically varied by controlling atomic nitrogen flux. Rutherford backscattering measurements show that up to 40 percent nitrogen can be incorporated on average into these solids under the present reaction conditions. Photoelectron spectroscopy further indicates that carbon and nitrogen form an unpolarized covalent bond in these C-N materials. Qualitative tests indicate that the C-N solids are thermally robust and hard. In addition, strong electron diffraction is observed from crystallites within the films. Notably, analysis of these diffraction data show that the only viable structure for the C-N crystallites is that of beta-C(3)N(4), a material predicted theoretically to exhibit superhardness. The experimental synthesis of this new C-N material offers exciting prospects for both basic research and engineering applications.     

Rapid solid-state precursor synthesis of materials

Precursor reactions based on metathetical (exchange) pathways have been found to be an effective synthetic route for the preparation of a large number of materials. These solid-solid reactions are extremely rapid (typically less than 1 second) and often can be initiated at or near room temperature. They are potentially useful for controlling product particle size and for preparing highquality cationic or anionic solid solutions. The frequently self-propagating and sometimes explosive behavior exhibited by these reactions can be attributed to the large amount of heat they release. As a consequence, thermodynamic considerations can be used to help select the best set of precursors as judged from reaction enthalpies. The factors that influence these reactions are illustrated by a discussion of MoS(2), ZrN, MoSi(2), and GaAs, examples of the many compounds accessible by this synthetic route.     

Radar sounding of the Medusae Fossae Formation Mars: equatorial ice or dry, low-density deposits?

The equatorial Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) is enigmatic and perhaps among the youngest geologic deposits on Mars. They are thought to be composed of volcanic ash, eolian sediments, or an ice-rich material analogous to polar layered deposits. The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument aboard the Mars Express Spacecraft has detected nadir echoes offset in time-delay from the surface return in orbits over MFF material. These echoes are interpreted to be from the subsurface interface between the MFF material and the underlying terrain. The delay time between the MFF surface and subsurface echoes is consistent with massive deposits emplaced on generally planar lowlands materials with a real dielectric constant of approximately 2.9 +/- 0.4. The real dielectric constant and the estimated dielectric losses are consistent with a substantial component of water ice. However, an anomalously low-density, ice-poor material cannot be ruled out. If ice-rich, the MFF must have a higher percentage of dust and sand than polar layered deposits. The volume of water in an ice-rich MFF deposit would be comparable to that of the south polar layered deposits.     

Martian meteorite launch: high-speed ejecta from small craters

We performed high-resolution computer simulations of impacts into homogeneous and layered martian terrain analogs to try to account for the ages and characteristics of the martian meteorite collection found on Earth. We found that craters as small as approximately 3 kilometers can eject approximately 10(7) decimeter-sized fragments from Mars, which is enough to expect those fragments to appear in the terrestrial collection. This minimum crater diameter is at least four times smaller than previous estimates and depends on the physical composition of the target material. Terrain covered by a weak layer such as an impact-generated regolith requires larger, therefore rarer, impacts to eject meteorites. Because older terrain is more likely to be mantled with such material, we estimate that the martian meteorites will be biased toward younger ages, which is consistent with the meteorite collection.     

复合硅改性热处理杨木的制备及性能

  目的  针对木材树脂改性剂释放甲醛不环保,无机改性材吸湿性高等问题,将廉价易得的硅石粉溶液化,再有机杂化,制得高渗透、环保、防火的水溶性木材复合硅改性剂,通过真空加压浸渍处理和热处理联合改性,可以有效提高木材的物理力学和阻燃等性能。  方法  分别制备硅油复合硅改性剂（SC₂）和偶联剂杂化硅改性剂（HS₂）,对人工林杨木进行浸渍处理,再将浸渍材进行高温热处理,测试分析复合硅改性材及其热处理材的物理力学性能和阻燃性能。  结果  热处理使未处理材和改性材的质量与绝干密度均下降,硅油复合硅改性材（W-SC₂）热处理后的质量损失率与绝干密度损失率最大。与W-SC₂相比,硅油复合硅改性热处理材（TW-SC₂）的吸湿率增大;偶联剂杂化硅改性热处理材（TW-HS₂）的吸湿率较偶联剂杂化硅改性材（W-HS₂）明显降低,抗吸湿性改善明显。与杨木未处理材（W）相比,各组改性材的力学性能均显著提高,且明显优于TW-SC₂。W-HS₂的点燃时间比W延迟8 s,火灾指数由0.043 m2s/kW增大至0.140 m2s/kW,TW-HS₂的点燃时间比W延后9 s,火灾指数比W-HS₂提高了64.3%。与W相比,TW-HS₂的总热释放量减小29.4%,热释放速率峰值下降,且第二热释放速率峰值出现时间延后;W-HS₂和TW-HS₂的总生烟量比W大;HS₂浸渍改性联合热处理,可以提升木材阻燃性能。改性材的热降解速率较未处理材降低明显,热稳定性提高,说明HS₂改性剂具有明显的促进成炭作用。  结论  以硅石资源为主要原料,有机杂化制得环保、高效的木材复合硅改性剂HS₂,通过真空加压浸渍?热处理联合改性工艺,可有效改善人工林杨木的物理力学和阻燃等性能,实现其绿色改性,应用前景广阔。      

Field-induced superconductivity in a spin-ladder cuprate

We report on the modulation of the transport properties of thin films, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, of the spin-ladder compound [CaCu2O3]4, using the field effect in a gated structure. At high hole-doping levels, superconductivity is induced in the nominally insulating ladder material without the use of high-pressure or chemical substitution. The observation of superconductivity is in agreement with the theoretical prediction that holes doped into spin ladders could pair and possibly superconduct.