Studies of the mechanically induced reactivity of graphene with water using a 2D-materials strain reactor.

Using mechanical force to induce chemical reactions with two-dimensional (2D) materials provides an approach for both understanding mechanochemical processes on the molecular level, and a potential method for using mechanical strain as a means of directing the functionalization of 2D materials. To investigate this, we have designed a modular experimental platform which allows for monitoring of reactions on strained graphene Raman spectroscopy as a function of time. Both the strain present in graphene and the corresponding chemical changes it undergoes in the presence of a reagent can be followed concomitantly.

Combination of intercalation and surface modification in layered zirconium phosphates: investigation of surface stability and reactivity.

A two-step intercalation and surface modification procedure was used to synthesize heterofunctional zirconium phosphates (ZrP) with different groups in the interlayer and on the surface. The relationship of the interlayer and surface was then investigated through evaluation of the stability and reactivity of heterofunctional ZrP materials by thermal analysis. Intercalated samples were prepared by the ion-exchange mechanism with variation in the loading, charge, and size of ions.