Multifunctional Applications Enabled by Fluorination of Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

2D materials exhibit exceptional properties as compared to their macroscopic counterparts, with promising applications in nearly every area of science and technology. To unlock further functionality, the chemical functionalization of 2D structures is a powerful technique that enables tunability and new properties within these materials. Here, the successful effort to chemically functionalize hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a chemically inert 2D ceramic with weak interlayer forces, using a gas-phase fluorination process is exploited.

Fatigue of graphene.

Materials can suffer mechanical fatigue when subjected to cyclic loading at stress levels much lower than the ultimate tensile strength, and understanding this behaviour is critical to evaluating long-term dynamic reliability. The fatigue life and damage mechanisms of two-dimensional (2D) materials, of interest for mechanical and electronic applications, are currently unknown. Here, we present a fatigue study of freestanding 2D materials, specifically graphene and graphene oxide (GO).

An Insight into the Phase Transformation of WS upon Fluorination.

The transformation from semiconducting to metallic phase, accompanied by a structural transition in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides has attracted the attention of the researchers worldwide. The unconventional structural transformation of fluorinated WS (FWS ) into the 1T phase is described. The energy difference between the two phases debugs this transition, as fluorination enhances the stability of 1T FWS and makes it energetically favorable at higher F concentration.

Effect of Humidity and Water Intercalation on the Tribological Behavior of Graphene and Graphene Oxide.

In this work, the effect of humidity and water intercalation on the friction and wear behavior of few-layers of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) was studied using friction force microscopy. Thickness measurements demonstrated significant water intercalation within GO affecting its surface topography (roughness and protrusions), whereas negligible water intercalation of graphene was observed. It was found that water intercalation in GO contributed to wearing of layers at a relative humidity as low as ∼30%.

Tribochemical Competition within a MoS/Ti Dry Lubricated Macroscale Contact in Ultrahigh Vacuum: A Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Investigation.

Controlling and predicting the tribological behavior of dry lubricants is a necessity to ensure low friction, long life, and low particle generation. Understanding the tribochemistry of the materials as a function of the environment is of primary interest as synergistic effects exist between the mechanics, the physicochemistry, and the thermodynamics within a contact. However, in most studies the role of the coating internal contaminants in the process is often discarded to the benefit of a more common approach in which the performances of the materials are compared as a function of different atmospheric pressure environments.

Surface and Mechanical Characterization of Dental Yttria-Stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystals (3Y-TZP) After Different Aging Processes.

Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (3Y-TZP) is a ceramic material used in indirect dental restorations. However, phase transformation at body temperature may compromise the material's mechanical properties, affecting the clinical performance of the restoration. The effect of mastication on 3Y-TZP aging has not been investigated.

Ultrafast, sensitive and large-volume on-chip real-time PCR for the molecular diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections.

To control future infectious disease outbreaks, like the 2014 Ebola epidemic, it is necessary to develop ultrafast molecular assays enabling rapid and sensitive diagnoses. To that end, several ultrafast real-time PCR systems have been previously developed, but they present issues that hinder their wide adoption, notably regarding their sensitivity and detection volume. An ultrafast, sensitive and large-volume real-time PCR system based on microfluidic thermalization is presented herein.

New family of fluorinated polymer chips for droplet and organic solvent microfluidics.

We present a new family of microfluidic chips hot embossed from a commercial fluorinated thermoplastic polymer (Dyneon THV). This material shares most of the properties of fluoro polymers (very low surface energy and resistance to chemicals), but is easier to process due to its relatively low melting point. Finally, as an elastic material it also allows easy world to chip connections.