Nanoparticle-wetted surfaces for relays and energy transmission contacts.

Submonolayer coatings of noble-metal nanoparticle liquids (NPLs) are shown to provide replenishable surfaces with robust asperities and metallic conductivity that extends the durability of electrical relays by 10 to 100 times (depending on the current driven through the contact) as compared to alternative approaches. NPLs are single-component materials consisting of a metal nanoparticle core (5-20 nm Au or Pt nanoparticles) surrounded by a covalently tethered ionic-liquid corona of 1.5 to 2 nm.

Pulsed laser syntheses of layer-structured WS2 nanomaterials in water.

We used water as an environmental friendly medium for the synthesis of hexagonal WS2 nanoparticles by the pulsed laser method. The materials collected on substrates were oriented with the 2H-WS2 basal planes parallel to the surface. The use of water, UV lasers, and large WS2 targets prevented the nanoparticles from restructuring into inorganic fullerenes, which were observed in research using hydrocarbon solvents, longer wavelength lasers, and dispersed powder targets.