RESUMEN
Vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays have aroused considerable interest because of their remarkable mechanical properties. However, the mechanical behaviour of as-synthesized CNT arrays could vary drastically at a macro-scale depending on their morphologies, dimensions and array density, which are determined by the synthesis method. Here, we demonstrate a coaxial carbon@boron nitride nanotube (C@BNNT) array with enhanced compressive strength and shape recoverability. CNT arrays are grown using a commercially available thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD) technique and an outer BNNT with a wall thickness up to 1.37 nm is introduced by a post-growth TCVD treatment. Importantly, compared to the as-grown CNT arrays which deform almost plastically upon compression, the coaxial C@BNNT arrays exhibit an impressive â¼4-fold increase in compressive strength with nearly full recovery after the first compression cycle at a 50% strain (76% recovery maintained after 10 cycles), as well as a significantly high and persistent energy dissipation ratio (â¼60% at a 50% strain after 100 cycles), attributed to the synergistic effect between the CNT and outer BNNT. Additionally, the as-prepared C@BNNT arrays show an improved structural stability in air at elevated temperatures, attributing to the outstanding thermal stability of the outer BNNT. This work provides new insights into tailoring the mechanical and thermal behaviours of arbitrary CNT arrays which enables a broader range of applications.
RESUMEN
Atomically smooth hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films are considered as a nearly ideal dielectric interface for two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure devices. Reported mono- to few-layer 2D h-BN films, however, are mostly small grain-sized, polycrystalline and randomly oriented. Here we report the growth of centimetre-sized atomically thin h-BN films composed of aligned domains on resolidified Cu. The films consist of monolayer single crystalline triangular and hexagonal domains with size of up to â¼10 µm. The domains converge to symmetrical multifaceted shapes such as "butterfly" and "6-apex-star" and exhibit â¼75% grain alignment for over millimetre distances as verified through transmission electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy images reveal that these domains are aligned for over centimetre distances. Defect lines are generated along the grain boundaries of mirroring h-BN domains due to the two different polarities (BN and NB) and edges with the same termination. The observed triangular domains with truncated edges and alternatively hexagonal domains are in accordance with Wulff shapes that have minimum edge energy. This work provides an extensive study on the aligned growth of h-BN single crystals over large distances and highlights the obstacles that are needed to be overcome for a 2D material with a binary configuration.
RESUMEN
Large-area mildly reduced graphene oxide (MR-GO) monolayer films were self-assembled on SiO2/Si surfaces via an amidation reaction strategy. With the MR-GO as templates, MR-GO-Ag nanoparticle (MR-GO-Ag NP) hybrid films were synthesized by immersing the MR-GO monolayer into a silver salt solution with sodium citrate as a reducing agent under UV illumination. SEM image indicated that Ag NPs with small interparticle gap are uniformly distributed on the MR-GO monolayer. Raman spectra demonstrated that the MR-GO monolayer beneath the Ag NPs can effectively quench the fluorescence signal emitted from the Ag films and dye molecules under laser excitation, resulting in a chemical enhancement (CM). The Ag NPs with narrow gap provided numerous hot spots, which are closely related with electromagnetic mechanism (EM), and were believed to remarkably enhance the Raman signal of the molecules. Due to the co-contribution of the CM and EM effects as well as the coordination mechanism between the MR-GO and Ag NPs, the MR-GO-Ag NP hybrid films showed more excellent Raman signal enhancement performance than that of either Ag films or MR-GO monolayer alone. This will further enrich the application of surface-enhanced Raman scattering in molecule detection.
RESUMEN
Carbon nanotube [CNT] interconnection bump joining methodology has been successfully demonstrated using flip chip test structures with bump pitches smaller than 150 µm. In this study, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition approach is used to grow the CNT bumps onto the Au metallization lines. The CNT bumps on the die substrate are then 'inserted' into the CNT bumps on the carrier substrate to form the electrical connections (interconnection bumps) between each other. The mechanical strength and the concept of reworkable capabilities of the CNT interconnection bumps are investigated. Preliminary electrical characteristics show a linear relationship between current and voltage, suggesting that ohmic contacts are attained.