Fabrication of Nanopore in MoS2-Graphene vdW Heterostructure by Ion Beam Irradiation and the Mechanical Performance

Nanopore structure presents great application potential especially in the area of biosensing. The two-dimensional (2D) vdW heterostructure nanopore shows unique features, while research around its fabrication is very limited. This paper proposes for the first time the use of ion beam irradiation for creating nanopore structure in 2D vdW graphene-MoS2 heterostructures. The formation process of the heterostructure nanopore is discussed first. Then, the influence of ion irradiation parameters (ion energy and ion dose) is illustrated, based on which the optimal irradiation parameters are derived. In particular, the effect of stacking order of the heterostructure 2D layers on the induced phenomena and optimal parameters are taken into consideration. Finally, uniaxial tensile tests are conducted by taking the effect of irradiation parameters, nanopore size and stacking order into account to demonstrate the mechanical performance of the heterostructure for use under a loading condition. The results would be meaningful for expanding the applications of heterostructure nanopore structure, and can arouse more research interest in this area.

Impact performances and failure modes of glass fiber reinforced polymers in different curvatures and stacking sequences

Recently, glass fiber reinforced polymer composites have been increasingly used in applications which are exposed to impact loads due to their high strength, low weight, and corrosion resistance properties. Therefore, the effect of curvature of composite laminate on their impact resistance is important. In this study, the mechanical properties of three curvature diameters and two stacking sequences, which have not been compared before, were examined and compared. The diameter of curved composites is 760 mm, 380 mm, and 304 mm and flat designated as A, B, C, and D, respectively. The fiber stacking orders are [0/0/-45/+45/90/90]S and [90/90/-45/+45/0/0]S designated as Type 1 and Type 2, respectively. The drop-weight impact tests were performed and failure modes of composites were examined. It was observed that the impact resistance decreases with the increase of curvature, where 760 mm diameter and Type 2 composites had the highest strength in all of the composites. In addition, delamination, fiber breakage, and matrix cracking failure modes were observed in the composites after impact. The reason why the strength decreases as the curvature of the composite increases is that the curved areas create an effect that increases the external force applied. The reason why Type 2 stacking order is more durable than Type 1 stacking order is that the 90° fiber direction in the bottom layer has a damping effect on the applied force. According to the results of this study, composite materials with larger diameter and stacking order starting with 0° provides more mechanical strength. [Formula: see text]

Possible pair-graphene structures govern the thermodynamic properties of arbitrarily stacked few-layer graphene

The thermodynamic properties of few-layer graphene arbitrarily stacked on LiNbO3 crystal were characterized by measuring the parameters of a surface acoustic wave as it passed through the graphene/LiNbO3 interface. The parameters considered included the propagation velocity, frequency, and attenuation. Mono-, bi-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-layer graphene samples were prepared by transferring individual graphene layers onto LiNbO3 crystal surfaces at room temperature. Intra-layer lattice deformation was observed in all five samples. Further inter-layer lattice deformation was confirmed in samples with odd numbers of layers. The inter-layer lattice deformation caused stick–slip friction at the graphene/LiNbO3 interface near the temperature at which the layers were stacked. The thermal expansion coefficient of the deformed few-layer graphene transitioned from positive to negative as the number of layers increased. To explain the experimental results, we proposed a few-layer graphene even–odd layer number stacking order effect. A stable pair-graphene structure formed preferentially in the few-layer graphene. In even-layer graphene, the pair-graphene structure formed directly on the LiNbO3 substrate. Contrasting phenomena were noted with odd-layer graphene. Single-layer graphene was bound to the substrate after the stable pair-graphene structure was formed. The pair-graphene structure affected the stacking order and inter-layer lattice deformation of few-layer graphene substantially.

Switchable Interlayer Magnetic Coupling of Bilayer CrI3

Due to the weak van der Waals (vdW) interlayer interaction, interfacial geometry of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic vdW materials can be freely assembled, and the stacking order between layers can be readily controlled, such as laterally shifting or rotating, which may trigger the variation of magnetic order. We investigate the H-type bilayer CrI3 where the two layers are aligned in anti-parallel directions. Based on first-principles calculations, we propose two states with different interlayer magnetic couplings, i.e., ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic, and analyze the superexchange mechanism inside. It is found that the two magnetic coupling states are stacking-dependent, and could be switched by applying out-of-plane axial strain and electron doping. Our findings show great application potential in the design of heterostructural and spintronic devices based on 2D magnetic vdW materials.