Ultrastrong conductive in situ composite composed of nanodiamond incoherently embedded in disordered multilayer graphene.

Traditional ceramics or metals cannot simultaneously achieve ultrahigh strength and high electrical conductivity. The elemental carbon can form a variety of allotropes with entirely different physical properties, providing versatility for tuning mechanical and electrical properties in a wide range. Here, by precisely controlling the extent of transformation of amorphous carbon into diamond within a narrow temperature-pressure range, we synthesize an in situ composite consisting of ultrafine nanodiamond homogeneously dispersed in disordered multilayer graphene with incoherent interfaces, which demonstrates a Knoop hardness of up to ~53 GPa, a compressive strength of up to ~54 GPa and an electrical conductivity of 670-1,240 S m-1 at room temperature. With atomically resolving interface structures and molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal that amorphous carbon transforms into diamond through a nucleation process via a local rearrangement of carbon atoms and diffusion-driven growth, different from the transformation of graphite into diamond. The complex bonding between the diamond-like and graphite-like components greatly improves the mechanical properties of the composite. This superhard, ultrastrong, conductive elemental carbon composite has comprehensive properties that are superior to those of the known conductive ceramics and C/C composites. The intermediate hybridization state at the interfaces also provides insights into the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition of carbon.

High Density 3D Carbon Tube Nanoarray Electrode Boosting the Capacitance of Filter Capacitor.

Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) with fast frequency response are regarded as small-scale alternatives to the commercial bulky aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Creating carbon-based nanoarray electrodes with precise alignment and smooth ion channels is crucial for enhancing EDLCs' performance. However, controlling the density of macropore-dominated nanoarray electrodes poses challenges in boosting the capacitance of line-filtering EDLCs. Herein, a simple technique to finely adjust the vertical-pore diameter and inter-spacing in three-dimensional nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (3D-AAO) template is achieved, and 3D compactly arranged carbon tube (3D-CACT) nanoarrays are created as electrodes for symmetrical EDLCs using nanoporous 3D-AAO template-assisted chemical vapor deposition of carbon. The 3D-CACT electrodes demonstrate a high surface area of 253.0 m2 g-1, a D/G band intensity ratio of 0.94, and a C/O atomic ratio of 8. As a result, the high-density 3D-CT nanoarray-based sandwich-type EDLCs demonstrate a record high specific areal capacitance of 3.23 mF cm-2 at 120 Hz and exceptional fast frequency response due to the vertically aligned and highly ordered nanoarray of closely packed CT units. The 3D-CT nanoarray electrode-based EDLCs could serve as line filters in integrated circuits, aiding power system miniaturization.

Water nanolayer facilitated solitary-wave-like blisters in MoS2 thin films.

Solitary waves are unique in nonlinear systems, but their formation and propagation in the nonlinear fluid-structure interactions have yet to be further explored. As a typical nonlinear system, the buckling of solid thin films is fundamentally related to the film-substrate interface that is further vulnerable to environments, especially when fluids exist. In this work, we report an anomalous, solitary-wave-like blister (SWLB) mode of MoS2 thin films in a humid environment. Unlike the most common telephone-cord and web buckling deformation, the SWLB propagates forward like solitary waves that usually appear in fluids and exhibits three-dimensional expansions of the profiles during propagation. In situ mechanical, optical, and topology measurements verify the existence of an interfacial water nanolayer, which facilitates a delamination of films at the front side of the SWLB and a readhesion at the tail side owing to the water nanolayer-induced fluid-structure interaction. Furthermore, the expansion morphologies and process of the SWLB are predicted by our theoretical model based on the energy change of buckle propagation. Our work not only demonstrates the emerging SWLB mode in a solid material but also sheds light on the significance of interfacial water nanolayers to structural deformation and functional applications of thin films.