A method of constructing a micromechanical device by additive manufacturing for characterizing strength of a low dimensional material sample, the method including: a) deriving a three-dimensional representation arranged to represent a said micromechanical device with reference to at least one physical characteristic of a said low dimensional material sample; b) transforming the three-dimensional representation into a plurality of two-dimensional representations arranged to individually represent a portion of the three-dimensional representation; and c) forming the micromechanical device from a fluid medium arranged to transform its physical state by stereolithography apparatus in response to a manipulated illumination exposed thereto, whereby a said low dimensional material sample is loaded onto the formed micromechanical device.

There is provided a method for preparation of oxide support-nanoparticle composites, in which metal nanoparticles decorate with uniform size and distribution on the surface of an oxide support, and thus, high performance oxide support-nanoparticle composites that can be applied in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis can be provided.

In one aspect, the present invention provides nano-scale heaters, such as nano-scale thermoacoustic loudspeakers comprising suspended metal nanobridges prepared using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The loudspeakers of the invention are capable of producing audible sound when stimulated with an electrical current or other energetic stimulus. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods of preparing and using such nanodevices.

An oxygen content sensor includes a nanoparticle, a plurality of linkers, and a plurality of fluorescent molecules. The linkers are disposed on the nanoparticle. The fluorescent molecules are arranged on the linkers. The linker has at least a hydrophilic region as well as a hydrophobic region. The linker is linked to the nanoparticle through the hydrophilic region, and the fluorescent molecule is linked to the linker through the hydrophobic region.

An oxygen content sensor includes a nanoparticle, a plurality of linkers, and a plurality of fluorescent molecules. The linkers are disposed on the nanoparticle. The fluorescent molecules are arranged on the linkers. The linker has at least a hydrophilic region as well as a hydrophobic region. The linker is linked to the nanoparticle through the hydrophilic region, and the fluorescent molecule is linked to the linker through the hydrophobic region.

A method to remove selected parts of a thin-film material otherwise uniformly deposited over a template is disclosed. The methods rely on a suitable potting material to encapsulate and snatch the deposited material on apexes of the template. The process may yield one and/or two devices during a single process step: (i) thin-film material(s) with micro- and/or nano-perforations defined by the shape of template apexes, and (ii) micro- and/or nano-particles shaped and positioned in the potting material by the design of the template apexes. The devices made from this method may find applications in fabrication of mechanical, chemical, electrical and optical devices.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing graphene oxide by cutting an end face of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material by electrochemical oxidation and the graphene oxide prepared by the method. The method comprises: connecting a piece of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material as an electrode and another piece of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material or inert material as another electrode to the two electrodes of a DC power supply respectively, wherein an end face of at least one piece of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material serves as the working face and is positioned in contact and parallel with the liquid surface of an electrolyte solution; then electrifying the two pieces for electrolysis, during which the working zone for the end face serving as the working face is between −5 mm below and 5 mm above the liquid surface of the electrolyte solution; and intermittently or continuously controlling the end face within the working zone, such that the graphite lamella on the end face of the at least one piece of the 3-dimensional carbon-based material as an electrode is expansion-exfoliated and cut into graphene oxide by electrochemical oxidation, to obtain a graphene oxide-containing electrolyte solution. The method has a higher expansion-based exfoliating and cutting ability by oxidation, and can produce high-quality graphene oxide having fewer layers and more uniform particle-size distribution with low energy consumption and no contamination.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing graphene oxide by cutting an end face of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material by electrochemical oxidation and the graphene oxide prepared by the method. The method comprises: connecting a piece of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material as an electrode and another piece of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material or inert material as another electrode to the two electrodes of a DC power supply respectively, wherein an end face of at least one piece of a 3-dimensional carbon-based material serves as the working face and is positioned in contact and parallel with the liquid surface of an electrolyte solution; then electrifying the two pieces for electrolysis, during which the working zone for the end face serving as the working face is between −5 mm below and 5 mm above the liquid surface of the electrolyte solution; and intermittently or continuously controlling the end face within the working zone, such that the graphite lamella on the end face of the at least one piece of the 3-dimensional carbon-based material as an electrode is expansion-exfoliated and cut into graphene oxide by electrochemical oxidation, to obtain a graphene oxide-containing electrolyte solution. The method has a higher expansion-based exfoliating and cutting ability by oxidation, and can produce high-quality graphene oxide having fewer layers and more uniform particle-size distribution with low energy consumption and no contamination.

A Raman scattering enhancing-substrate is provided by arraying a plurality of porous carbon elements in a columnar form or in a massive form made of a porous carbon material with holes of 10 to 50 nm in diameter, on a support base. This substrate is manufactured by, for example, filling a template that is made of anodic aluminum oxide to have an array of a plurality of holes in a columnar form or in a cube form, with pyrrole as a monomer and polymerizing the pyrrole-filling template to form a polypyrrole nanoarray; making the entire polypyrrole nanoarray porous to provide a porous polypyrrole nanoarray that is a porous body with pores of 10 to 50 nm in diameter; and carbonizing the porous polypyrrole nanoarray.

The present invention provides a method to manufacture nanowires. In various embodiments, a method is provided for producing an oxidized metal layer as a heterogeneous seed layer on arbitrary substrate for controlled nanowire growth is disclosed which comprises depositing a metal layer on a substrate, oxidizing the metal layer in air ambient or in oxidizing agent, and growing nanowires at low temperatures on oxidized metal layers on virtually any substrate.