A solid ion conductive material can include a complex metal halide. The complex metal halide can include at least one alkali metal element. In an embodiment, the solid ion conductive material including the complex metal halide can be a single crystal. In another embodiment, the ion conductive material including the complex metal halide can be a crystalline material having a particular crystallographic orientation. A solid electrolyte can include the ion conductive material including the complex metal halide.

A device includes a semiconductor substrate containing gallium nitride and having a crystal face inclined from 0.05 to 15 inclusive with respect to the c-plane. The semiconductor substrate includes an irregular portion on the crystal face, and the contact angle of pure water having a specific resistance of 18 M.Math.cm or more on the surface of the irregular portion is 10 or less.

A device includes a semiconductor substrate containing gallium nitride and having a crystal face inclined from 0.05 to 15 inclusive with respect to the c-plane. The semiconductor substrate includes an irregular portion on the crystal face, and the contact angle of pure water having a specific resistance of 18 M.Math.cm or more on the surface of the irregular portion is 10 or less.

Embodiments of methods of altering the color of diamonds are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for altering the color of diamonds includes identifying and selecting a diamond having a suitable nitrogen content, HPHT processing the selected diamond under diamond-stable conditions to alter the color of the selected diamond from a first color to a second color, irradiating the HPHT-processed diamond with an electron source having an energy between about 1 MeV and about 20 MeV so as to alter the color of the selected diamond from the second color to a third color, and annealing the irradiated diamond either under partial vacuum conditions, or under HPHT diamond-stable conditions so as to alter the color from the third color to a fourth color (e.g., pink, red, or purple, depending on the nitrogen content of the selected diamond).

Materials, products, methods of use and fabrication thereof are disclosed. The materials are particularly well suited for application in products such as superconducting devices and quantum computing, due to ability to avoid undesirable effects from inherent noise and decoherence. The materials are formed from select isotopes having zero nuclear spin into a single crystal-phase film or layer of thickness depending on the desired application of the resulting device. The film/layer may be suspended or disposed on a substrate. The isotopes may be enriched from naturally-occurring sources of isotopically mixed elemental material(s). The single crystal is preferably essentially devoid of structural defects such as grain boundaries, inclusions, impurities and lattice vacancies.

Heterocrystals of metal dichalcogenides and Bi.sub.2S.sub.3, Bi.sub.2Se.sub.3 or Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3 are presented, in which the metal dichalcogenides and Bi.sub.2S.sub.3, Bi.sub.2Se.sub.3 or Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3 do not largely retain their independent properties. These heterocrystals exhibit electronic and optical changes, which make them attractive for beyond-silicon electronics and optoelectronics. Particularly, these heterocrystals can be re-configured in a manner that allows bit writing and pattern drawing. Embodiments of these heterocrystals, methods of forming these heterocrystals, methods of reconfiguring the heterocrystals, information storage devices, optoelectronic circuits and photonic crystals are presented.

Heterocrystals of metal dichalcogenides and Bi.sub.2S.sub.3, Bi.sub.2Se.sub.3 or Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3 are presented, in which the metal dichalcogenides and Bi.sub.2S.sub.3, Bi.sub.2Se.sub.3 or Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3 do not largely retain their independent properties. These heterocrystals exhibit electronic and optical changes, which make them attractive for beyond-silicon electronics and optoelectronics. Particularly, these heterocrystals can be re-configured in a manner that allows bit writing and pattern drawing. Embodiments of these heterocrystals, methods of forming these heterocrystals, methods of reconfiguring the heterocrystals, information storage devices, optoelectronic circuits and photonic crystals are presented.

Materials, devices, methods of use and fabrication thereof are disclosed. The materials are particularly well suited for application in superconducting devices and quantum computing, due to ability to avoid undesirable effects from inherent noise and decoherence. The materials are formed from select isotopes having zero nuclear spin into a single crystal-phase film or layer of thickness depending on the desired application of the resulting device. The film/layer may be suspended or disposed on a substrate. The isotopes may be enriched from naturally-occurring sources of isotopically mixed elemental material(s). The single crystal is preferably devoid of structural defects such as grain boundaries, inclusions, impurities and lattice vacancies. Device configurations may be formed from the layer according to a predetermined pattern using lithographic and/or milling techniques. An optional protective layer may be deposited on some or all of the device to avoid formation of oxides and/or patinas on surfaces of the device.

A method of planarizing a roughened surface of a SiC substrate includes: forming a sacrificial material on the roughened surface of the SiC substrate, the sacrificial material having a density between 35% and 120% of the density of the SiC substrate; implanting ions through the sacrificial material and into the roughened surface of the SiC substrate to form an amorphous region in the SiC substrate; and removing the sacrificial material and the amorphous region of the SiC substrate by wet etching.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to the large scale production of functionalized graphene. In some embodiments, a method for producing functionalized graphene includes combining a crystalline graphite with a first electrolyte solution that includes at least one of a metal hydroxide salt, an oxidizer, and a surfactant. The crystalline graphite is then milled in the presence of the first electrolyte solution for a first time period to produce a thinned intermediate material. The thinned intermediate material is combined with a second electrolyte solution that includes a strong oxidizer and at least one of a metal hydroxide salt, a weak oxidizer, and a surfactant. The thinned intermediate material is then milled in the presence of the second electrolyte solution for a second time period to produce functionalized graphene.