Fabrics that have unique mechanical properties are comprised of fibers that have been reacted to provide carbon nanostructures covalently grafted to these fibers so that the entanglement and/or the reactive bonding between adjacent fibers creates a hierarchal structure reinforcement of the fabric. This entanglement and/or reactivity is also effective for developing reinforcement between plies of structural fabric composites in order to enhance inter-laminar shear strength and mechanical properties.

In one aspect of the invention, a dye sensitized solar cell has a counter-electrode including carbon-titania nanocomposite thin films made by forming a carbon-based ink; forming a titania (TiO.sub.2) solution; blade-coating a mechanical mixture of the carbon-based ink and the titania solution onto a substrate; and annealing the blade-coated substrate at a first temperature for a first period of time to obtain the carbon-based titania nanocomposite thin films. In certain embodiments, the carbon-based titania nanocomposite thin films may include solvent-exfoliated graphene titania (SEG-TiO.sub.2) nanocomposite thin films, or single walled carbon nanotube titania (SWCNT-TiO.sub.2) nanocomposite thin films.

Silicon nanoparticles for negative electrode active material in lithium ion secondary batteries are provided. The silicon nanoparticles have a .sup.29Si-NMR peak which has a half width of 20 ppm to 50 ppm centered at −80 ppm and is broad ranging from 50 ppm to −150 ppm. The silicon nanoparticles have a length in the major axis direction of 70 to 300 nm and a thickness of 15 to 70 nm or less.

Proposed are a layered compound having indium and phosphide, a nanosheet that may be prepared using the same, and an electrical device including the materials. Proposed is a layered compound represented by K.sub.1-xIn.sub.yP.sub.z (0≤x≤1.0, 0.75≤y≤1.25, 1.25≤z≤1.75).

Proposed are a layered GaN compound, a nanosheet that may be prepared using the same, and an electrical device including the materials. Proposed is a layered compound represented by M.sub.1-xGa.sub.yN.sub.z (M is at least one of Group II elements, and 0<x≤1.0, 0.6≤y≤1.25, 0.75≤z≤1.5).

Proposed are a layered Group III-V arsenic compound, a Group III-V nanosheet that may be prepared using the same, and an electrical device including the materials. There is proposed a layered compound having a composition represented by [Formula 1] Mx-mAyAsz (Where M is at least one of Group I elements, A is at least one of Group III elements, x, y, and z are positive numbers which are determined according to stoichiometric ratios to ensure charge balance when m is 0, and 0<m<x).

Many embodiments implement quantum confined nanoplatelets (NPLs) that can be induced to emit bright and tunable infrared emission from attached quantum dot (QD). Some embodiments provide mesoscale NPLs with a largest dimension of greater than 1 micron. Certain embodiments provide methods for growing mesoscale NPLs and QD on mesoscale NPLs heterostructures. Several embodiments provide near unity energy transfer from NPLs to QDs, which can quench NPL emission and emit with high quantum yield through the shortwave infrared. The QD defect emission can be kinetically tunable, enabling controlled mid-gap emission from NPLs.

Proposed are a layered Group III-V compound containing phosphorus, a Group III-V nanosheet that may be prepared using the same, and an electrical device including the materials. There is proposed a layered compound represented by [Formula 1] M.sub.x-mA.sub.yP.sub.z (Where M is at least one of Group II elements, A is at least one of Group III elements, x, y, and z are positive numbers which are determined according to stoichiometric ratios to ensure charge balance when m is 0, and 0<m<x).

Provided is an face mask comprising: (a) a mask body configured to cover at least wearer's mouth and nose; and (b) a fastener to hold the mask in place on the wearer; wherein the mask body includes (i) an air-permeable outer layer preferably comprising a hydrophobic material (e.g. water-repelling fibers), (ii) an inner layer located on a wearer's side when the mask is worn, and (iii) a graphene layer disposed in the mask body, wherein the graphene layer comprises a plurality of discrete single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets selected from pristine graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof. The graphene layer may be disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer or embedded (totally or partially) in the outer layer or the inner layer.

In an embodiment, a method for preparing expanded hexagonal boron nitride comprises mixing a boron compound and a carbon template in an organic solvent; removing the organic solvent to provide a dried mixture of the boron compound and the carbon template; exposing the dried mixture to a nitrogen-containing gas under conditions effective to provide a crude product comprising hexagonal boron nitride; removing the carbon template from the crude product to provide the expanded hexagonal boron nitride.