Dynamically tuning friction at the graphene interface using the field effect.

Dynamically controlling friction in micro- and nanoscale devices is possible using applied electrical bias between contacting surfaces, but this can also induce unwanted reactions which can affect device performance. External electric fields provide a way around this limitation by removing the need to apply bias directly between the contacting surfaces. 2D materials are promising candidates for this approach as their properties can be easily tuned by electric fields and they can be straightforwardly used as surface coatings. This work investigates the friction between single layer graphene and an atomic force microscope tip under the influence of external electric fields. While the primary effect in most systems is electrostatically controllable adhesion, graphene in contact with semiconducting tips exhibits a regime of unexpectedly enhanced and highly tunable friction. The origins of this phenomenon are discussed in the context of fundamental frictional dissipation mechanisms considering stick slip behavior, electron-phonon coupling and viscous electronic flow.

Plasmonic sensors based on graphene and graphene hybrid materials.

The past decade has witnessed a rapid growth of graphene plasmonics and their applications in different fields. Compared with conventional plasmonic materials, graphene enables highly confined plasmons with much longer lifetimes. Moreover, graphene plasmons work in an extended wavelength range, i.e., mid-infrared and terahertz regime, overlapping with the fingerprints of most organic and biomolecules, and have broadened their applications towards plasmonic biological and chemical sensors. In this review, we discuss intrinsic plasmonic properties of graphene and strategies both for tuning graphene plasmons as well as achieving higher performance by integrating graphene with plasmonic nanostructures. Next, we survey applications of graphene and graphene-hybrid materials in biosensors, chemical sensors, optical sensors, and sensors in other fields. Lastly, we conclude this review by providing a brief outlook and challenges of the field. Through this review, we aim to provide an overall picture of graphene plasmonic sensing and to suggest future trends of development of graphene plasmonics.

PEALD YSZ-based bilayer electrolyte for thin film-solid oxide fuel cells.

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin film electrolyte deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) was investigated. PEALD YSZ-based bi-layered thin film electrolyte was employed for thin film solid oxide fuel cells on nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide substrates, whose electrochemical performance was compared to the cell with sputtered YSZ-based electrolyte. The cell with PEALD YSZ electrolyte showed higher open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.0 V and peak power density of 182 mW cm(-2) at 450 °C compared to the one with sputtered YSZ electrolyte(0.88 V(OCV), 70 mW cm(-2)(peak power density)). High OCV and high power density of the cell with PEALD YSZ-based electrolyte is due to the reduction in ohmic and activation losses as well as the gas and electrical current tightness.