Open Access

In this study, polyetheretherketone composites were compounded using a two-screw extruder followed by injection moulding. The effects of multi-fillers on the mechanical properties and crystallization performances were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry results indicate that the addition of fillers slightly increases the crystallization temperature and crystallinity. Compared to neat polyetheretherketone, the incorporation of inorganic filler leads to a significant improvement in matrix hardness, matrix stiffness and a slight increase in tensile strength. However, the material ductility, the impact strength and the fracture toughness of polyetheretherketone composites decrease. Fractography analyses show that the addition of fillers restraints the ductile deformation of polymers, which is responsible for the reduction of material ductility, impact strength as well as fracture toughness of polyetheretherketone composites.

Plasticity experiments have been conducted with single dislocation resolution in both indentation and wear studies using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The high force sensitivity and the small tip radii in AFM permit the measurement of the nucleation of single dislocations in plastically deformed nanoscale volumes. Nanoscale mechanical testing in an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) environment allows for the preparation of oxide-free surfaces, required for direct comparison between atomistic simulation and experiment. Moreover, nanoscale mechanical testing often shows increased strength compared to what is observed in macroscale testing, motivating the use of atomistic simulation to gain insight into new deformation mechanisms. Indentation experiments show that it is possible not only to observe single dislocation events but also determine the glide vector of the dislocation in three dimensions on KBr(001). Discontinuous displacements of the tip during indentation in both normal and lateral directions are indicative of yielding events, referred to as pop-ins. The measured displacement of the tip into the material during these events is on the order of one Ångström or less when blunt diamond coated tips are used as indenters. Larger pop-in displacements are measured with sharper probes, resulting from the localization of stress near the surface. Only with the use of AFM can such small, Ångström-sized pop-in displacements be observed. Indentation creep studies indicate that creep in nanoscale volumes is accommodated only through dislocation nucleation and glide. A comparison between creep measured with AFM-based indentation and instrumented nanoindentation highlights the importance of dislocation nucleation and glide at this length-scale. High resolution imaging of the indented structure on KBr(001) allows for the identification of dislocations and charges associated with them. Wear experiments have demonstrated the contribution of dislocations to wear on the atomic scale. The role of dislocations in wear experiments has been observed through the similar dislocation structures typically surrounding scratches and indents, as well as in pop-ins observed while scratching. The measured friction coefficient in nanoscale wear experiments is closer to those typically reported in macroscopic experiments. This finding suggests that while single-asperity experiments at low loads on flat surfaces may produce no or little wear, friction of real rough surfaces always involves some wear and plastic deformation of microscopic contacts between the two surfaces.

Glabrous skin is hair-free skin with a high density of sweat glands, which is found on the palms, and soles of mammalians, covered with a thick stratum corneum. Dry hands are often an occupational problem which deserves attention from dermatologists. Urea is found in the skin as a component of the natural moisturizing factor and of sweat. We report the discovery of dendrimer structures of crystalized urea in the stratum corneum of palmar glabrous skin using laser scanning microscopy. The chemical and structural nature of the urea crystallites was investigated in vivo by non-invasive techniques. The relation of crystallization to skin hydration was explored. We analysed the index finger, small finger and tenar palmar area of 18 study participants using non-invasive optical methods, such as laser scanning microscopy, Raman microspectroscopy and two-photon tomography. Skin hydration was measured using corneometry. Crystalline urea structures were found in the stratum corneum of about two-thirds of the participants. Participants with a higher density of crystallized urea structures exhibited a lower skin hydration. The chemical nature and the crystalline structure of the urea were confirmed by Raman microspectroscopy and by second harmonic generated signals in two-photon tomography. The presence of urea dendrimer crystals in the glabrous skin seems to reduce the water binding capacity leading to dry hands. These findings highlight a new direction in understanding the mechanisms leading to dry hands and open opportunities for the development of better moisturizers and hand disinfection products and for diagnostic of dry skin.

Epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) exhibits superlow friction due to its weak out-of-plane interactions. Friction-force microscopy with silicon tips shows an abrupt increase of friction by one order of magnitude above a threshold normal force. Density-functional tight-binding simulations suggest that this wearless high-friction regime involves an intermittent sp3 rehybridization of graphene at contact pressure exceeding 10 GPa. The simultaneous formation of covalent bonds with the tip's silica surface and the underlying SiC interface layer establishes a third mechanism limiting the superlow friction on epitaxial graphene, in addition to dissipation in elastic instabilities and in wear processes.

Stacked hetero-structures of two-dimensional materials allow for a design of interactions with corresponding electronic and mechanical properties. We report structure, work function, and frictional properties of 1 to 4 layers of MoS2 grown by chemical vapor deposition on epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001). Experiments were performed by atomic force microscopy in ultra-high vacuum. Friction is dominated by adhesion which is mediated by a deformation of the layers to adapt the shape of the tip apex. Friction decreases with increasing number of MoS2 layers as the bending rigidity leads to less deformation. The dependence of friction on applied load and bias voltage can be attributed to variations in the atomic potential corrugation of the interface, which is enhanced by both load and applied bias. Minimal friction is obtained when work function differences are compensated.