Applied Graphene Materials (United Kingdom)

Stacked Graphene Films The diagram illustrates the use of a pellicle made from a multilayer composite film, composed of layer-by-layer stacked graphene, for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. This graphene-based pellicle offers excellent optical transparency, mechanical strength, and thermal stability, ensuring superior protection for the photomask during EUV exposure and minimizing degradation or contamination. More information can be found in the Research Article by Yun Sung Woo, Byung Hee Hong, and co-workers (10.1002/adfm.202518685).

Abstract Graphene is a promising material for next‐generation extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pellicles due to its excellent optical transparency, mechanical, and thermal stability under intense EUV radiation. However, challenges remain in precisely controlling its thickness at large scales and preventing hydrogen radical‐induced degradation. In this study, a multilayer graphene composite with protective capping layers, enabling nanometer‐scale thickness control is devloped. A 10‐layer, 5 nm thick graphene film achieves ≈92% transparency and an effective Young's modulus of 220 GPa. When integrated into a free‐standing molybdenum (Mo)/graphene/silicon nitride (SiN) composite, the Young's modulus increases by 29%, and the fracture load improves by 840% compared to a single‐layer SiN membrane. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that the enhanced mechanical strength mainly results from graphene's intrinsic properties. Additionally, a full‐size pellicle with five graphene layers and a 100 nm SiN layer are fabricated, which maintains over 90% EUV transparency on a 7 nm SiN substrate. These results suggest that multilayer graphene membranes can overcome current EUV pellicle limitations and support the broader commercialization of EUV lithography in the near future.

Исследовано влияние режима термической обработки Т6 на микроструктуру, механические свойства и коррозионное поведение сплава Al – 9,5Si – 1,5Cu – 0,45Mg (Al – Si – Cu – Mg). Установлено, что наиболее эффективным режимом термической обработки T6 для Al – Si – Cu – Mg-сплава является следующий: нагрев до 490 °C с выдержкой 5 ч, затем нагрев до 530 °C с выдержкой 4 ч и последующей закалкой в воде, затем старение при 150 °C в течение 12 ч. В литом состоянии сплав имеет предел прочности на растяжение 225 МПа и глубину коррозии 20 мкм в 3,5%-ном растворе NaCl. После термической обработки T6 по предложенному режиму предел прочности Al – Si – Cu – Mg-сплава повышается до 397 МПа, а глубина коррозии в 3,5%-ном растворе NaCl уменьшается до 13 мкм. Повышение прочности и коррозионной стойкости сплава после старения объясняется сфероидизацией и измельчением включений фаз Si, q-Al2Cu и Q-Al5Cu2Mg8Si6 в структуре.

Spectrometers are essential in various fields, including material analysis, environmental monitoring, and biomedical engineering. The growing demand for miniaturised and integrated devices has prompted the development of computational spectrometers [1]. Recent research has achieved remarkable compactness through the use of various nanostructures [2]–[5]. However, most prevailing design approaches lack mature solutions for dynamically tunable nanostructures with precisely engineered spectral responsivities. In pursuit of a scalable paradigm, we are the first to introduce electrically tunable metasurfaces based on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) [6] into this field. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate an ultracompact, high-resolution computational spectrometer.

The incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into trimethylolpropane formal acrylate (CTFA) ink for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing has been found to increase light scattering, which subsequently reduces the mechanical properties of printed structures. In this study, acrylated cellulose nanocrystals (A-CNCs) were synthesized by treating sulfonated CNCs with methacrylic acid and were successfully integrated into a UV-curable resin for DLP 3D printing. The effect of ultrasonication on A-CNC dispersion within the resin was assessed by measuring the change in the transmittance of suspensions. The composite resin ink containing A-CNCs retained transparency, and the resulting printed structures demonstrated significant mechanical reinforcement even at low A-CNC concentrations. This improvement is attributed to the high colloidal stability of A-CNCs within the ink. Furthermore, the suitability of the resin for 3D printing was confirmed through the examination of the morphologies of the printed structures. Moreover, the structures printed using A-CNC/CTFA exhibited shape memory behavior in response to thermal stimuli, affirming the potential of the composite resin in bioengineering applications. • A-CNCs enhance transparency and mechanical strength in DLP 3D printing • Ultrasonication improves dispersion of A-CNC in photocurable resin ink • Printed structures with A-CNC show high colloidal stability and shape memory • A-CNC composite inks maintain fidelity even at low concentrations • A-CNC/CTFA inks have potential for bioengineering applications

Miniaturized spectrometers are crucial for applications in onchip and implantable devices, requiring high spectral resolution in limited spaces. Here, we present our van der Waals heterojunction-based spectrometers that achieve tunable spectral responses through band structure engineering, offering sub-nanometer wavelength resolution and a broad operational bandwidth of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\sim 500$</tex> to 1600 nanometers.