The mechanical properties of materials and particularly the strength are greatly affected by the presence of defects; therefore, the theoretical strength (Ϸ10% of the Young's modulus) is not generally achievable for macroscopic objects. On the contrary, nanotubes, which are almost defect-free, should achieve the theoretical strength that would be reflected in superior mechanical properties. In this study, both tensile tests and buckling experiments of individual WS2 nanotubes were carried out in a highresolution scanning electron microscope. Tensile tests of MoS2 nanotubes were simulated by means of a density-functional tightbinding-based molecular dynamics scheme as well. The combination of these studies provides a microscopic picture of the nature of the fracture process, giving insight to the strength and flexibility of the WS2 nanotubes (tensile strength of Ϸ16 GPa). Fracture analysis with recently proposed models indicates that the strength of such nanotubes is governed by a small number of defects. A fraction of the nanotubes attained the theoretical strength indicating absence of defects.inorganic ͉ mechanical properties T he strength of macroscopic objects is determined by the intrinsic (crystalline) properties of the material as well as by such extrinsic factors as grain boundaries, dislocations, vacancies, and other defects (1, 2). These extrinsic factors are affected by the manufacturing processes used for the preparation of a specific specimen. Thus, the strength of macroscopic objects is generally much smaller than the theoretical value of 10% of Young's modulus. This apparent discrepancy highlights the fact that the strength of materials is only partially determined by their intrinsic mechanical properties (1, 2), i.e., the strength of their chemical bonds.In general, the strength of macroscopic materials increases as the scale decreases. In reinforcing fibers for example, this is true whether the scale is taken as the diameter of the fiber or its length. It is also true for the characteristic (or average) dimension of a reinforcing particle or a platelet. This phenomenon is usually called the size effect and can be understood by two distinct arguments, based either on probability or fracture mechanics. From a probabilistic viewpoint, Weibull (3, 4) and Freudenthal (5) proposed a formal link between the probability of occurrence of a critical defect in a solid of (dimensionless) volume, the concentration of defects, and the size (length, area, and volume) of the solid specimen.

Consumer-level 3D printers emit ultrafine and fine particles, though little is known about their chemical composition or potential toxicity. We report chemical characteristics of the particles in comparison to raw filaments and assessments of particle toxicity. Particles emitted from polylactic acid (PLA) appeared to be largely composed of the bulk filament material with mass spectra similar to the PLA monomer spectra. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), extruded at a higher temperature than PLA, emitted vastly more particles and their composition differed from that of the bulk filament, suggesting that trace additives may control particle formation. In vitro cellular assays and in vivo mice exposure all showed toxic responses when exposed to PLA and ABS-emitted particles, where PLA-emitted particles elicited higher response levels than ABS-emitted particles at comparable mass doses. A chemical assay widely used in ambient air-quality studies showed that particles from various filament materials had comparable particle oxidative potentials, slightly lower than those of ambient particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). However, particle emissions from ABS filaments are likely more detrimental when considering overall exposure due to much higher emissions. Our results suggest that 3D printer particle emissions are not benign and exposures should be minimized.

Metal-halide perovskites have been shown to be remarkable and promising optoelectronic materials. However, despite ongoing research from multiple perspectives, some fundamental questions regarding their optoelectronic properties remain controversial. One reason is the high-variance of data collected from, often unstable, polycrystalline thin films. Here we use ordered arrays of stable, single-crystal cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr 3) nanowires grown by surface-guided chemical vapor deposition to study fundamental properties of these semiconductors in a one-dimensional model system. Specifically, we uncover the origin of an unusually large size-dependent luminescence emission spectral blue-shift. Using multiple spatially resolved spectroscopy techniques, we establish that bandgap modulation causes the emission shift, and by correlation with state-of-the-art electron microscopy methods, we reveal its origin in substantial and uniform lattice rotations due to heteroepitaxial strain and lattice relaxation. Understanding strain and its effect on the optoelectronic properties of these dynamic materials, from the atomic scale up, is essential to evaluate their performance limits and fundamentals of charge carrier dynamics.

We find significant differences between degradation and healing at the surface or in the bulk for each of the different APbBr3 single crystals (A=CH3NH3+, methylammonium (MA); HC(NH2)2+, formamidinium (FA); and...