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Thermal conductivity of freestanding 10 nm and 20 nm thick chemical vapor deposited hexagonal boron nitride films was measured using both steady state and transient techniques. The measured value for both thicknesses, about 100 ± 10 W m−1 K−1, is lower than the bulk basal plane value (390 W m−1 K−1) due to the imperfections in the specimen microstructure. Impressively, this value is still 100 times higher than conventional dielectrics. Considering scalability and ease of integration, hexagonal boron nitride grown over large area is an excellent candidate for thermal management in two dimensional materials-based nanoelectronics.

The atomic force microscope has been extensively used not only to image nanometer-sized biological samples but also to measure their mechanical properties by using the force curve mode of the instrument. When the analysis based on the Hertz model of indentation is applied to the approach part of the force curve, one obtains information on the stiffness of the sample in terms of Young's modulus. Mapping of local stiffness over a single living cell is possible by this method. The retraction part of the force curve provides information on the adhesive interaction between the sample and the AFM tip. It is possible to functionalize the AFM tip with specific ligands so that one can target the adhesive interaction to specific pairs of ligands and receptors. The presence of specific receptors on the living cell surface has been mapped by this method. The force to break the co-operative 3D structure of globular proteins or to separate a double stranded DNA into single strands has been measured. Extension of the method for harvesting functional molecules from the cytosol or the cell surface for biochemical analysis has been reported. There is a need for the development of biochemical nano-analysis based on AFM technology.

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Thermal oxidation characteristics of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond films prepared by the hot filament method along with (111) and (100) oriented type II a natural diamond wafers were investigated in flowing oxygen at atmospheric pressure and in the temperature range 973–1173 K by thermogravimetry. Partially oxidized samples were also analyzed by x‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. On oxidation, diamond films attached to the silicon wafer turned black, while free standing diamond films did not undergo any color change. Both x‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy failed to identify the transformation of diamond to nondiamond carbon forms. Electron microscopy and thermogravimetry indicated that CVD films were least resistant to oxidation followed by (111) surface and (100) surface of natural diamond. The oxidation rates of the CVD films which were dominated by (111) faces are close to those of (111) oriented natural diamond wafers. The apparent activation energies for the oxidation of the films, (111) and (100) oriented wafers are 229, 260, and 199 kJ/mole, respectively, suggesting that the films and the wafers oxidize by direct reaction between diamond and oxygen to CO and CO2 .