The mechanical properties of materials are not only indispensable key factors in their application fields, but are also fundamentally important in terms of materials science. Since the successful isolation of graphene with an atomic thickness, two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted enormous attention over the past decade due to their unique properties. In particular, 2D materials are of interest owing to their outstanding mechanical properties, such as high Young’s modulus and strength, despite their ultrathinness and low weight in comparison to their bulk counterparts. However, studies on the mechanical properties of various 2D materials have been limited, with the exception of graphene, leaving many open questions and challenges. In this article, recent empirical and theoretical advances in studies of the mechanical properties of 2D materials and their applications are reviewed. First, mechanical characterization methods, which are widely used for ultrathin membranes, are summarized. The effects of defects on the mechanical properties of 2D materials are reviewed, including naturally (or intentionally) generated defects and chemically functionalized 2D materials. Finally, we discuss recent advances and the possibility of using 2D materials in diverse mechanical applications. The summary of the unique mechanical properties of 2D materials and their derivatives in this article would be beneficial for the study of 2D materials and their applications in lightweight, flexible, and transparent systems.

Structural symmetry-breaking is a key strategy to modify the physical and chemical properties of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides. However, little is known about defect formation during this process. Here, with atomic-scale microscopy, we investigate the evolution of defect formation in monolayer MoS2 exposed indirectly to hydrogen plasma. At the beginning of the treatment only top-layer sulfur atoms are removed, while vacancies and the molybdenum atomic layer are maintained. As processing continues, hexagonal-shaped nanocracks are generated along the zigzag edge during relaxation of defect-induced strain. As defect density increases, both photoluminescence and conductivity of MoS2 gradually decreases. Furthermore, MoS2 showed increased friction by 50% due to defect-induced contact stiffness. Our study reveals the details of defect formation during the desulfurization of MoS2 and helps to design the symmetry-breaking transition metal dichalcogenides, which is of relevance for applications including photocatalyst for water splitting, and Janus heterostructures.

Droplet microfluidics performed in poly(methylmethacrylate), PMMA, microfluidic devices resulted in significant wall wetting by water droplets formed in a liquid-liquid segmented flow when using a hydrophobic carrier fluid, such as perfluorotripropylamine (FC-3283). This wall wetting led to water droplets with non-uniform sizes that were often trapped on the wall surfaces leading to unstable and poorly controlled liquid-liquid segmented flow. To circumvent this problem, we developed a two-step procedure to hydrophobically modify the surfaces of PMMA and other thermoplastic materials commonly used for making microfluidic devices. The surface modification route involved the introduction of hydroxyl groups by oxygen plasma treatment of the polymer surface followed by a solution phase reaction with heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2–tetrahydrodecyl trichlorosilane dissolved in the fluorocarbon solvent FC-3283. This procedure was found to be useful for the modification of PMMA and other thermoplastic surfaces, including polycyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and polycarbonate (PC). Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the fluorination of these polymers took place with high surface selectivity. This procedure was used to modify the surface of a PMMA droplet microfluidic device (DMFD) and was shown to be useful to reduce the wetting problem during the generation of aqueous droplets in a perfluorotripropylamine (FC-3283) carrier fluid and could generate stable segmented flows for hours of operation. In the case of the PMMA DMFD, oxygen plasma treatment was carried out after the PMMA cover plate was thermally fusion bonded to the PMMA microfluidic chip. Because the appended chemistry to the channel wall created a hydrophobic surface, it will accommodate the use of other carrier fluids that are hydrophobic as well, such as hexadecane or mineral oils.

Fish bone, a by-product of fishery processing, is composed of protein, calcium, and other minerals. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a bioactive peptide isolated from the bone of the marine fish, Johnius belengerii, on the osteoblastic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts. Post consecutive purification by liquid chromatography, a potent osteogenic peptide, composed of 3 amino acids, Lys-Ser-Ala (KSA, MW: 304.17 Da), was identified. The purified peptide promoted cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, mineral deposition, and expression levels of phenotypic markers of osteoblastic differentiation in MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast. The purified peptide induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular regulated kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase as well as Smads. As attested by molecular modelling study, the purified peptide interacted with the core interface residues in bone morphogenetic protein receptors with high affinity. Thus, the purified peptide could serve as a potential pharmacological substance for controlling bone metabolism.