NOMEX

Description: Nomex and related aramid polymers are related to nylon, but have
aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable. Nomex is the
premier example of a meta variant of the aramids (Kevlar is a para aramid). Unlike
Kevlar, Nomex cannot align during filament formation and has poorer strength.
However, it has excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance for a polymer
material.
Production: The polymer is produced by condensation reaction from the
monomers m-phenylenediamine and isophthaloyl chloride.
It is sold in both fiber and sheet forms and is used as a fabric wherever resistance
from heat and flame is required. Nomex sheet is actually a calendered paper and
made in a similar fashion. Nomex Type 410 paper is the original and one of the
larger grade types made, mostly for electrical insulation purposes. Nomex fiber is
made in the USA and in Spain (Asturias)
Wilfred Sweeny (19262011), the DuPont scientist responsible for discoveries
leading to Nomex, earned a DuPont Lavoisier Medal partly for this work in 2002.
Use: Military pilots and aircrew wear flight suits made of over 92 percent Nomex to
protect them from the possibility of cockpit fires and other mishaps. Recently,
troops riding in ground vehicles have also begun wearing Nomex. The remaining
material is typically Kevlar thread used to hold the fabric together at the seams.
Military tank drivers also typically use Nomex hoods as protection against fire and
extreme cold.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomex
Molybdenite is a mineral of molybdenum disulfide, MoS2. Similar in appearance
and feel to graphite, molybdenite has a lubricating effect that is a consequence of
its layered structure. The atomic structure consists of a sheet of molybdenum atoms
sandwiched between sheets of sulfur atoms.
Uses: Multilayer molybdenite flakes are semiconductors with an indirect bandgap.
In contrast, monolayer flakes have a direct gap.[6] In the early years of the 20th
century, molybdenite was used in some of the first crude semiconductor diodes,
called cat's whisker detectors, which served as a demodulator in early crystal
radios.
Processing: Molybdenum mining and processing techniques have been improved
continuously since the first mine was started at Climax near Leadville, Colorado in
1916.
Today, the principal moly mines, both primary and by-product, are found along the
Great Continental Divide of the Americas, in China and in the CIS. Many of these
mines are amongst the most productive in the world, with the largest capable of
moving over 50,000 tonnes of ore per day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdenite
Silicene is a two-dimensional allotrope of silicon, with a hexagonal honeycomb
structure similar to that of graphene. This is why silicene is so exciting. In its
freestanding form, this one-atom-thick layer of silicon atoms has graphene-like
mobile carriers as well and is metallic. On the other hand, for instance by applying
strain or an electric field, it could also be turned to behave like a semiconductor.
This is because the structure could be easily modified or switched on the atomic

scale. In addition, it would be compatible with already existing silicon-based

circuitry. This is envisaged to lead to the development of even smaller electronics
than those currently on the market.
Uses: Beyond the pure silicene structure, research into functionalized silicene has
yielded successful growth of organomodified silicene oxygen-free silicene sheets
functionalized with phenyl rings.[31] Such functionalization allows uniform
dispersion of the structure in organic solvents and indicates the potential for a
range of new functionalized silicon systems and organosilicon nanosheets.
Production: At the moment, silicene must be produced in a vacuum to avoid any
contact with oxygen, which could completely destroy the formation of the single
layers.
Silicene must also be grown on a surface that matches its natural structure
silver is the leading candidate. To create silicene, a wafer of silicon is heated to high
temperatures, forcing single silicon atoms to evaporate and land on the silver
substrate, forming the single layer.
Silicene can also be transformed from a 2D material into a 3D material by stacking
more and more single layers on top of each other. However, previous research has
demonstrated that silicene has suicidal tendencies, and always reverts back to
silicon as more layers are added, because a silicon structure is more stable.
Manufaturing Silicene Transistors: To create the new transistors, silicone was
vaporized, and allowed to condense on a sheet of silver, held in a vacuum chamber.
This formed a layer of silicone atoms just one layer thick. An ultra-thin layer of
alumina, synthetically-produced aluminum oxide, was then placed on top of the
silicene. The target material was then carefully peeled off its base and placed, silver
side down, on a plate of oxidized silicon. Some of the silver was removed from the
sheet, producing a device with two electrodes, separated by the material.
Silicene transistors were tested while they were still in a vacuum, which is not
practical for manufacture of processing chips. With further development, silicene
could be used to create a new generation of faster, less expensive, computer
processors.
http://www.iop.org/news/14/aug/page_63743.html