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Mechanical grinding of crystals aids in converting photostable polymorph to a photoactive one but is not widely applied to organic polymers. Here, mechanoactivation and amorphization of photostable styryldipyrylium ionic monomers are demonstrated.
Ceramic matrix composites offer a unique combination of properties that make them suitable for use in applications that include aerospace and energy. Here, a nanoparticle-reinforced SiOC film composite is reported with high strength and toughness, attributed in-part to a gradient structure.
Sustainable production of materials is important as global environmental issues increase. Here, orange peels are incorporated as the main material in a hydrogel to prepare a flexible, natural, biocompatible, and sustainably produced electronic skin.
Solar-driven treatment of organic wastewater is important for ensuring clean water access. Here, integrated water evaporation and organic compound degradation is achieved in an MoS2-based membrane, achieving an evaporation rate of 2.07 kg m−2 h−1 and 82% degradation efficiency for organic pollutants.
Tin-bismuth alloy solders are used in electronic packaging, but the formation of bismuth particles is known to be detrimental to the mechanical performance of joints. Here, 4D x-ray microtomography is used to study the formation of pyramidal bismuth crystals during the solidification of eutectic Sn-58Bi.
Phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials hold great promise in advancing technology and scientific understanding of materials. Here, the authors demonstrate a characterization method for acoustic meta-structures based on broadband acoustic pulses generated by laser-plasma sound sources.
Corrosion of structural alloys hinders the applications of molten salts in nuclear energy and in solar cells. This works employs ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to identify the key early-stage mechanistic processes that control moisture-induced corrosion of FeCr alloys in salts.
Carbon electrode-based perovskite solar cells require a high-quality interface between the hole transport layer and the electrode. Here, lamination using an isostatic press is used to form this interface, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 16.9% for a 5.5 cm2 area device.
The anomalous Hall effect and anomalous Nernst effect are signature transport features for exploring the physics of magnetic topological phases. Here, an anomalous Nernst effect of 1.8 ≈μV/K and an unconventional anomalous Hall effect which does not scale with the magnetization are observed in a metallic tetragonal antiferromagnet.
Replicating the structure of natural systems is an effective approach for designing high-performance materials. Here, the structure of leak leaves is replicated in cellulose-based films, achieving optical transmittance and hydrophobicity for self-cleaning perovskite solar cells.
In-plane anisotropy of electrical conductance in 2D materials is an important element in engineering 2D devices. Here, the charge transport anisotropy at the metal contacts of hBN-encapsulated ReS2 field-effect transistors is investigated, revealing a substantial contact anisotropy ratio of up to 70 at 77 K.
Understanding the influence of spider dragline silk sequence on its properties is important for controlling their strength and toughness properties. Here, a deep-learning framework is proposed that describes the behavior of spider dragline silks, linking sequence and mechanics.
The presence of flat bands near the Fermi energy may lead to an increase in electron correlations and result in unconventional states. Here, non-Fermi liquid behavior and anomalous superconductivity, with a nonmonotonic two-dome-like doping dependence, are observed in Sc2Ir4-xSix and attributed to spin-orbit-coupling driven flat bands.
Thermally conductive nanomaterials are promising for applications in thermal management. Here, morphological control of the van der Waals contact between carbon nanotubes, by adjustment of contact positions, overlapping length, and crossing angles, allows the authors to elucidate the interfacial thermal transport and optimize heat flow at the nanoscale.
Hot-cracking during laser additive manufacturing of high-strength aluminum alloys is a common issue. Here, crack resistance is improved by approximately 50% by using a pulsed laser with ramp-down power modulation during in-situ x-ray imaging.
It is difficult to control electron doping in organic semiconductors because they often require dopants that are air-sensitive. Here, an ion-exchange doping method is introduced with improved ambient stability and crystallinity of the doped polymeric semiconductors compared to conventional methods.
Hole transporting layers between carbon electrodes and perovskite improves the performance of perovskite solar cells. Here, four interlayer materials are assessed and compared for their performance in roll-to-roll printed perovskite solar cells.
3D skyrmion strings are topological spin textures promising for spintronics applications, but their manipulation and dynamics are challenging to understand. Here, high-resolution 3D phase imaging reveals the melting dynamics of metastable skyrmions, accompanied by the emergence of (anti)hedgehogs, in (Fe,Ni,Pd)3P and FeGe helimagnets.
Poor stability against the lithium metal anode and high interfacial resistance at the cathode/solid electrolyte interface in all-solid-state batteries is an issue. Here, metal halide-doped Li7P2S8I–type solid electrolytes are demonstrated to improve electrochemical performance and stability.
Rare-earth engineering is an effective way to introduce and tune magnetism in topological materials. Here, titanium-based kagome metals RETi3Bi4 (RE = Yb, Pr, and Nd) are synthesized and characterized, whereby changing the rare earth atoms in zig-zag chains the magnetism can be tuned from nonmagnetic YbTi3Bi4 to short-range ordered PrTi3Bi4 and finally to ferromagnetic NdTi3Bi4.