Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics articles within Nature Materials

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Intense light pulses can induce symmetry breaking, as for the generation of ferroelectricity in SrTiO3. Using ultrafast X-ray diffuse scattering at a free-electron laser, nonlinear phonon interactions that occur on such mid-IR excitation are observed, with a theory for the dynamics presented.

    • M. Fechner
    • , M. Först
    •  & A. Cavalleri

  • News & Views |

    Non-equilibrium thermodynamics describes activity-stabilized mixed states in complex active-matter systems.

    • Tian Huang
    • , Qi Pan
    •  & Steve Granick

  • Article |

    The rational design of out-of-equilibrium demixing transitions remains challenging. Active fluids are used to control the liquid–liquid phase separation of passive DNA nanostars and establish the activity-based control of the phase diagram.

    • Alexandra M. Tayar
    • , Fernando Caballero
    •  & Zvonimir Dogic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors report the emergence of a transient hexatic state during laser-induced transformation between two charge-density wave (CDW) phases in a thin film of the CDW material 1T-TaS2.

    • Till Domröse
    • , Thomas Danz
    •  & Claus Ropers

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    The authors report subatomic precision in measuring the displacement of a nanowire. Such precision is achieved by employing deep-learning enabled analysis of single-shot scattering of topologically structured superoscillatory illumination.

    • Tongjun Liu
    • , Cheng-Hung Chi
    •  & Nikolay I. Zheludev

  • Article |

    Solid-state ionic conduction is a key enabler of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. A quantitative framework for ionic conduction between atomistic and macroscopic timescales in β- and β″-aluminas is now proposed for ‘atoms-to-device’ multiscale modelling and optimization.

    • Andrey D. Poletayev
    • , James A. Dawson
    •  & Aaron M. Lindenberg

  • Letter |

    Two adjacent quantum time crystals implemented by two magnon condensates in the superfluid B-phase of helium-3 are observed to coherently exchange magnons as a manifestation of the AC Josephson effect, offering insights on the dynamics and interactions between these phases of matter.

    • S. Autti
    • , P. J. Heikkinen
    •  & V. B. Eltsov

  • Comment |

    This is a turning point for nanofluidics. Recent progress allows envisioning both fundamental discoveries for the transport of fluids at the ultimate scales, and disruptive technologies for the water–energy nexus.

    • Lydéric Bocquet

  • Article |

    Geometric analysis and constrained optimization algorithms allow for the design of kirigami patterns that can be deployed into any two- or three-dimensional shape.

    • Gary P. T. Choi
    • , Levi H. Dudte
    •  & L. Mahadevan

  • Article |

    In this type of thermal cloak, when a fluid circulates around the object of interest, the temperature perturbation is minimized as the effective thermal conductivity of the fluid becomes very high due to convective effects.

    • Ying Li
    • , Ke-Jia Zhu
    •  & C.-W. Qiu

  • Letter |

    Active rotational motion of pre-strained materials is achieved by elastic deformations that break rotational symmetry around their axes.

    • Arthur Baumann
    • , Antoni Sánchez-Ferrer
    •  & Igor M. Kulić

  • Article |

    Viscoelastic phase separation of colloidal suspensions can be interrupted to form gels either by glass transition or crystallization. A kinetic pathway to spontaneously form network or porous structures made of metallic and semiconducting crystals is proposed.

    • Hideyo Tsurusawa
    • , John Russo
    •  & Hajime Tanaka

  • Editorial |

    Model colloidal systems are a testbed for understanding aspects of the organization of matter.

  • News & Views |

    Temperature can switch the thermodynamic phase of colloid–polymer mixtures by tipping the balance between competing attractive interactions induced by polymer depletion or adsorption.

    • Ah-Young Jee
    • , Boyce Tsang
    •  & Steve Granick

  • News & Views |

    Computer simulations of one-component three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystals will help to understand the mechanisms that may stabilize them in experiments.

    • Marc de Boissieu

  • News & Views |

    Janus ellipsoids self-assemble into self-limiting fibres that can be reversibly actuated by applying an electric field.

    • Eric M. Furst

  • News & Views |

    The nucleation of a crystal within another can involve intermediate liquid nuclei.

    • Eduardo Sanz
    •  & Chantal Valeriani

  • Commentary |

    Understanding entropic contributions to common ordering transitions is essential for the design of self-assembling systems with addressable complexity.

    • Daan Frenkel

  • Commentary |

    Two conceptual strategies for encoding information into self-assembling building blocks highlight opportunities and challenges in the realization of programmable colloidal nanostructures.

    • Ludovico Cademartiri
    •  & Kyle J. M. Bishop

  • Editorial |

    New experiments and computer simulations on how water behaves when it is supercooled are poised to rekindle long-standing debates.

  • News & Views |

    Simulations of a well-studied model of water provide strong support for the coexistence of two distinct metastable liquid-water phases, a long-debated possibility that experiments on supercooled water at negative pressures may be able to confirm.

    • C. Austen Angell

  • News & Views |

    Computer simulations show that cubic and hexagonal ices nucleate through the formation of a tetragonal metastable ice phase.

    • Ben Slater
    •  & David Quigley

  • News & Views |

    X-ray scattering measurements of liquid water down to temperatures at which it spontaneously converts to ice show no signs of the much debated transition from high-density to low-density structural order.

    • Alan K. Soper

  • Letter |

    Block copolymers can self-assemble into nanostructures that simultaneously facilitate ion transport and provide mechanical stability. Highly asymmetric charge cohesion effects are now shown to induce the formation of nanostructures with percolated phases desired for ion transport. This strategy could lead to the design of enhanced battery electrolyte materials.

    • Charles E. Sing
    • , Jos W. Zwanikken
    •  & Monica Olvera de la Cruz

  • News & Views |

    Discrepancies in the glass-forming ability of metallic glasses have been explained in terms of the presence of local structural features in the liquid. Findings from molecular dynamics simulations now show that the structure of the crystal/liquid interface may play a bigger role than previously thought.

    • K. F. Kelton

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics across other nature.com journals