Category: Materials Science
Glassy ternary mixtures selectively reflected blue, green, or red light
What the study found The study found that ternary liquid crystalline mixtures could selectively reflect blue light in the glassy state. In the smectic C* phase, the same mixtures reflected either green or red light depending on how they were temperature treated. Why the authors say this matters The abstract does not state a broader…
Model identifies capping layers that may limit niobium oxide formation
What the study found A predictive framework was developed to select metal capping layers that inhibit niobium oxide formation, which is associated with two-level systems that degrade niobium-based superconducting quantum computing devices. The authors report that their model identified Zr, Hf, and Ta as effective diffusion barriers, and that Zr, Ta, and Sc were especially…
Machine-learning models captured CDW behavior in NbSe2
What the study found Machine-learning interatomic potentials (models that predict how atoms interact) can be trained to capture charge density wave (CDW, a periodic distortion in a material’s structure) behavior in mono- and bilayer NbSe2. The study found that CDW lattice distortions were relatively easy to learn, but vibrational properties were more difficult. Why the…
Autonomous electron-beam fabrication controlled defect structures in 2D materials
What the study found The study found that a fully autonomous approach can fabricate atomic-level defects in two-dimensional materials using machine learning and automated electron-beam control. As a proof of concept, the authors achieved controlled fabrication of MoS-nanowire edge structures in a MoS2 monolayer. Why the authors say this matters The authors say the approach…
Wurtzite nitrides show ferroelectricity and antiferromagnetism
What the study found The study reports a new multiferroic wurtzite family of Mn(II)-based nitrides that simultaneously shows ferroelectricity, which is switchable electric polarization, and antiferromagnetism, a magnetic order where neighboring spins cancel each other. These compounds crystallize in polar structures and show robust G-type antiferromagnetism at room temperature. Why the authors say this matters…
Fast crystallization altered microlite-melt chemistry in a Hunga eruption bomb
What the study found Fast crystallization in an intact bomb from the 2022 Hunga eruption produced increasing microlite content toward the bomb interior and stronger chemical and textural disequilibrium in clinopyroxene and plagioclase microlites. The authors report that these far-from-equilibrium processes also created melt compositional trends that could resemble pre-eruptive fractional crystallization. Why the authors…
Copolymer chemistry shapes water uptake and mechanics in polyelectrolyte complexes
What the study found Copolymer chemistry controls how much water polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs, materials made from oppositely charged polymers) absorb, and this affects their mechanical properties. The study also found that humidity and temperature influence PEC behavior in different ways. Why the authors say this matters The authors conclude that understanding these relationships helps bridge…
New dataset covers atomization energies across broad chemical space
What the study found The study presents Microsoft Research Accurate Chemistry Collection (MSR-ACC) and its first release, MSR-ACC/TAE25, a dataset of 73,040 total atomization energies calculated at the CCSD(T)/CBS level using the W1-F12 thermochemical protocol. The dataset is designed to cover a broad space of closed-shell, neutral, covalently bound equilibrium molecules with up to 5…
CdIn2S4/Mo2TiC2 composite improved photocatalytic hydrogen production
Mo2TiC2 MXene integrated with CdIn2S4 forms a Schottky heterojunction achieving 3.35 mmol·h−1g−1 hydrogen production rates without noble metal co-catalysts.
Graphite modification reduced molten LBE infiltration
Polycarbosilane impregnation and pyrolysis process significantly reduces molten LBE infiltration into nuclear graphite, improving impermeability for lead-cooled fast reactor coolant channels.
