Articles in 2024

Strong coupling between electromagnetic fields and lattice oscillations in piezoelectric materials gives rise to interesting phonon polariton excitations. Here, the role of these modes in modulating the Casimir force of piezoelectric plates is investigated theoretically, expanding the range of materials where the Casimir interaction can be detected and controlled.

Polyurethane ionogels can be made with UV light curing but suffer from low mechanical properties compared to conventional polyurethane. Here, robust UV light curable ionogels are made by using prepolymers containing carbon-carbon double bonds as monomers which cross-links to form entangled polymer networks.

Additive manufacturing has emerged as a powerful approach for achieving properties that are not possible in conventionally processed alloys. This Perspective provides a state-of-art overview of the use of operando x-ray techniques for understanding solidification dynamics and melt pool behavior in additive processes.

3D printing of concrete is promising for the manufacture of bespoke structures, but the high cement component leads to large carbon dioxide emissions. Here, climate-positive biochar is shown to decrease the carbon footprint of 3D printed concrete, while improving its pumpability, extrudability, and buildability

Simulating the magnetic domain wall dynamics in ferromagnetic materials is crucial for designing spintronics devices, but including material imperfections is often challenging. Here, the effects of individual dislocations on domain wall dynamics in thin films of iron is investigated by micromagnetic simulations.

Hypercrosslinked polymers are promising materials for separation membranes due to their low cost and high porosity. Here, continuous hypercrosslinked polymer membranes are prepared using interfacial polymerization that effectively rejects small dye molecules with high water flux.

Highly sensitive and selective gas-sensing materials are important for applications ranging from environmental monitoring to breath analysis. Here, the gas sensing response of the heterointerface between graphene and nickel phthalocyanine is investigated by first-principles calculations and tested in a chemiresistor device exposed to NH₃ and NO₂ at room temperature.

Band degeneracies at the Fermi level in topological semimetals are sources of intriguing interference effects between electronic states around the degeneracy points. Here, the RE₈CoX₃ compounds, with RE = rare-earth and X = Al, Ga, or In, are proposed as realizations of ideal spinless Dirac semimetals hosting the fourfold degenerate band-crossing points without the spin degrees of freedom.

Combining in-memory sensing and computing is key to the realization of machine vision systems in artificial intelligence applications. Now, non-volatile magnetic memory and optical sensing capabilities are integrated in two-dimensional Fe₃GaTe₂/WSe₂/Fe₃GaTe₂ junctions operating at room temperature.

Mapping the distributions of various rare-earth dopants when combined within a host material is challenging, Here, a fast and precise approach to mapping rare-earth doping distribution based on a commercial UV-Vis scanner shows that dopants locally modify the optical properties of the material.

Phase-changing materials such as FeRh, undergoing a first-order phase transition from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic near room temperature, are attractive for various applications. Here, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy provides evidence that the conductivity change in FeRh during the phase transition originates from a restructuring of its band structure.

Textile-based sweat sensors offer the possibility of low-cost health monitoring. Here, an electrochemical yarn based on reduced-graphene oxide is integrated into a textile patch that continuously collects physiological data and wirelessly sends it to an app.

Engineering defects into metal-organic frameworks is a strategy to grant additional properties but there are still challenges with their reproducibility. Here, this Perspective presents the benefits of defects in metal-organic framework properties and key challenges in the field.

Materials exhibiting electronic inhomogeneities at the nanometer scale, such as magnetic polarons, have great potential for magnetoresistive applications. Here, thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements on Eu₅In₂Sb₆ single crystals reveal the formation of magnetic polarons well above the magnetic ordering temperature, providing insights on colossal magnetoresistive behavior beyond manganites.

Rare-earth mono-pnictides antiferromagnets have generated recent interest as hosts to topological states and unconventional magnetic states. Here, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals a hidden band-structure transition within the higher-temperature antiferromagnetic state of CeBi.

Microbes have been shown to be effective for synthesizing functional materials. Here, bacterial cellulose is created via a dual microbial approach, with magnetite nanoparticles used to enhance magnetic behavior.

Mechanically rechargeable zinc-air batteries are promising for powering electric vehicles but their implementation is restricted. This Review analyzes the performance of lithium-ion battery-powered electric vehicles and applies these thoughts to vehicles powered by rechargeable zinc-air batteries.

The coupling between magnons and phonons is an important aspect of condensed matter physics, but most research is related to magnon relaxation effects rather than the impact on phonon transport. Here, the effect of magnon-phonon coupling on phonon excitation, relaxation, and transport is investigated by time-resolved magneto-optical reflectometry.

Kagome lattices have emerged as an ideal platform for exploring exotic quantum phenomena in materials. Here, the discovery of a Ti-based kagome metal YbTi₃Bi₄ is reported, showing spectroscopic evidence of four flat bands originating from both Yb 4f and Ti 3d orbitals, multiple van Hove singularities, and a linearly dispersing gapped Dirac-like bulk state.