Research articles

The present work reports a novel and unique strategy for strengthening semi-crystalline polymers; nano-structuring by introducing ultra-fine mosaics into the crystalline lamellae indeed increases the strength. This is inspired by the well-known empirical strengthening principle for metals/alloys, the so-called Hall-Petch relation, which has clearly shown that simply having smaller crystalline grains makes metals/alloys stronger. In contrast to the increasing-crystallinity strategy that has been used so far for semi-crystalline polymers, the present nano-structuring effects provide an alternative strength-ductility tailoring method based on higher-order structure control (i.e. crystalline-size control) that can be achieved simply by a heat elongation process.

Lignin-derived 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) was polymerized with various diols to produce biomass-based polyesters. The effects of alkylene spacer length on their thermal, crystalline, processability, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. The biodegradation rate was found to correlate with the alkylene spacer length and the hydrophilicity of the polymers. Furthermore, the PDC-based polyesters exhibited strong adhesion to various metals, with adhesion strength increasing with PDC content. A maximum lap-shear strength of 15.26 MPa was achieved on aluminum.

This study demonstrates the use of molecularly tailored self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) as ultrathin diffusion barriers and adhesion liners for Ru interconnects. Compared to non-functionalized and methyl-terminated surfaces, hydroxylated arylimine SAMs such as 2-HBITES effectively suppress Ru interdiffusion, prevent film delamination, and significantly enhance thermal stability up to 700 °C. The SAM-functionalized interfaces exhibit improved adhesion and structural integrity, offering a promising strategy for future scaled interconnect technologies.

In this article, we explore the coupling between the localized surface plasmon of gold nanorods and the excitonic states of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI₃) perovskite quantum dots. Using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, transient absorption spectroscopy, and finite-difference time-domain simulations, we reveal the origin of exciton-plasmon-coupled blinking suppression and emission intensity enhancement in the gold nanorod-MAPbI₃ quantum dot system.

In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified dendrimers with different PEG molecular weights and PEG bound ratios were synthesized. Because the amount of intermediate water, which moderately interacts with materials, is known to be related to biocompatibility, we investigated the hydration and biodistribution of PEG-modified dendrimers with different structures. Dendrimers modified with longer and denser PEG chains had higher intermediate water content (W_IM) and showed an increased tumor/liver ratio after the intravenous injection. These findings highlight hydration as a key physicochemical factor governing biodistribution, which is useful for optimizing nanocarriers in drug delivery systems.

Schematic illustration of retention framework for solution-processed indium zinc oxide (IZO) thin film transistors (TFTs). Indium-rich compositions generate shallow In–O related weak bonds states, leading to irreversible charge trapping and extended retention lifetime. This can be verified by the electrical charges observed after post-treatments, and the retention lifetime can be quantitatively modeled based on detailed characterization.

A 0.8-nm-thick CoFe ultrathin film was deposited on a MgO tunneling barrier by means of cryogenic temperature sputtering. The cryogenic temperature sputtering at 100 K effectively suppressed island-like initial growth of CoFe without hampering grain-to-grain epitaxy, while CoFe deposited at 300 K exhibited rough and mixed interfaces. The flat and sharp interfaces in CoFe ultrathin films deposited at 100 K resulted in improved properties such as low magnetic damping, high tunneling magnetoresistance, and clear perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Furthermore, the clear interfaces were maintained even after annealing at 673 K, indicating high thermal stability.

This work reports a self-gelating alginate sponge (Alg-BA@PDA) engineered by introducing 3-Aminobenzeneboronic acid groups and polydopamine nanoparticles. Hydroxyl groups on alginate chains dynamically crosslink with BA to form boronate ester networks, enabling rapid in situ gelation and conformal wound coverage. PDA-NPs endows the sponge with photothermal activity, antibacterial function, and ROS scavenging capacity, while also mitigating nanoparticle cytotoxicity through controlled release. Together, these features suppress inflammation, enhance angiogenesis, and promote collagen deposition. In vivo, the multifunctional Alg-BA@PDA sponge markedly accelerates full-thickness skin wound healing, highlighting its promise as a next-generation wound dressing.

This work demonstrates super colossal barocaloric effect in one of the “simplest” materials—H₂O, with a reversible entropy change as much as 728 J·kg^-1·K^-1 under a small pressure 0.1 GPa by adding a little amount of GdCl₃. Neutron combined with molecular dynamics simulations revealed the mechanism and inferred that H-bond engineering can be an attractive approach for designing novel caloric materials.

We developed impact-resistant, haze-free poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by photopolymerization-induced microphase separation. Upon irradiation, a polymerization mixture transforms into a transparent monolithic solid. A nanoscopic bicontinuous morphology of glassy PMMA with rubbery and cross-linked polymer domains retains transparency and dimension stability even at high temperatures. 3D printing via direct ink writing demonstrates the potential of the developed material for advanced optical and structural applications.

Broadband optical spectroscopy is used to obtain optical spectra of RCd₃P₃ (R: Ce or La), which exhibit a Fermi-liquid behavior with a very low charge carrier density. Notably, our first-principles calculations suggest that subtle displacements of Cd1 and P1 atoms within the unit cell can induce a semiconductor-to-metal transition, emphasizing the sensitivity of electronic structures to atomic positioning. The temperature-dependent anomalies of infrared-active phonons suggest a structural phase transition in these compounds. Our findings will offer a fundamental understanding of structural distortions leading to electronic transitions, which may be relevant for broader applications in correlated electron systems.

The speed of current-induced magnetic domain-wall motion in a synthetic antiferromagnet reaches a few hundred m/s, and by implementing it into memory devices, it is expected to realize higher-density memory with SRAM-level operation speeds. Two main hurdles are (1) ensuring that the initial spin states on both ends of the device are anti-parallel and (2) minimizing the property degradation during the etching process. Here, we present a new simple scheme of anti-parallel initialization and recovery process from the damage by post-annealing. Our report proves that these two obstacles can be solved, yielding a device with better performance than SOT-MRAM.

This study developed an electrochemical sensor based on a nitrogen-doped hollow carbon sphere @ZIF-8 composite material (NC@ZIF-8), designed to efficiently detect the natural flavonoid luteolin. The composite material combines the high conductivity of hollow carbon spheres with the large specific surface area of ZIF-8. By optimizing the synthesis process and electrode modification conditions, the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor were significantly enhanced. Experimental results show that the sensor exhibits excellent detection performance over a wide linear range (0.05–30 μM), with a detection limit as low as 0.011 μM. It also demonstrates good interference resistance and stability. The recovery rates for actual samples (Honeysuckle extract and watermelon juice) ranged from 95.41% to 101.20%, confirming its practical value in food safety and drug analysis.

A reusable camellia meal-based adhesive with reliability and responsiveness is designed by leveraging the cooperation of dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) and dynamic noncovalent bonds (DNBs). These dual dynamic bonds synergy strategy allows the resulting adhesive with a much-improved and multi-purposed adhesion properties (2.1/1.06 MPa to wood in dry/wet condition) and remarkable adhesion maintenance against harsh environmental factors (organic solvents, salt, acid, alkali, temperature, soaking time). With the assistance of synergistic dynamic network, our adhesive also possesses enhanced mildew resistance and reusable adhesion, contributing to break the inherent limitation in biomaterials.

A pore size–segmented adsorption model was proposed to quantify methane (CH₄) uptake in porous carbons under varying pressures (1–35 bar). By defining a contribution factor (k_x), the model revealed that pores of 0.76–1.14 nm (d_ii) showed a linear correlation with CH₄ adsorption above 20 bar. These contribution values shifted to 35, 54, and 11% at 35 bar, suggesting that effective pore sizes increase with increasing pressure. Atomistic computations validated the energetics of the adsorption mechanism and supported the decoupled contribution framework, offering design insights for advanced gas storage and separation materials.

We developed novel polydopamine (PDA)-modified gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel nanofibers for sustained Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 2 (SFRP2) release to promote peripheral nerve regeneration and angiogenesis synchronously. In vitro experiments demonstrated that these nanofibers significantly enhanced Schwann cell migration and endothelial cell tube formation. In a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury, the SFRP2-loaded nanofibers effectively promoted angiogenesis, nerve repair, and target muscle restoration via the calcineurin/NFATc3 signaling pathway. These findings suggest a promising therapeutic strategy for peripheral nerve injuries.

We explore the double-helical (DH) spin texture in the antiferromagnet YMn₆Sn₆ using a frustrated planar-anisotropic spin model. Despite weak magnetocrystalline anisotropy, it governs complex field-driven transitions, including a newly identified distorted conical spiral (DCS) phase. This DCS state correlates with a ~40% sign-tunable magnetoresistance effect near room temperature (T = 250 K). The results reveal a strong link between noncollinear spin textures and electronic transport, advancing understanding of spintronic functionalities in DH antiferromagnets.

In this work, we demonstrate that loading organic corrosion inhibitors in hydrophobic alkyl silanes modified diatomite microcarriers improves their compatibility within epoxy-amine coatings, leading to better particle dispersion and reduced resin infiltration. This surface modification method improves the loading and controlled release of organic inhibitors, improving corrosion protection and forming stable protective layers at damaged locations.

This study demonstrates that hydrogen plasma treatment effectively passivates acceptor defects and grain boundary traps in high-quality polycrystalline Ge thin films, significantly reducing hole concentration to 4 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻³ while maintaining high hole mobility (170 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). These findings represent the best combination of low carrier concentration and high mobility in polycrystalline Ge, enabling future applications in advanced semiconductor devices.

mRNAs encoding the regulatory components (the engineered receptor and the translational regulator) and the target mRNA are co-transfected into mammalian cells. In the absence of the ligand, the translational regulator represses target mRNA translation. Upon ligand binding, the engineered receptor facilitates the degradation of the translational regulator, leading to the activation of target mRNA translation.