A Literal Elytral Rainbow: Tunable Structural Colors Using Single Diamond Biophotonic Crystals in Pachyrrhynchus congestus Weevils
Abstract not provided
Wilts, Bodo D.↗
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Results for “multifunctionality”
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Toward Superb Perovskite Oxide Electrocatalysts: Engineering of Coupled Nanocomposites
Abstract A significant issue that bedeviled the commercialization of renewable energy technologies, ranging from low‐temperature water electrolyzers to high‐temperature solid oxide cells, is the lack of high‐performance catalysts. Among various candidates that could tackle such a challenge, perovskite oxides are rising‐star materials because of their unique structural and compositional flexibility. However, single‐phase perovskite oxides are challenging to satisfy all the requirements of electrocatalysts concurrently for practical applications, such as high catalytic activity, excellent stability, good ionic and electronic conductivities, and superior chemical/thermo‐mechanical robustness. Impressively, perovskite oxides with coupled nanocomposites are emerging as a novel form offering multifunctionality due to their intrinsic features, including infinite interfaces with solid interaction, tunable compositions, flexible configurations, and maximum synergistic effects between assorted components. Considering this new configuration has attracted great attention owing to its promising performances in various energy‐related applications, this review timely summarizes the leading‐edge development of perovskite oxide‐based coupled nanocomposites. Their state‐of‐art synthetic strategies are surveyed and highlighted, their unique structural advantages are highlighted and illustrated through the typical oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reactions in both high and low‐temperature applications. Opinions on the current critical scientific issues and opportunities in this burgeoning research field are all provided.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Multi-Functional Applications of H-Glass Embedded with Stable Plasmonic Gold Nanoislands
Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) are synthesized using various techniques on diverse substrates that significantly impact their properties. However, among the substrate materials investigated, the major challenge is the stability of MNPs due to their poor adhesion to the substrate. Herein, it is demonstrated how a newly developed H-glass can concurrently stabilize plasmonic gold nanoislands (GNIs) and offer multifunctional applications. The GNIs on the H-glass are synthesized using a simple yet, robust thermal dewetting process. The H-glass embedded with GNIs demonstrates versatility in its applications, such as i) acting as a room temperature chemiresistive gas sensor (70% response for NO 2 gas); ii) serving as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the identifications of Nile blue (dye) and picric acid (explosive) analytes down to nanomolar concentrations with enhancement factors of 4.8 × 10 6 and 6.1 × 10 5 , respectively; and iii) functioning as a nonlinear optical saturable absorber with a saturation intensity of 18.36 × 10 15 W m -2 at 600 nm, and the performance characteristics are on par with those of materials reported in the existing literature. In conclusion, this work establishes a facile strategy to develop advanced materials by depositing metal nanoislands on glass for various functional applications.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Machine Learning‐Guided Discovery of High‐Entropy Perovskite Oxide Electrocatalysts via Oxygen Vacancy Engineering
Abstract High‐entropy perovskite oxides (HEPOs) have recently emerged as multifunctional catalysts. However, the HEPOs’ structural and compositional complexity hinders the easy and accurate extrapolation of activity indicators, which are essential for establishing structure‐property correlations. Here, OxiGraphX, is introduced as a novel graph neural network (GNN) model designed to capture the complex relationships among structure, composition, and atomic chemical environments for accurate prediction of oxygen vacancy formation energies (OVFEs) in HEPOs. By integrating machine learning (ML), density functional theory (DFT), and experimental validation, this work demonstrates an efficient framework for rapidly and accurately screening HEPO electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The OxiGraphX predicts OVFEs with a precision exceeding existing data, enabling the identification of compositions of higher oxygen vacancy content (OVC) and, thus, higher catalytic activity. Furthermore, the model explores latent spaces that translate effectively into experimental domains, bridging computational predictions with real‐world applications. This approach accelerates the discovery of high‐performance HEPO catalysts while providing deeper insights into their catalytic mechanisms.
Chemistry↗
A New Electrode Paradigm Enabled by Co-Axial Electrospinning
A conventional electrode in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) often imposes competing requirements on the ionomer, which must enable efficient proton conduction while allowing sufficient oxygen transport. To address these material-level requirements, a co-axial electrospun electrode comprising of a pristine ionomer core and a multifunctional platinum-carbon-ionomer shell is introduced. By decoupling proton and oxygen transport pathways, this architecture enables independent tailoring of core and shell chemistries and their interfaces. The core-shell structure of the electrospun fibers is confirmed by microscopy, while electrochemical and transport properties are quantified using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and limiting-current diagnostics. The co-axial fibers in their current version meet or exceed the performance of conventional ultrasonically sprayed electrode at relative humidities above 75%, enabled by improvements in non-Fickian diffusion processes. This work establishes co-axial electrospun electrodes as a versatile platform for advanced PEMFC electrodes and a wide range of electrochemical applications, including CO2 electrolysis, water electrolysis, and critical mineral separations.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Epitaxial Thin Film Growth on Recycled SrTiO 3 Substrates Toward Sustainable Processing of Complex Oxides
Complex oxide thin films cover a range of physical properties and multifunctionalities that are critical for logic, memory, and optical devices. Typically, the high‐quality epitaxial growth of these complex oxide thin films requires single crystalline oxide substrates such as SrTiO 3 (STO), MgO, LaAlO 3 , a‐Al 2 O 3, and many others. Recent successes in transferring these complex oxides as free‐standing films not only offer great opportunities in integrating complex oxides on other devices, but also present enormous opportunities in recycling the deposited substrates after transfer for cost‐effective and sustainable processing of complex oxide thin films. In this work, the surface modification effects introduced on the recycled STO are investigated, and their impacts on the microstructure and properties of subsequently grown epitaxial oxide thin films are assessed and compared with those grown on the pristine substrates. Detailed analyses using high‐resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and geometric phase analysis demonstrate distinct strain states on the surfaces of the recycled STO versus the pristine substrates, suggesting a pre‐strain state in the recycled STO substrates due to the previous deposition layer. These findings offer opportunities in growing highly mismatched oxide films on the recycled STO substrates with enhanced physical properties. Specifically, yttrium iron garnet (Y 3 Fe 5 O 12 ) films grown on recycled STO present different ferromagnetic responses compared to that on the pristine substrates, underscoring the effects of surface modification. The study demonstrates the feasibility of reuse and redeposition using recycled substrates. Via careful handling and preparation, high‐quality epitaxial thin films can be grown on recycled substrates with comparable or even better structural and physical properties toward sustainable process of complex oxide devices.
pre-strained STO surfaces↗
Mesocrystalline Ordering and Phase Transformation of Iron Oxide Biominerals in the Ultrahard Teeth of Cryptochiton stelleri
Biological organisms naturally synthesize complex, hierarchical, multifunctional materials through mineralization processes at ambient conditions and under physiological pH. One such example is the ultrahard and wear-resistant radular teeth found in mollusks, which are used to scape against the rock to feed on algae. Herein, the biologically controlled structural development of the hard, outer magnetite-containing shell of the chitin teeth is revealed. Specifically, the formation of a series of mesocrystalline iron oxide phases, templated by chitin-binding proteins, is identified. The initial domains, consisting of ferrihydrite mesocrystals with a spherulite-like morphology, undergo a solid-state phase transformation to form magnetite while maintaining mesocrystallinity, likely via a shear-induced solid-state reaction, without any noticeable architectural changes. Subsequent growth via Ostwald ripening leads to nearly single-crystalline rod-like elements. In addition, an interpenetrating organic matrix is identified that, at early stages of tooth development, potentially contains iron-binding proteins that guide the self-assembly of the mesocrystalline mineral and influence the preferred orientation of the later-formed magnetite nanorods, which ultimately determines the mechanical behavior of the mature chiton teeth.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
A New Platform for Twistronics: Perovskite Moiré Superlattices Beyond van der Waals
Moiré superlattices have reshaped condensed‐matter physics by enabling twist‐angle engineering of electronic and excitonic states, traditionally in van der Waals (vdW) systems. This Perspective focuses on perovskites as a transformative non‐van der Waals (non‐vdW) platform for twistronics. These materials are distinguished by ionic‐covalent bonding and soft octahedral lattices that support deep moiré potentials (≈100–200 meV), which in turn yield bright, room‐temperature excitons and tunable quantum phenomena. We organize recent advances into two core classes: (i) moiré superlattices constructed from 2D Ruddlesden‐Popper (RP) perovskites via spontaneous or guided twisted stacking; and (ii) moiré architectures in 3D perovskite lamellae, achieved through topotactic 2D RP‐to‐3D conversion and ligand‐induced self‐assembly. Key experimental observations in these systems include twist‐tunable moiré periods, suppressed exciton–exciton annihilation, flat band‐like transport, and ferroelectric vortex lattices in their oxide perovskite counterparts. Here, we outline key bottlenecks, including defects arising during phase conversion, stringent lattice‐matching requirements, and the absence of in situ twist metrology, and highlight opportunities in lattice‐mismatched heterostructures and multifunctional quantum‐optoelectronic devices. Collectively, these advances establish perovskite moiré systems as a critical bridge between fundamental moiré physics and room‐temperature technological applications.
2D Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites↗
Backbone Stiffness‐Dependent Photoluminescence of Pendant Fluorophores in Organic Nanoparticles
Fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FoNPs) with backbone stiffness‐dependent photoluminescence were synthesized via microemulsion atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2‐(2‐bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl methacrylate (BiBEM), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and methacrylate monomers bearing pendant fluorophores, 1‐pyrenemethyl methacrylate (PyMMA), or 4‐(1,2,2‐triphenylethenyl)benzenemethyl methacrylate (TPEMMA). The crosslinking density precisely tuned the intraparticle rigidity, enabling systematic control over emission mechanisms. Pyrene‐containing FoNPs exhibited a rigidity‐dependent transition from excimer‐dominated to monomer‐dominated fluorescence, whereas TPE‐based FoNPs displayed aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) enhancement as intramolecular motion was restricted. Solvent‐dependent studies revealed that increased polarity and viscosity, particularly in benzyl alcohol and DMSO, promoted cooperative rigidification and enhanced emission intensity through specific polymer–solvent interactions. Furthermore, the retained alkyl bromide chain ends on FoNPs enabled dual roles as initiators and crosslinkers in UV‐induced polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) acrylates, forming luminescent FoNP–OEG hybrid gels with improved mechanical robustness. This work establishes a versatile platform for integrating tunable optical and mechanical properties into a single polymeric nanoparticle framework, offering new design principles for multifunctional soft materials and providing a platform for future sensing, imaging, and photonic applications.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Improved Sensitivity Relations in State Constrained Optimal Control
Sensitivity relations in optimal control provide an interpretation of the costate trajectory and the Hamiltonian, evaluated along an optimal trajectory, in terms of gradients of the value function. While sensitivity relations are a straightforward consequence of standard transversality conditions for state constraint free optimal control problems formulated in terms of control-dependent differential equations with smooth data, their verification for problems with either pathwise state constraints, nonsmooth data, or for problems where the dynamic constraint takes the form of a differential inclusion, requires careful analysis. In this paper we establish validity of both ‘full’ and ‘partial’ sensitivity relations for an adjoint state of the maximum principle, for optimal control problems with pathwise state constraints, where the underlying control system is described by a differential inclusion. The partial sensitivity relation interprets the costate in terms of partial Clarke subgradients of the value function with respect to the state variable, while the full sensitivity relation interprets the couple, comprising the costate and Hamiltonian, as the Clarke subgradient of the value function with respect to both time and state variables. These relations are distinct because, for nonsmooth data, the partial Clarke subdifferential does not coincide with the projection of the (full) Clarke subdifferential on the relevant coordinate space. We show for the first time (even for problems without state constraints) that a costate trajectory can be chosen to satisfy the partial and full sensitivity relations simultaneously. The partial sensitivity relation in this paper is new for state constraint problems, while the full sensitivity relation improves on earlier results in the literature (for optimal control problems formulated in terms of Lipschitz continuous multifunctions), because a less restrictive inward pointing hypothesis is invoked in the proof, and because it is validated for a stronger set of necessary conditions.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
A revisit to atomic layer deposition of zinc oxide using diethylzinc and water as precursors
Nanophase zinc oxide (ZnO) has been widely studied as an important multifunctional material in many applications. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a unique thin-film synthesis technique, featuring its extreme uniformity, unrivaled conformal coverage, low deposition temperature, and precise controllability. Using diethylzinc (DEZ) and water as precursors, ALD has been reported previously for growing nanophase ZnO thin films. However, the growth characteristics and the resultant ZnO crystallinity have not been well characterized and understood. To this end, we revisited the ALD process of ZnO using DEZ and water. Through employing a suite of advanced characterization techniques, we systematically addressed the growth characteristics, morphological changes, and the crystallinity evolution of ZnO along with growth temperature in the range of 30-250 °C. The growth characteristics of the ALD ZnO films were investigated using in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and synchrotron-based X-ray reflectivity. The crystallinity of the ALD ZnO films was determined using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In addition, through further analyzing QCM data, we proposed the adsorption-limited surface reaction for ALD ZnO growth with the temperature-dependent number of -OH surface group reacting with one DEZ molecule. Furthermore, this study contributes to offer new and deep insights on the fundamental ALD process of ZnO.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Size, structure, and luminescence of Nd 2 Zr 2 O 7 nanoparticles by molten salt synthesis
Pyrochlore materials with novel properties are in demand with multifunctional applications such as optoelectronics, scintillator materials, and theranostics. Many reports have already indicated the importance of the synthesis technique for Nd 2 Zr 2 O 7 (NZO) nanoparticles (NPs); however, no explanation has been provided for the reason behind the nature of its phase selectivity. Here, we have explored the structural and optical properties of the NZO NPs synthesized by a molten salt synthesis method. We have synthesized size-tunable NZO NPs and correlated the particle size with their structural behavior and optical performance. All NZO NPs are stabilized in defect fluorite phase. Neutron diffraction provided insight on the behavior of oxygen in the presence of heavy atoms. We have collected bright amalgam of blue and green emission on UV irradiation due to the presence of oxygen vacancies from these NPs. We have carried out in situ XRD and Raman investigations to observe the temperature-induced phase transformation in a controlled argon environment. Interestingly, we have not observed phase change for the molten salt synthesized fluorite NZO NPs; however, we observed phase transformation from a precursor stage to pyrochlore phase by in situ XRD directly. Finally, these observations provide a new strategy to synthesize nanomaterials phase-selectively for a variety of applications in materials science.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
A Novel Bio-based Polyaspartic Acid Copolymer: Synthesis, Structure and Performance of Degradation
A novel bio-based polyaspartic acid copolymer, as a multifunctional polymer was fabricated via in-site melting polymerization method using L-aspartic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, L-phenylalanine and L-alanine as raw materials. The synthetic conditions were studied in detail, and the structure and degradation assays of these copolymers were investigated by FT-IR, XRD, weight loss rate, pH values, intrinsic viscosity and SEM. According to the results, all of the copolymers were found to have similar structure and excellent degradability. Additionally, the optimized copolymer C7 [L-aspartic acid (0.45 mol), γ-aminobutyric acid (0.35 mol), L-phenylalanine (0.05 mol) and L-alanine (0.15 mol)] exhibited the highest weight loss rate among all the copolymers. The weight loss rates on the 28th day in aqueous medium, phosphate buffered saline solution, 5.0 wt% trypsin solution and soil culture medium reached up to 44.74 wt%, 99.75 wt%, 90.67 wt% and 83.58 wt%, respectively. And the appropriate introduction of bio-based amino acids could control the degradation of polyaspartic acid distinctly. All of these results indicated that the bio-based polyaspartic acid copolymer could be used for reference as a good understanding of description the degradation of other environmentally friendly bio-based polymers.
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
Preparation of Low-Density Microcellular Foams from Recycled PET Modified by Solid State Polymerization and Chain Extension
Recycled polyethylene-terephthalate (RPET) bottle regrinds were physically foamed after two types of industrially feasible molecular weight increasing processes. Intrinsic viscosity (IV) of initial waste (0.71 dL/g) increased both after reactive extrusion carried out using a multifunctional epoxy-based chain extender (0.74 dL/g) and after solid state polycondensation (SSP) (0.78 dL/g), while capillary rheometry revealed higher degree of branching in the chain extended PET material. Despite the relatively low IV values (below 0.80 dL/g), physical foaming, a mild and cost-efficient way, was successful in both cases, uniform microcellular foam structures with void fractions ranging between 75 and 83% were achieved. During the experiments morphology change in the materials was tracked by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) besides recording IV values. The IV drop during foaming was between 0.03 and 0.10 depending on the pre-processing technology. Structure of foams produced from the two different modified RPET materials was compared with each other based on scanning electron microscopic imaging of cryogenic fracture surfaces. The average cell diameters were measured to be 213 and 360 µm in the case of chain extended and SSP-modified materials, respectively.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Cardanol Functionalized Carboxylated Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber for Better Processability, Technical Properties and Biocompatibility
The present investigation deals with the latex stage functionalization of carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR) by chemically grafting cardanol onto its backbone main chain to impart multifunctional characteristics to it. The grafting of cardanol onto XNBR in the latex stage has been accomplished successfully using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as a free radical initiator. Cardanol grafted XNBR (C-g-XNBR) exhibited an increase in molecular weight (7.5%) with an increase in PDI (polydispersity index). The optimum grafting parameters were found to be of 1 phr BPO with 15 phr cardanol at a reaction temperature of 80 °C and a reaction time of 10 h using “Taguchi methodology”. The maximum percentage grafting (PG) and grafting efficiency (GE) were estimated to be 13.8 and 92.8%, respectively at the optimum combination of the reaction parameters. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis results exhibited a decrease in T{sub g} value for the functionalized elastomer. Thermogravimetric analysis displayed an increase in the thermal stability of C-g-XNBR. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay and hemolysis studies proved that functionalized rubber as biocompatible. Moreover, functionalized XNBR exhibited a potential bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains. Fire and flame retardancy study revealed an increased LOI (limiting oxygen index) for C-g-XNBR.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Structure Development in Cross-Linked, Soybean Oil-based Waterborne Polyurethanes
Development of waterborne polyurethanes (WPU) using bio-based sources represents a step towards sustainable materials science and industry. We synthesized bio-based cationic water-dispersed crosslinked polyurethanes from high oleic soybean oil (HOSO) polyol, isophorone diisocyanate, and methyldiethanol amine, with varying ionic group contents after neutralization with acetic acid. Our primary objective was to analyze how crosslinking affects the dispersion process and film properties in multifunctional systems. The synthesis-structure-property relationship is elucidated through comprehensive analyses of the products at different stages of the synthesis. The dispersion of the WPU particles in water must occur prior to gelation during the final preparation, leading to incomplete conversion and the formation of imperfect networks. Insight into the synthesis process and polymer structure was gained by simulating polymer network parameters. Morphological analyses using synchrotron-based X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy revealed a hierarchical structure within the WPU films. Importantly, all the films prepared in this study, without using coalescence agents, have low water absorption and high water contact angles, demonstrating their potential for textile and leather coatings and other applications.
bio-based polymers↗
Hydrogen Annealing Effect on the Magnetic Properties of ZnCoO/MoS{sub 2} Hybrid
The ZnCoO/MoS{sub 2} hybrid is successfully synthesized through a general and facile process. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectra reveal that the hybrid consists of wurtzite ZnCoO and few layers of MoS{sub 2}, which shows a paramagnetic property. In contrast, the hybrid presents clear magnetic hysteresis at room temperature with a H{sub 2} post-annealing process. No Co metal nanoclusters can be identified by XRD and HRTEM. The red shift of E{sub 2g}{sup 1} and A{sub 1g} peak indicates the strain effect induced by H{sub 2} annealing. On the other hand, the disappeared peak at 477 cm{sup −1} can be ascribed to the modification of the interface and surface state of the ZnCoO. Temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopies demonstrate the significant H{sub 2} annealing effect on the structural properties of ZnCoO/MoS{sub 2} hybrid. The interplay between the electron interaction at the interface and oxygen vacancies of ZnCoO can be responsible for the magnetic properties of the ZnCoO/MoS{sub 2} hybrid. The tunable magnetic properties have a promising application in multifunctional MoS{sub 2}-based semiconductor and spintronic devices.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Magneto-electronic and Thermodynamic Properties of Quaternary NiFeMnZ (Z = In, Sn) New Spin Gapless Semiconductors
This paper deals with investigation of magneto-electronic and thermodynamic properties of new spin gapless semiconductor quaternary NiFeMnZ (Z = In, Sn) Heusler alloys. In addition, electronic properties such as band structure and density of states were studied in detail. The obtained results are based on first-principles calculations, using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within well-known generalized gradient approximation (GGA) coupling with spin-orbit calculation (SOC) in framework of the density functional theory (DFT) implemented in the WIEN2k package. As results, the alloys were found to be new spin gapless semiconductors (SGSs), and both compounds in LiMgPdSn-type crystal structure are stable. The magnetic moment of NiFeMnIn and NiFeMnSn was 4.39 and 4.99 μ{sub B} per formula unit, respectively. This result is in agreement with the Slater-Pauling rule (M{sub tot} = 24 −Z{sub tot}). Furthermore, the thermodynamic properties were also predicted. All these multifunctionalities lead to crucial interest for developing future spintronics device generations.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗