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| Open AccessThe +2 oxidation state of Cr incorporated into the crystal lattice of UO2
Uranium dioxide is commonly doped with chromium to improve its performance as a nuclear fuel. Here, with the aid of ab initio simulations and re-evaluation of experimental data, the oxidation state of chromium in the uranium dioxide lattice is identified as +2, not the widely believed +3.
- Mengli Sun
- , Joshua Stackhouse
- & Piotr M. Kowalski
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Article
| Open AccessDesigning bioinspired brick-and-mortar composites using machine learning and statistical learning
Brick-and-mortar composite structures found in nature are known for their superior mechanical performance. Here, computational approaches are used to understand the key design features that control mechanical behavior, providing guidance for the design of improved composites.
- Seyedreza Morsali
- , Dong Qian
- & Majid Minary-Jolandan
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| Open AccessRydberg excitons in Cu2O microcrystals grown on a silicon platform
Cu2O is of great interest for its excitonic properties, yet challenges in its fabrication means that most experiments focus on naturally occurring samples. Here, scalable thermal oxidation is reported for the growth of Cu2O with low-defect content, allowing the observation of Rydberg excitons.
- Stephan Steinhauer
- , Marijn A. M. Versteegh
- & Val Zwiller
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| Open AccessSimultaneous effect of strain rate and humidity on the structure and mechanical behavior of spider silk
Spider silk is well known for its high toughness. Here, a comprehensive study of the simultaneous effect of strain rate and humidity on toughness is reported, revealing that toughness is highest under mildly humid conditions and at high strain rates, similar conditions to those in nature.
- Kenjiro Yazawa
- , Ali D. Malay
- & Keiji Numata
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Article
| Open AccessNano-layer deposition of metal oxides via a condensed water film
Nano-scale coatings are important for controlling the functional behavior of surfaces. Here, a deposition process in liquid hydrocarbons is reported for metal oxides, in which a thin water coating on the substrate reacts with chemical precursors, forming a nano-scale layer.
- Ahmed M. Jasim
- , Xiaoqing He
- & Yangchuan Xing
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| Open AccessGiant thermal expansion of a two-dimensional supramolecular network triggered by alkyl chain motion
The intrinsic flexibility of molecules opens the door to unusual physical properties. Now, a large thermal expansion coefficient of 980 ± 110 × 10−6 K−1 is observed by scanning probe microscopy in a supramolecular network on a gold surface.
- Sebastian Scherb
- , Antoine Hinaut
- & Ernst Meyer
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| Open AccessDesign of a multifunctional polar metal via first-principles high-throughput structure screening
Polar metal oxides are not frequently observed, yet offer attractive properties for functional devices. Now, high-throughput structure screening of a thousand crystal structures reveals that BiPbTi2O6 can form both polar and metallic structures.
- Yue-Wen Fang
- & Hanghui Chen
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| Open AccessIdentifying superionic conductors by materials informatics and high-throughput synthesis
High-throughput prediction and synthesis are vital for obtaining new materials that deviate from existing compositions. Here, machine learning is combined with high-throughput synthesis to identify superionic conductors based on Ca-(Nb,Ta)-Bi-O.
- Masato Matsubara
- , Akitoshi Suzumura
- & Ryoji Asahi
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| Open AccessConcurrent tracking of strain and noise bursts at ferroelastic phase fronts
Ferroelastic materials undergo first-order structural transitions. Here, acoustic and strain measurements are simultaneously combined during a reversible martensitic transformation in a shape memory alloy, allowing the key microstructure processes to be tracked.
- Benoît Blaysat
- , Xavier Balandraud
- & Giovanni Zanzotto
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Article
| Open AccessActive spatial control of terahertz plasmons in graphene
Controlling spatial conductivity in graphene is important for plasmonic devices, yet conductivity patterning typically changes the electromagnetic environment. Here, teraherz plasmons in graphene are confined to specific regions via a patterned zinc oxide gate, reducing electromagnetic coupling.
- Ngoc Han Tu
- , Katsumasa Yoshioka
- & Norio Kumada
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| Open AccessHydrodynamic inflation of ring polymers under shear
Ring polymers are known to display a variety of unusual dynamical behavior due to their topology. Here, simulations reveal that ring polymers under shear flow exhibit a swelling of the ring, causing them to behave as non-Brownian particles.
- Maximilian Liebetreu
- & Christos N. Likos