Mechanical engineering articles within Communications Materials

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  • Perspective
    | Open Access

    Thermomechanical stability is a limiting factor when scaling-up perovskite solar cells. This Perspective discusses several aspects of device design that control thermomechanical degradation, including adhesion of layers and encapsulation, and the importance of accelerated degradation testing.

    • Marco Casareto
    •  & Nicholas Rolston

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Refractory high-entropy alloys are attractive for high-temperature applications, but are challenging to process. Here, a method is shown for identifying a processing window that allows the additive manufacturing of a TiZrNbTa refractory alloy with a low defect content and mechanical properties comparable to as-cast samples.

    • Shahryar Mooraj
    • , George Kim
    •  & Wen Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A complex relationship exists between microstructure development and stress field during tribological loading of a metal. Here, twinning in a high-entropy alloy is used as a model system to understand stress fields during tribological experiments, supported by molecular dynamics simulations.

    • Antje Dollmann
    • , Christian Kübel
    •  & Christian Greiner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanical characterizations of metal-organic framework monoliths are often overlooked. Here, the stress-strain behaviour of ZIF-8 and MIL-68 monoliths was investigated with flat punch nanoindentation, micropillar compression and Raman microspectroscopy.

    • Michele Tricarico
    • , Cyril Besnard
    •  & Jin-Chong Tan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The ability of a structure to reliably change its shape is key to the function of various organisms in nature, as well as for applications such as implants and robotics. Here, a methodology is shown to predict shape-morphing in kinematic structures, based on geometrical multibody design of connecting elements and joints.

    • Pier H. de Jong
    • , A. L. Schwab
    •  & Amir A. Zadpoor

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanical metamaterials are artificially designed structures with tunable behavior, typically obeying precisely programmed dynamics. Here, a metamaterial based on randomly stacked flexible cylindrical shells provides a disordered yet statistically robust and controllable structure for mechanical energy dissipation and storage.

    • Tomohiko G. Sano
    • , Emile Hohnadel
    •  & Florence Bertails-Descoubes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Catch bonds exist in some protein-ligand complexes and are of interest for their increased lifetime under greater mechanical force. Here, a mathematical model for nanoparticles tethered with macromolecules shows catch-bond behavior, which may be useful for designing synthetic materials.

    • Kerim C. Dansuk
    • , Subhadeep Pal
    •  & Sinan Keten

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designing artificial acoustic metasurfaces via traditional numerical simulations is computationally challenging. Here, the authors introduce a data-driven neural network approach for the inverse design of membrane-type sound absorbers, testing the desired properties on two devices fabricated using model-estimated parameters.

    • Hamza Baali
    • , Mahmoud Addouche
    •  & Abdelkrim Khelif

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Kirigami, the art of deploying flat sheets to create three-dimensional structures, relies often on complex folding processes that hinder industrial applications. Here, the authors develop a folding-wall kirigami pattern that deploys easily under tension, demonstrating its strength, stiffness, energy absorption, and interlocking properties.

    • Tom Corrigan
    • , Patrick Fleming
    •  & Delony Langer-Anderson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Foreign substances on the surface of a baseball can alter its delivery and enhance pitching performance. Here, sticky substances are found to increase finger-ball friction which can positively affect spin rate, whereas rosin powder can ensure consistent friction across pitchers, with results differing between baseballs used in the United States and Japan.

    • Takeshi Yamaguchi
    • , Daiki Nasu
    •  & Kei Masani

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pivotally interconnected polygons are capable of auxetic behavior, but have not been fully explored. Here, a design method is demonstrated based on the selective removal of rotational hinges in pivotally interconnected polygons with even-numbered modules, leading to fully-deployable structures.

    • Ehsan Jalali
    • , Hadi Soltanizadeh
    •  & Pooya Sareh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Preventing the condensation of water is key for anti-icing applications. Here, a macro-ridged surface is found to prevent frost formation either side of each ridge, attributed to a change in water vapor distribution preventing ice bridge formation.

    • Chenguang Lu
    • , Cong Liu
    •  & Yahua Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Collagen is known to play a key role in the fracture resistance of bone. Here, in situ synchrotron tomography during the mechanical testing of bone is combined with deep learning to mitigate radiation damage, revealing that a compromised collagen network lowers the efficacy of crack deflection.

    • Michael Sieverts
    • , Yoshihiro Obata
    •  & Claire Acevedo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Active metamaterials can host non-Hermitian interactions that defy the conservation laws of linear elasticity, leading to unusual phenomena such as one-way energy transmission and odd-elastic moduli. Here, robust unidirectional Rayleigh surface waves are found in active media comprising both gyroscopic and odd-elastic effects.

    • Penglin Gao
    • , Yegao Qu
    •  & Johan Christensen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Topological mechanical metamaterials have been considered effective for energy manipulation via edge states, but manipulating these states remains challenging. Here, a Kresling origami mechanical metamaterial hosts multiple topological edge states at finite frequencies, which can be manipulated and transferred across the boundaries of the system by adjusting the lattice torsion.

    • Yasuhiro Miyazawa
    • , Chun-Wei Chen
    •  & Jinkyu Yang

  • Perspective
    | Open Access

    Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a powerful and increasingly accessible approach for studying kinetic processes in batteries. Here, key factors for using impedance to obtain accurate and reproducible data from batteries are discussed, providing guidance for researchers.

    • Deyang Qu
    • , Weixiao Ji
    •  & Huainan Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Scattered elastic waves provide non-invasive diagnostics and dynamic characterization of metamaterials, but extracting information from small-size samples is challenging. Here, convolutional neural networks are used to interpret diffracted waves, revealing how sample-edge scattering provides the most significant information on macroscopic metamaterial properties.

    • Yuxin Zhai
    • , Hyung-Suk Kwon
    •  & Bogdan-Ioan Popa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multi-material 3D printing techniques are now enabling the rational design of metamaterials with both complex geometries and multiple materials compositions. Here, deep-learning methods are used to identify, among planar network structures, the rare designs that yield very unusual and desirable combinations of materials properties.

    • Helda Pahlavani
    • , Muhamad Amani
    •  & Amir A. Zadpoor

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The 3D stiffness of a self-folded metamaterial structure is limited by the low stiffness required by the folding process. Here, the stiffness limits of self-folding bilayers are theoretically established by a nonlinear model and experimentally validated on polymer-metal composites, providing the optimal combinations of geometrical and mechanical properties of folded constructs.

    • Teunis van Manen
    • , Vahid Moosabeiki Dehabadi
    •  & Amir A. Zadpoor

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Light and flexible thermoelectric generators operating at room temperature are highly desirable for wearable microelectronics. Here, flexible thermoelectric composites comprising semiconducting Bi2Te3 particles and conductive polymers exhibit a high output power within a small temperature window around room temperature.

    • Shuping Lin
    • , Lisha Zhang
    •  & Xiaoming Tao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Origami is a promising source of inspiration in designing foldable structures and reconfigurable metamaterials. Here, building on exact folding kinematic conditions, an algorithmic design of rigidly-foldable origami structures is presented, allowing the engineering of metamaterials with arbitrary complex crease patterns.

    • Andreas Walker
    •  & Tino Stankovic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Origami-inspired metamaterials are attractive for their programmable shape-shifting properties but are typically characterized by low structural rigidity. Here, 3D heterogeneous origami structures display highly reconfigurable mechanical properties, including finely controllable and reversible stiffness variation.

    • Yasuhiro Miyazawa
    • , Hiromi Yasuda
    •  & Jinkyu Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    4D metamaterials offer the additional functionality of being responsive to external stimuli. Here, a metamaterial-based soft robot is composed of bilayer plates that can rotate and translate in response to thermal stimuli, allowing controlled motion.

    • Qingxiang Ji
    • , Johnny Moughames
    •  & Muamer Kadic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is an ongoing need to lower the Young’s modulus of polymer components produced by 3D printing. Here, a three-stage printing process creates multi-material components with Young’s moduli of 25 kPa – 90 kPa, enabled by the evaporation of ammonium bicarbonate to create gaseous pores.

    • Osman Dogan Yirmibesoglu
    • , Leif Erik Simonsen
    •  & Thomas Wallin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is growing interest in flexible electronic devices, though their soft nature can make them vulnerable to damage. Here, a liquid metal-elastomer composite is shown to self-heal, can be stretched 1200% with limited change in electrical resistance, and the conductive circuit can be reconfigured.

    • Ravi Tutika
    • , A. B. M. Tahidul Haque
    •  & Michael D. Bartlett

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Topological boundary modes in mechanical systems have recently attracted great attention due to their unique protection features. Here, tunable corner localization of mechanical waves is numerically and experimentally demonstrated in a continuous elastic plate with hexagonally arranged bolts.

    • Chun-Wei Chen
    • , Rajesh Chaunsali
    •  & Jinkyu Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Most alloys become mechanically brittle at very low temperatures. Here, an austenitic Fe-30Mn-0.11C steel exhibits high toughness, strength and elongation at liquid nitrogen temperatures, reaching a Charpy impact toughness of 453 J.

    • Yuhui Wang
    • , Yubin Zhang
    •  & Xiaoxu Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metallic glasses display a high yield strength and typically deform via heterogeneous shear bands beyond the yield point. Here, deformation of as little as 1000 atoms in a Pt-based metallic glass at room temperature leads to near-theoretical yield strength, beyond which homogeneous deformation occurs.

    • Jiaxin Yu
    • , Amit Datye
    •  & Udo D. Schwarz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlling daytime passive radiative cooling is essential in designing energy-saving buildings. Here, the authors propose a reconfigurable nanophotonic structure that can continuously adjust its radiative cooling rate by mechanical deformation according to the ambient temperature.

    • Xiaojie Liu
    • , Yanpei Tian
    •  & Yi Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Paper is a ubiquitous material used in a range of applications, many of which expose it to fatigue loading. Here, a detailed study of the mechanical response of paper during high‐cycle fatigue loading is reported, with fiber fracture found to be a key degradation mechanism.

    • Yoon Joo Na
    • , Sarah A. Paluskiewicz
    •  & Christopher L. Muhlstein

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