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Structure of solids and liquids is the study of the physical properties of matter in which there is a non-negligible interaction between the constituent atoms or molecules. While the atoms or molecules in a liquid are free to move around, those in solids are limited to vibrating about a fixed point.
The shape and trajectory of a crack plays a crucial role in material fracture. High-precision experiments now directly capture this phenomenon, unveiling the intricate 3D nature of cracks.
The structure of a commercially important glass-ceramic ZrO2-doped lithium aluminosilicate system during its initial nucleation stage was investigated by an X-ray multiscale analysis which enables us to observe the structure from the atomic to the nanometer scale by using diffraction, small-angle scattering, absorption, and anomalous scattering techniques. The combinatorial approach revealed that the formation of edge sharing between the ZrOx polyhedra and (Si/Al)O4 tetrahedra, and that the Zr-centric periodic structure in which the local structure of the Zr4+ ions resembled a cubic or tetragonal ZrO2 crystalline phase was potentially the initial crystal nucleus for the Zr-doped lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic.
Many volatile elements are depleted in the bulk silicate Earth. Here, the authors found that these volatile elements tend to react with Fe under pressure and may be sequestered within Earth’s core by forming substitutional Fe alloys.
As amorphous solids, glasses and gels are similar, but the origins of their different elastic properties are unclear. Simulations now suggest differing free-energy-minimizing pathways: structural ordering for glasses and interface reduction for gels.
Controlling phase transitions in solids is crucial for many applications. Ultrafast laser pulses have now been shown to enable the energy-efficient generation of structural fluctuations in VO2 by harnessing the correlated disorder in the material.
The frequency scaling exponent of low-frequency vibrational excitations in glasses remains controversial in the literature. Here, Schirmacher et al. show that the exponent depends on the statistics of the small values of the local stresses, which is governed by the detail of interaction potential.
The shape and trajectory of a crack plays a crucial role in material fracture. High-precision experiments now directly capture this phenomenon, unveiling the intricate 3D nature of cracks.
The atomic reconstruction and stacking arrangement in twisted trilayer graphene with a range of varying twist angles are elucidated by four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy, revealing the hierarchical moiré of moiré superstructures that govern the structural symmetry at different length scales.
Ageing is a non-linear, irreversible process that defines many properties of glassy materials. Now, it is shown that the so-called material-time formalism can describe ageing in terms of equilibrium-like properties.
Two-dimensional crystals have revolutionized fundamental research across a staggering range of disciplines. We take stock of the progress gained after twenty years of work.
Machine learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) enable materials simulations at extended length and time scales with near-ab initio accuracy. They have broad applications in the study and design of materials. Here, we discuss recent advances, challenges, and the outlook for MLIPs.