Techniques and instrumentation articles within Communications Materials

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    3D skyrmion strings are topological spin textures promising for spintronics applications, but their manipulation and dynamics are challenging to understand. Here, high-resolution 3D phase imaging reveals the melting dynamics of metastable skyrmions, accompanied by the emergence of (anti)hedgehogs, in (Fe,Ni,Pd)3P and FeGe helimagnets.

    • Xiuzhen Yu
    • , Nobuto Nakanishi
    •  & Yoshinori Tokura

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Due to their plasmonic properties, silver nanoparticles are promising across a vast range of applications, from physics instrumentation to biomedicine and environmental science. Here, the photon-to-heat conversion efficiency of individual nanoparticles is elucidated by designing and fabricating an ultra-sensitive bolometer with 26 pW power resolution.

    • Hanliang Zhu
    • , Evelína Gablech
    •  & Pavel Neuzil

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnetic ordering in 2D materials represents a promising platform for data storage, computing, and sensing. Here, nanometer scale imaging of few-layer Cr2Ge2Te6 reveals its thickness-dependent magnetic textures such as labyrinth domains and skyrmionic bubbles.

    • Andriani Vervelaki
    • , Kousik Bagani
    •  & Martino Poggio

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metal-organic frameworks are versatile materials but typically suffer from poor electrical conductivity. Here, a patterning technique allows controlled metal-organic framework growth on predefined areas of functionalized carbon nanotube for increased conductivity.

    • Marvin J. Dzinnik
    • , Necmettin E. Akmaz
    •  & Rolf J. Haug

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The response of a polycrystalline material during loading is strongly dependent on grain-level effects, such as residual stress from plasticity and grain orientation. Here, in-situ three-dimensional X-ray diffraction reveals the role of local and interacting grain stresses in a ferritic steel.

    • James A. D. Ball
    • , Anna Kareer
    •  & David M. Collins

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Single atom detection in nanoporous materials is challenging due to their sensitivity to electron irradiation. Here, the three-dimensional atomic occupancy of natural beryl is quantitatively analysed using high-angle annular dark-field imaging in a scanning transmission electron microscope and statistical analysis.

    • Daniel Knez
    • , Christian Gspan
    •  & Ferdinand Hofer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The segregation of elements in superalloys is known to influence their mechanical properties. Here, atomic-scale imaging and theoretical calculations reveal a mechanism by which segregation causes a yield strength anomaly, strengthening the superalloy.

    • Andreas Bezold
    • , Jan Vollhüter
    •  & Steffen Neumeier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The epitaxial growth of large-scale single-crystalline 2D materials requires precise control over crystallographic orientation and morphology during the initial stages of nucleation. Here, noncontact atomic force microscopy and density functional theory provide atomic-scale mechanistic insights into the nucleation of hexagonal boron nitride on Ir(111).

    • Jinliang Pan
    • , Tongwei Wu
    •  & Xiaohui Qiu

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Raman spectroscopy is a popular non-destructive characterisation technique, but its application to electroceramics is under-represented compared to other fields. In this review, the latest instrumentational and computational advances are discussed, suggesting key advantages in the study of electroceramics.

    • Marco Deluca
    • , Hailong Hu
    •  & Thomas Dieing

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    There is great interest in commercializing perovskite solar cells, however, the presence of defects and trap states hinder their performance. Here, recent developments in characterization techniques to investigate defects and ion migration in halide perovskites are reviewed.

    • Saurabh Srivastava
    • , Sudhir Ranjan
    •  & Kanwar S. Nalwa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Liquid metal dealloying is performed by immersing soluble and insoluble elements into a liquid metal bath but this prevents precise composition control. Here, the authors control the amount of soluble element remaining in the microstructure by partial dealloying and applied them to high-entropy alloys.

    • Takeshi Wada
    • , Pierre-Antoine Geslin
    •  & Hidemi Kato

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Defect engineering and doping of semiconductors by ion irradiation are essential in large-scale integration of electronic devices. Here, intense ion pulses from a laser-accelerator, with flux levels up to 1022 ions cm-2 s-1, are used to induce and optimize silicon color centers and photon emitters in the telecom band.

    • Walid Redjem
    • , Ariel J. Amsellem
    •  & Thomas Schenkel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanocrystalline thin films fabricated by deposition often have high residual stresses, making them susceptible to defects. Here, stress distribution in tungsten-titanium nanocrystalline films are probed by experimental and simulation techniques, revealing the impact of solute concentration on residual stress.

    • Rahulkumar Jagdishbhai Sinojiya
    • , Priya Paulachan
    •  & Roland Brunner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Image reconstruction algorithms used in x-ray computed tomography require that the sample not change throughout the scan, necessitating fast data collection times. Here, a machine learning approach for image processing enables sub-10 second data acquisition times and sub-50 nm pixel resolution.

    • Jiayong Zhang
    • , Wah-Keat Lee
    •  & Mingyuan Ge

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoporous metals produced by metal agent dealloying are attractive for multiple applications. Here, a machine learning-augmented framework is reported for predicting, synthesizing and characterizing ternary systems for dealloying.

    • Chonghang Zhao
    • , Cheng-Chu Chung
    •  & Yu-chen Karen Chen-Wiegart

  • 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

    Germanium-based oxides are wide bandgap semiconductors with the prospects of ambipolar doping. Here, a hybrid molecular beam epitaxy is demonstrated for the growth of both rutile Sn1-xGexO2 and perovskite SrSn1-xGexO3 films.

    • Fengdeng Liu
    • , Tristan K. Truttmann
    •  & Bharat Jalan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reconfigurable and tunable terahertz electronic devices are promising for various technological applications, for which metamaterials are receiving interest. Here, a graphene/gold bilayer metasurface enables the creation of a frequency-selective absorber with electrical tuning in the 0.1–1 THz range.

    • Andrew D. Squires
    • , Xiang Gao
    •  & Tim van der Laan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the effects of fast neutrons on high-temperature superconductors is important for their application in fusion reactors. Here, a combined experimental and theoretical study reveals that ion irradiation disrupts superconductivity by introducing defects within the copper-oxygen planes.

    • Rebecca J. Nicholls
    • , Sofia Diaz-Moreno
    •  & Susannah C. Speller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding grain morphology and kinetics of solid-phase crystallization is important for controlling the functional properties of polycrystalline materials. Here, in situ coherent X-ray diffraction imaging and transmission electron microscopy elucidate quantitatively the kinetics of a single-grain growth in Zr-doped In2O3 films.

    • Dmitry Dzhigaev
    • , Yury Smirnov
    •  & Michael Elias Stuckelberger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Visualizing the composition of grain networks is key for understanding the structure evolution and functional properties of composite materials. Here, X-ray fluorescence tomography, coupled with an absorption correction algorithm, reveals mechanistic insights in the phase transformations and transport properties of a mixed ionic-electronic conductor.

    • Mingyuan Ge
    • , Xiaojing Huang
    •  & Yong S. Chu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rare-earth hexaborides are of interest for their pressure-induced phase transformations, but further understanding is needed regarding their failure mechanisms. Here, nanoindentation of EuB6 causes dislocation-mediated shear band formation, driven by the breaking of boron-boron bonds.

    • Rajamallu Karre
    • , Yidi Shen
    •  & Kolan Madhav Reddy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The BaSnO3 perovskite is promising for electronic applications due to its transparency and high room-temperature mobility, but its effective masses, band gaps, and absorption edge are still controversial. Here, a combined theoretical and experimental study provides a consistent picture of its electronic structure and optical excitations.

    • Wahib Aggoune
    • , Alberto Eljarrat
    •  & Claudia Draxl

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In 2D materials devices, understanding interfacial reactions in the formation of metal contacts is important for tuning their properties. Here, electron microscopy reveals the formation of an intermetallic contact layer, characterized by an efficient edge-type charge transfer, when nickel, chromium, or titanium is deposited onto black-arsenic films.

    • Subhajit Kundu
    • , Prafful Golani
    •  & K. Andre Mkhoyan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ultrafast low-energy electron diffraction allows the direct observation of atomic motions in structural transitions, but is accompanied by a strong photoinduced emission resulting in surface field effects. Here, these effects are quantified, enabling the isolation of the structural dynamics of interest.

    • Chiwon Lee
    • , Alexander Marx
    •  & R. J. Dwayne Miller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ptychography is an imaging technique based on algorithmic reconstruction of diffraction patterns that improves the spatial resolution of scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. Here, the possibility of ptychography at the carbon K-edge is demonstrated on carbon nanotube bundles, using a defocused beam to reduce radiation damage.

    • Nicolas Mille
    • , Hao Yuan
    •  & Adam P. Hitchcock

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Charged domain walls in ferroelectrics are interesting as they may enhance electrical conductivity. Here, atomic-resolution imaging of Ca3–xSrxTi2O7 reveals that charged domain boundaries are stabilized by an out-of-phase translational shift of crystallographic domains and that Sr ions accumulate at the boundaries.

    • Hiroshi Nakajima
    • , Kosuke Kurushima
    •  & Shigeo Mori

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is an ongoing need to increase the operating temperature of jet engines, requiring new high-temperature materials. Here, local phase transformations at superlattice stacking faults contribute to a three times improvement in creep strength in a Ni-based superalloy.

    • Timothy M. Smith
    • , Nikolai A. Zarkevich
    •  & Michael J. Mills

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Thermal cloak metamaterials are important in heat camouflage and protection of electronic devices, but are often purely metallic and limited in flexibility. Here, a durable, non-cracking, and anti-corrosive thermal metasurface is fabricated by laser engraving a graphene coating onto a copper substrate.

    • Jiyao Wang
    • , Ling Qin
    •  & Wei Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oxygen species on a TiO2 surface exist in different redox states, which can be switched between by electron tunneling with an atomic force tip. Here, a fast experimental setup enables statistically significant tunneling rates to be determined, revealing changes in electronic structure.

    • Yuuki Adachi
    • , Ján Brndiar
    •  & Lev Kantorovich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The study of water at high pressure and temperature is essential for understanding planetary interiors but is hampered by the high reactivity of water at extreme conditions. Here, indirect X-ray laser heating of water in a diamond anvil cell is realized via a gold absorber, showing no evidence of reactivity.

    • Rachel J. Husband
    • , R. Stewart McWilliams
    •  & Hanns-Peter Liermann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plant cells are elaborate three-dimensional polymer nano-constructs with complex chemistry. Here, multimodal scattering nearfield optical microscopy of poplar trees is used to establish in situ high-resolution mappings of the local dielectric functions and compositional distribution of lignin and cellulose in plant cell walls.

    • Anne M. Charrier
    • , Aubin C. Normand
    •  & Aude L. Lereu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stiction between polymerized layers and the constraining solid interface during stereolithography limits resolution. Here, a static inert liquid is used as a constraining interface to mitigate stiction, enabling high resolution parts to be fabricated with feature sizes spanning tens to thousands of microns.

    • Aftab A. Bhanvadia
    • , Richard T. Farley
    •  & Toshikazu Nishida

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Describing the laser ablation process with reduction-free data is important for furthering its use in modern manufacturing. Here, fluence maps, correlating laser beam intensity and ablated depth at each point in a full two-dimensional space, provide a method to probe ablation morphology in cases of arbitrary beam and crater profiles.

    • Haruyuki Sakurai
    • , Kuniaki Konishi
    •  & Makoto Kuwata-Gonokami

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Armored fish exoskeletons combine flexibility and protection from predators and territorial attacks. Here, using modeling, 3D printing, and experimental testing, the mechanical origin of anisotropic bending stiffness in fish scale architectures is revealed, providing design guidelines for biomimetics.

    • Katia Zolotovsky
    • , Swati Varshney
    •  & Christine Ortiz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Disorder in semiconductors may lead to quantum interference and positive magnetoconductivity, whose maximum value in 3D is independent of material properties. Here, an apparent violation of this upper bound, in Sn-doped In2O3 films on fused silica, is explained by a model that accounts for additional disorder close to the interface.

    • David C. Look
    • , Kevin D. Leedy
    •  & Stefan C. Badescu

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