Chemical physics articles within Communications Materials

Featured

• Article
  16 February 2022 | Open Access

  Disentangling surface atomic motions from surface field effects in ultrafast low-energy electron diffraction

  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
  18 June 2021 | Open Access

  The moment of initial crystallization captured on functionalized nanoparticles

  Understanding the mechanism of supercooling suppression by crystallization seeds is important for designing semiclathrate hydrates for latent heat storage materials. Here, we show that 10-30 nm cluster formation around silver nanoparticles promotes crystallization of supercooled aqueous solutions.

  • Hironobu Machida
  • , Takeshi Sugahara
  •  & Izumi Hirasawa

• Article
  11 June 2021 | Open Access

  Physical and chemical imaging of adhesive interfaces with soft X-rays

  Understanding adhesion mechanisms for polymer composites is challenging due to the bonded interface being buried. Here, soft X-rays are used to probe the chemical and physical nature of the interface, revealing multiscale factors that influence the adhesion mechanism and bond strength.

  • Hiroyuki Yamane
  • , Masaki Oura
  •  & Takaki Hatsui

• Article
  24 May 2021 | Open Access

  Fast in-situ X-ray scattering reveals stress sensitivity of gypsum dehydration kinetics

  Understanding the dehydration of gypsum is important for fluid-triggered earthquakes, and for its use in the construction industry. Here, x-ray scattering reveals that a small elastic load substantially accelerates dehydration kinetics, and is far more effective than applying heat.

  • Christoph Eckart Schrank
  • , Oliver Gaede
  •  & Andrzej P. Radliński

• Article
  05 November 2020 | Open Access

  Redox-structure dependence of molten iron oxides

  Knowing the atomic structure of liquid iron oxide is key to understanding steelmaking processes and magma flows. Here, Fe-O atomic coordination numbers are determined during levitation melting at a range of temperatures and oxygen partial pressures, revealing low coordination numbers.

  • Caijuan Shi
  • , Oliver L. G. Alderman
  •  & Chris J. Benmore