Structural materials articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here Rocklinet al. propose a design principle using operations that cost little energy and realize mechanical metamaterials that can be easily and reversibly transformed between states with different mechanical and acoustic properties.

    • D. Zeb Rocklin
    • , Shangnan Zhou
    •  & Xiaoming Mao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A material with a deep melted zone (MZ) but small heat-affected zone (HAZ) is ideal for manufacturing, but improving one zone comes at the expense of the other. Here, the authors resolve this contradiction in metals by adding nanoparticles, which change the metals’ properties in such a way that both expands MZ and minimizes HAZ.

    • Chao Ma
    • , Lianyi Chen
    •  & Xiaochun Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How well the linear elastic fracture picture holds at small length scales and systems with reduced dimensionality remains an active area of inquiry. Here authors usein situ electron microscopy to study fracture in MoS2monolayers and report dislocation emission rates greater than expected accompanying crack propagation.

    • Thuc Hue Ly
    • , Jiong Zhao
    •  & Young Hee Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shaping ceramics into complex forms is a formidable goal. Here, the authors present an approach to self-shaping ceramics, inspired by self-folding processes in plants, in which the ceramic microstructure is embedded with aligned platelets that control the orientation of heat-induced shrinkage.

    • Fabio L. Bargardi
    • , Hortense Le Ferrand
    •  & André R. Studart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Twin transmission across grain boundaries has important influence on deformation and fracture in hexagonal close-packed metals. Here, experimental and computational statistical analyses show that whether twins cross grain boundaries depends not only on crystal misorientation but also strongly on anisotropy in crystallographic slip.

    • M. Arul Kumar
    • , I. J. Beyerlein
    •  & C. N. Tomé

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metal-organic frameworks are extensively studied for gas storage applications, but one potential limitation is their relatively weak adsorption of gases. Here, the authors report that the exposure of metal-organic frameworks to ethylenediamine forms a monolayer thick cap which improves gas molecule retention.

    • Kui Tan
    • , Sebastian Zuluaga
    •  & Yves J. Chabal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Various known structural descriptors of metallic glasses have limitations in quantitatively predicting properties. Here authors define a physically-motivated measure and show it to correlate strongly with elastic properties, local structure and relaxation kinetics over a wide range of simulated compositions.

    • Jun Ding
    • , Yong-Qiang Cheng
    •  & Evan Ma

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface modification techniques can allow metals to be used in aggressive environments for emerging applications. Here authors demonstrate an ultrafast process for aluminizing austenitic stainless steels and propose an electromigration-assisted mechanism suggesting generalizability of the method.

    • Mingli Shen
    • , Shenglong Zhu
    •  & Fuhui Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is suggested that the optical and mechanical properties of transparent ceramics become very favourable if they can be synthesized as nanocrystals. Here, the authors report direct conversion of bulk glass starting material to pore-free nano-polycrystalline silicate garnet at high pressure and temperature.

    • T. Irifune
    • , K. Kawakami
    •  & T. Shinmei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoscale processes may directly impact macroscopic mechanical behaviour. Here authors describe a ‘phase-transformation strengthening’ mechanism in nickel-based high temperature alloys, allowing suppression of deleterious deformation processes at elevated temperatures by specific alloying elements.

    • T. M. Smith
    • , B. D. Esser
    •  & M. J. Mills

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlling elastic waves in medium is essential to many applications in mechanical to earthquake engineering. Ma et al. demonstrate selective suppression of different vibrational modes in a three-dimensional rod-shape structure, which shows fluid-like elasticity with only longitudinal waves propagating.

    • Guancong Ma
    • , Caixing Fu
    •  & Ping Sheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Due to its high diffusivity, hydrogen is considered a weak inhibitor or even a promoter of dislocation movements in metals and alloys. Here the authors quantitatively demonstrate that after exposing aluminium to hydrogen, mobile dislocations can lose mobility, due to segregation of hydrogenated vacancies to dislocations.

    • Degang Xie
    • , Suzhi Li
    •  & Zhiwei Shan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Low-density compressible materials often suffer from fatigue-induced failure or limited elasticity. Here, the authors create a hierarchical multi-arch carbon material that achieves high compressibility, superior elasticity and fatigue resistance simultaneously, inspired by properties of arches in daily life.

    • Huai-Ling Gao
    • , Yin-Bo Zhu
    •  & Shu-Hong Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The origins of non-periodic growth features observed in irregular eutectics have been a source of controversy. Here authors use time-resolved X-ray microtomography during eutectic growth of an alloy to show how competing models can be extended and reconciled.

    • Ashwin J. Shahani
    • , Xianghui Xiao
    •  & Peter W. Voorhees

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional metal extraction processes rely on energy intensive pyro- or hydrometallurgical methods which generate pollutants. Here, the authors reveal a high-throughput electro-desulfurization process to convert molten stibnite to pure antimony in a single step, reducing emissions and energy consumption.

    • Huayi Yin
    • , Brice Chung
    •  & Donald R. Sadoway

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Covalent organic frameworks are crystalline porous polymers integrating molecular building blocks into periodic structures. Here, the authors report a general multiple-component condensation strategy that enables the use of one knot and two or three linkers to synthesize complex, anisotropic frameworks.

    • Ning Huang
    • , Lipeng Zhai
    •  & Donglin Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transparent and electrically conducting flexible films are in high demand but production can be both time-consuming and expensive. Here, the authors report a method for assembling modified graphene flakes in controlled distributions within polymeric matrices by use of magnetic fields.

    • Hortense Le Ferrand
    • , Sreenath Bolisetty
    •  & Raffaele Mezzenga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Adhesive wear can proceed through qualitatively different mechanisms, with conflicting results in the literature. Here the authors observe a transition between two regimes in simulations using model interatomic potentials, allowing development of a simple analytical theory to describe past results.

    • Ramin Aghababaei
    • , Derek H. Warner
    •  & Jean-Francois Molinari

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Imaging of inorganic dispersions in organic-inorganic composites is typically performed using electron microscopy. Here, the authors show that surfactants with attached aggregation-induced emission fluorophores allow simple fluorescence imaging of the spatial distribution of the inorganic filler dispersion.

    • Weijiang Guan
    • , Si Wang
    •  & Ben Zhong Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Low-temperature plasticity in BCC metals is atypical, marked by an anisotropic elastic limit in violation of the Schmid law. Here, the authors show that these deviations can be quantified from subatomic deviations of the screw dislocation trajectory away from its average glide plane.

    • Lucile Dezerald
    • , David Rodney
    •  & François Willaime

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Beta-relaxation in glasses is commonly attributed to the confined motions of constituent atoms in nanosized domains, but there is no direct evidence so far. Here, Zhu et al. show the correlation between the evolution of spatial heterogeneity at nanoscale and beta-relaxation below glass transition point.

    • F. Zhu
    • , H. K. Nguyen
    •  & M. W. Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tissue engineering applications call for controllable micro-structural units as a platform, but their fabrication remains challenging. Here, Jeong et al. show a method that enables soft materials to self-organize into highly packed micro-honeycomb structures with aspect ratios up to 500, and tunable shapes.

    • Gi Seok Jeong
    • , Da Yoon No
    •  & Sang-Hoon Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flexible electronics promise the opportunity to monitor biological activity via implanted devices. Here, the authors develop a biocompatible conductive carbon nanotube/gel composite and couple it with an ultrathin flexible amplifier, enabling in vivomeasurement of epicardial electrocardiogram signals.

    • Tsuyoshi Sekitani
    • , Tomoyuki Yokota
    •  & Takao Someya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Physics out-of-equilibrium is necessary to understand a variety of interactions, for example in biological systems. Here, the authors show that the interactions between non-Brownian active spinning particles can change from repulsive to attractive depending on the properties of the surrounding passive medium.

    • J. L. Aragones
    • , J. P. Steimel
    •  & A. Alexander-Katz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solid–solid phase transition via an intermediate liquid state has been identified in colloidal systems, but the universality of the phenomenon at atomic scales has not yet been proved. Pogatscher et al.observe a similar transition in a metallic glass system using fast differential scanning calorimetry.

    • S. Pogatscher
    • , D. Leutenegger
    •  & J. F. Löffler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Direct band gap nanostructures compatible with Si-based electronics are actively investigated. Here, Biswas et al. incorporate unusually large amounts of tin in germanium nanowires by non-equilibrium kinetic trapping, and optical characterizations suggest that the nanowires exhibit a direct band gap.

    • Subhajit Biswas
    • , Jessica Doherty
    •  & Justin D. Holmes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plasmonic metasurfaces can provide exciting optical functionalities. Here, Hui et al. demonstrate an infrared sensor by combining plasmonic and piezoelectric electromechanical resonances, demonstrating efficient transduction of vibration with a strong and polarization-independent absorption over an ultrathin thickness.

    • Yu Hui
    • , Juan Sebastian Gomez-Diaz
    •  & Matteo Rinaldi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Design of materials with targeted properties requires innovative approaches to guide researchers through complex search space. Here, the authors report an adaptive design strategy, using inference and global optimization methods, which can find shape memory alloys with very low thermal hysteresis.

    • Dezhen Xue
    • , Prasanna V. Balachandran
    •  & Turab Lookman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanocrystalline metals are ultra-strong because of the large fraction of material at the grain boundaries, but this also leads to instability under applied loads. Here, the authors deepen our understanding of this by linking stress-driven motion of grain boundaries to grain boundary chemistry.

    • Mo-Rigen He
    • , Saritha K. Samudrala
    •  & Daniel S. Gianola

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coupling between quantum structures and mechanical resonators remains a challenge. Here, the authors couple a quantum dot and a piezoelectric microresonator and show that gate-induced single electron transport in the quantum dot enables control of the amplitude of the mechanical response.

    • Yuma Okazaki
    • , Imran Mahboob
    •  & Hiroshi Yamaguchi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Double twins are thought to lead to premature failure of magnesium alloys. Here, the authors show that a magnesium-lithium alloy achieves the same compression failure strains with double twins as without, potentially generating strengthening through intra-granular networks of double twins.

    • M. Lentz
    • , M. Risse
    •  & I. J. Beyerlein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ferroelectricity, spontaneous switchable polarization, is usually deemed incompatible with the electronic screening of a metal. Here, the authors use ab initio theory to predict that metallicity natively coexists with ferroelectric polarization and finite depolarizing fields in the perovskite Bi5Ti5O17.

    • Alessio Filippetti
    • , Vincenzo Fiorentini
    •  & Jorge Íñiguez

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lightweight materials with high strength are desirable for applications where they could reduce energy consumption. Here, the authors develop a low cost beta-titanium alloy that uses a hierarchical nanostructure of precipitates with different sizes to achieve high strength.

    • Arun Devaraj
    • , Vineet V. Joshi
    •  & Curt Lavender

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The fragility describes the degree of slowdown in material dynamics as approaching glass transition temperature, but its molecular origin remains unclear. Here, Yildirim et al.show a strong correlation between temperature-dependent spatial distribution of molecular rigidity and the fragility index.

    • C. Yildirim
    • , J.-Y. Raty
    •  & M. Micoulaut

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In Weyl semimetals, unusual electronic transport phenomena are predicted to occur, such as an axial anomaly which violates the conservation of chiral fermions. Here, the authors evidence such behaviour via the occurrence of negative magnetoresistance in layered high-purity non-magnetic metals.

    • N. Kikugawa
    • , P. Goswami
    •  & L. Balicas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite its importance to the cement industry, tricalcium silicate hydration, with its sequence of induction, acceleration and deceleration steps, still hosts many open questions. Here, 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance provides new information on the silicate polymerization mechanism and its kinetics.

    • Elizaveta Pustovgar
    • , Rahul P. Sangodkar
    •  & Jean-Baptiste d’Espinose de Lacaillerie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ruggedized stretchable electronic devices motivate the development of globally stretchable yet locally stiff materials. Here, Ware et al. programme the self-organization of liquid crystal elastomers to yield stretchable materials of homogenous composition but with spatial variation in mechanical properties.

    • Taylor H. Ware
    • , John S. Biggins
    •  & Timothy J. White

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Whether the deformation of amorphous materials is governed by universal scaling, a characteristic feature of the critical phenomena, is currently under debate. Here, Denisov et al. provide experimental evidence by linking the internal strains at microscales to the fluctuations in the applied force.

    • D. V. Denisov
    • , K. A. Lörincz
    •  & P. Schall

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metallic glasses can be softened to different shapes whilst maintaining mechanical properties, and the related thermoplastic processing requires a heating source and an applied force. Here, the authors show an effective thermoplastic approach by a coupling between electric pulses and a magnetic field.

    • Georg Kaltenboeck
    • , Marios D. Demetriou
    •  & William L. Johnson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High-entropy alloys derive their properties from being multi-element systems that can crystallize as a single phase. Here, the authors examine a medium-entropy alloy, CrCoNi, which displays strength-toughness properties exceeding those of high-entropy alloys and resulting from steady strain hardening.

    • Bernd Gludovatz
    • , Anton Hohenwarter
    •  & Robert O. Ritchie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nodal-line shaped bands appearing near the Fermi level host unique properties in topological matter, which has yet to be confirmed in real materials. Here, the authors report the existence of topological nodal-line states in the non-centrosymmetric single-crystalline spin-orbit semimetal PbTaSe2.

    • Guang Bian
    • , Tay-Rong Chang
    •  & M. Zahid Hasan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Elucidation of formation mechanisms of inorganic cluster compounds is challenging due to the high coordination flexibility of the atoms involved. Here, the authors combine crystallographic and quantum-chemical studies to probe the energy hypersurface of a series of multimetallic clusters.

    • Stefan Mitzinger
    • , Lies Broeckaert
    •  & Stefanie Dehnen

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