Structural materials articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The tensile strength of a carbon nanotube fiber is predicted to increase as its constituent nanotubes become more perfectly and densely aligned. Here, the authors present an optimized direct-spinning and chlorosulfonic acid densification method to rapidly produce carbon nanotube fibers with excellent mechanical and electrical properties.

    • Jaegeun Lee
    • , Dong-Myeong Lee
    •  & Seung Min Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transparent materials with high strength and hardness coupled with low crack tolerance remain challenging to manufacture. Here, the authors develop a process to fabricate transparent but tough glass composites with a nacre-like architecture that slows crack propagation.

    • Tommaso Magrini
    • , Florian Bouville
    •  & André R. Studart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High-entropy metallic glasses are an unexplored class of nanomaterials and are difficult to prepare. Here, the authors present an electrosynthetic method to design these materials with up to eight tunable metallic components and show multifunctional electrocatalytic water splitting capabilities.

    • Matthew W. Glasscott
    • , Andrew D. Pendergast
    •  & Jeffrey E. Dick

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Super engineering plastics that utilise bio-derived cyclic monomers rarely offer the same thermal/mechanical properties, scalability and recyclability as petrochemical derived plastics. Here the authors use a phase transfer catalyst to synthesise a transparent, recyclable and tough isosorbide-based polymer with a high molecular weight.

    • Seul-A Park
    • , Hyeonyeol Jeon
    •  & Dongyeop X. Oh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The identification of high entropy alloys is challenging given the vastness of the compositional space associated with these systems. Here the authors propose a supervised learning strategy for the efficient screening of high entropy alloys, whose hardness predictions are validated by experiments.

    • J. M. Rickman
    • , H. M. Chan
    •  & G. Balasubramanian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lithium metal is the anode of choice for the next-generation high energy density batteries. To address the key technological challenges, the authors report a hybrid Li anode design with hierarchical pores structure derived from natural diatomite and improved electrochemical performance in all-solid-state lithium batteries.

    • Fei Zhou
    • , Zheng Li
    •  & Shu-Hong Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of artificial muscle-like actuators is often hampered by the lack of general fabrication routes towards anisotropic responsive materials. Here, the authors fabricate anisotropic hydrogels by an in-situ polymerization strategy of a lamellar network, crosslinked by metal nanostructure assemblies.

    • Haili Qin
    • , Tan Zhang
    •  & Shu-Hong Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cracks propagate preferentially along grain boundaries, but what happens exactly at the atomic scale remains unclear. Here, the authors combine atomic-scale observations and first-principles calculations to show local coordination chemistry at a dopant-segregated alumina grain boundary core dictates the atomic bond-breaking path.

    • Shun Kondo
    • , Akihito Ishihara
    •  & Yuichi Ikuhara

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designing complex concentrated alloys with targeted properties for high performance remains challenging because of their complex local atomic environments. Here, the authors show how to engineer atomic-level pressure to customize complexity-induced properties such as solid-solution strengthening.

    • Hyun Seok Oh
    • , Sang Jun Kim
    •  & Eun Soo Park

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increasing nanoparticle size usually increases the stability of ordered phases within them. In contrast, the authors show here that the L11 ordered phase only forms in AgPt nanoparticles smaller than 2.5 nm because the segregation of a monolayer Ag shell constrains the nanophase which becomes unstable at larger sizes.

    • J. Pirart
    • , A. Front
    •  & R. Ferrando

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Laser-matter interactions during laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing remain poorly understood. Here, the authors combine in situ X-ray imaging and finite element simulations to show how detrimental pores form under printing conditions and develop a strategy to suppress them.

    • Aiden A. Martin
    • , Nicholas P. Calta
    •  & Manyalibo J. Matthews

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inkfree multi-material printing is a common challenge in 3D printing. Here, the authors introduce electrohydrodynamic redox printing, a method that enables the deposition of multiple metals and their alloys with nanoscale resolution and thus the synthesis of materials with locally tuned properties.

    • Alain Reiser
    • , Marcus Lindén
    •  & Ralph Spolenak

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The atomic level core structure of dislocations in non-metallic materials such as chalcogenides remains elusive. Here, the authors combine atomic-resolution electron microscopy and simulations to image a dislocation core in bismuth telluride and show it spreads because of weak bonding between atomic layers.

    • D. L. Medlin
    • , N. Yang
    •  & Y. Mishin

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    Diluting a base element with small amounts of another has served as the basis for developing alloys for thousands of years since the advent of bronze. Today, a fundamentally new idea where alloys have no single dominant element is giving new traction to materials discovery.

    • D. B. Miracle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spider silk is widely studied for its structural properties; however, other creatures produce silk that could be of interest. Here, the authors study the properties and structure of Bagworm silk and report it as being extraordinarily strong and tough compared to other known silks.

    • Taiyo Yoshioka
    • , Takuya Tsubota
    •  & Tsunenori Kameda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The deformation mechanisms of twin boundaries in nanotwinned metallic materials are still unclear. Here the authors combine in situ transmission electron microscopy tensile tests and molecular dynamics simulations with a dislocation-based theoretical model to reveal the deformation mechanism of nanotwins.

    • A. Y. Chen
    • , L. L. Zhu
    •  & J. Lu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Liquid metal-filled elastic composites for strain sensing devices exhibit reduced conductivity under strain, which limits their usefulness. Here, the authors report a positive piezoconductive effect in liquid metal-filled magnetorheological elastomers and illustrate proof-of concept applications.

    • Guolin Yun
    • , Shi-Yang Tang
    •  & Weihua Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface roughness evolution with time is key for tribological applications. Here, the authors demonstrate by numerical simulations the evolution of sliding surfaces into self-affine morphologies during adhesive wear due to the formation of a third body trapped at the interface.

    • Enrico Milanese
    • , Tobias Brink
    •  & Jean-François Molinari

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solution treatment and quenching can strengthen magnesium-lithium-aluminium alloys, but this strength decreases with ageing. Here, the authors show this is due to semi-coherent nanoparticle precipitation followed by coarsening, and control the lattice mismatch to stabilise the microstructure.

    • Song Tang
    • , Tongzheng Xin
    •  & Michael Ferry

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Producing nacre-like ceramics with a tough, non-polymeric matrix remains a challenge. Here, the authors use the reactive wetting of a zirconium-based bulk metallic glass to successfully infiltrate a porous alumina and create a composite with improved flexural strength and fracture toughness.

    • Amy Wat
    • , Je In Lee
    •  & Robert O. Ritchie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hydrogen contamination in metals during sample preparation for high-resolution microscopy remains a challenge, especially when hydrogen itself is being investigated. Here, the authors show that using cryogenic milling significantly reduces hydrogen pick-up during sample preparation of titanium and titanium alloys.

    • Yanhong Chang
    • , Wenjun Lu
    •  & Baptiste Gault

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Additive manufacturing of high entropy alloys is still an emerging field that usually relies on expensive pre-alloyed powders. Here, the authors develop a method to 3D ink-print a CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy using inexpensive blended oxide nanopowders, hydrogen reduction, and sintering.

    • Christoph Kenel
    • , Nicola P. M. Casati
    •  & David C. Dunand

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional crystal growth models assume crystals grow into a structure-less liquid, even though liquid metals have shown evidence of structural ordering. Here, the authors show crystal growth can be influenced by the presence of thermodynamically unstable local structural order in the liquid.

    • Yujun Xie
    • , Sungwoo Sohn
    •  & Judy J. Cha

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sintering hexagonal boron nitride until it is more than 96% dense remains a challenge. Here, the authors mix cubic boron nitride particles into hexagonal boron nitride flakes and sinter the combined powders to obtain dense hexagonal boron nitride ceramics with significantly increased strength.

    • Haotian Yang
    • , Hailiang Fang
    •  & Jianlin Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Incorporation of self-healing and shape programming capabilities into rigid, structural composite is highly desirable yet challenging. Here, the authors report a nacre-mimetic composite obtained by infiltrating a switchable Diels-Alder network polymer into a scaffold of alumina capable of self-healing internal damage.

    • Gaolai Du
    • , Anran Mao
    •  & Hao Bai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Highly ordered and compositionally complex ceramics are prone to disordering under irradiation, but exactly how is unclear. Here, the authors use high resolution microscopy to directly image the order-to-disorder phase transformations in Ti3AlC2 into otherwise unattainable solid solutions.

    • Chenxu Wang
    • , Tengfei Yang
    •  & Yugang Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shear-induced grain boundary migration at the atomic level is still not well understood. Here the authors combine in situ shear testing experiments and molecular dynamic simulations to reveal the atomistic mechanism of disconnection-mediated GB migration in different gold nanostructures.

    • Qi Zhu
    • , Guang Cao
    •  & Scott X. Mao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding what happens to the liquid in melt pools during welding and metal-based additive manufacturing remains a challenge. Here, the authors directly image internal melt pool dynamics using synchrotron radiation to show surface tension affects flow speed, orientation and surface turbulence.

    • Lee Aucott
    • , Hongbiao Dong
    •  & Helen. V. Atkinson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Weaker ferritic/matensitic steels rather than stronger austenitic steels are usually candidates for nuclear reactors since they do not easily swell under irradiation. Here, the authors make an ultrastrong lanthanum-doped nanocrystalline austenitic steel that is thermally stable and radiation-tolerant.

    • Congcong Du
    • , Shenbao Jin
    •  & Tongde Shen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Little is known about diffusion along metal/ceramic interfaces even though it controls the physical behavior and lifetimes of many devices (including batteries, microelectronics, and jet engines). Here, the authors show that diffusion along a nickel/sapphire interface is abnormally fast due to nickel vacancies and generalise their findings to a wide-range of metal/ceramic systems.

    • Aakash Kumar
    • , Hagit Barda
    •  & David J. Srolovitz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The toughening of layered composite materials during cyclic loading remains poorly understood. Here, the authors introduce an interfacial nanolayer to a polymer-metal-ceramic stack to triple the fracture energy during cyclic loading via nanolayer-induced interfacial bond strengthening and load transfer to the polymer layer.

    • Matthew Kwan
    • , Muriel Braccini
    •  & Ganpati Ramanath

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Auxeticity in synthetic materials is realised by geometrical design of porous structures rather than on a molecular level. Here the authors demonstrate auxeticity in a non-porous liquid crystal elastomer overcoming porosity related weakening of the material and opening a pathway to designed molecular auxetic materials.

    • D. Mistry
    • , S. D. Connell
    •  & H. F. Gleeson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Supersonic particle impacts can cause permanent damage to space vehicles and satellites, but how exactly remains unclear. Here, the authors visualise for the first time the high impact of single tin microparticles on a tin substrate and show erosion of ductile metallic materials is melt-driven.

    • Mostafa Hassani-Gangaraj
    • , David Veysset
    •  & Christopher A. Schuh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The overwhelming number of possible high-entropy materials represents a big challenge for predicting their existence. Here, the authors introduce an entropy-forming-ability descriptor capturing the synthesizability of these systems, and apply the model to the discovery of new refractory metal carbides.

    • Pranab Sarker
    • , Tyler Harrington
    •  & Stefano Curtarolo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conductive domain walls of ferroelectric materials are considered for device applications demanding a fundamental understanding of their dynamics. Here, frequency-dependent decoupling of strains upon electric field cycling in BiFeO3 is demonstrated to arise from conductive domain walls.

    • Lisha Liu
    • , Tadej Rojac
    •  & John Daniels

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Irradiating iron introduces defects such as interstitial dislocation loops, whose exact formation mechanism remains unclear. Here, the authors use large scale molecular dynamics simulations to reveal a punch out mechanism that can directly create < 100 > interstitial dislocation loops.

    • Qing Peng
    • , Fanjiang Meng
    •  & Fei Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnesium deforms via twins that form in a grain then expand both forward and laterally, causing local stresses that have yet to be measured. Here, the authors measure the full strain and stress tensors around a twin in a bulk polycrystal and show that the twinning grain deforms heterogeneously.

    • M. Arul Kumar
    • , B. Clausen
    •  & C. N. Tomé

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Propagating shear cracks in solids emit both shear and pressure waves, but it is usually thought that only shear waves coalesce to form shock fronts when the crack exceeds the shear wave speed. Here, the authors show that local material stiffening can further increase rupture speed and produce pressure shock fronts that hint at supersonic propagation.

    • M. Gori
    • , V. Rubino
    •  & N. Lapusta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors introduce a compliant rolling-contact architected material as a class of shape reconfigurable mechanical metamaterial. They also devise an approach that combines two photon stereolithography and scanning holographic optical tweezers, which allows them to fabricate these architected materials on the microscale.

    • Lucas A. Shaw
    • , Samira Chizari
    •  & Jonathan B. Hopkins

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exploration of high entropy alloy phases where little experimental data exists is still challenging. Here, the authors develop an approach where parameters from first principle simulations are incorporated into Monte Carlo simulations to reproduce phase evolution of aluminium-containing high entropy alloys.

    • L. J. Santodonato
    • , P. K. Liaw
    •  & J. R. Morris

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sandwich structures such as corrugated cardboard offer low weight and high bending stiffness, but they are difficult to produce at the nanoscale. Here, the authors combine webbing and perforation to produce alumina ‘nanocardboard’ with ultralow areal density that recovers without damage from extreme deformation.

    • Chen Lin
    • , Samuel M. Nicaise
    •  & Igor Bargatin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metallic glasses deform along nanoscale shear bands, and while it is known that they affect the neighboring glass regions, exactly how is unclear. Here, the authors use magnetic force microscopy to atomically resolve the shear-band affected zone and show its effects extends much further than previously thought.

    • L. Q. Shen
    • , P. Luo
    •  & W. H. Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While metallic nanosized objects are stronger than their macroscopic counterparts, they rarely reach the metal’s maximum theoretical strength. Here, the authors produce faceted nickel nanoparticles and show that their strength under compression matches the theoretically predicted strength in the literature.

    • A. Sharma
    • , J. Hickman
    •  & Y. Mishin

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Structural materials across other nature.com journals