Structural materials articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unusual mechanical properties can be obtained with careful design of metamaterials. Here, Davami et al. use a microscale periodic cellular design to create plate mechanical metamaterials which exhibit ultralow mass per unit area, enhanced bending stiffness and ability to recover after extreme deformations.

    • Keivan Davami
    • , Lin Zhao
    •  & Igor Bargatin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Self-propelled colloidal particles can be potentially used to transport cargoes at the microscale, but it is challenging to prevent randomization of their motion by Brownian rotations. Here, Das et al.quench these rotations by solid walls, which guide in-plane swimming without the need for external fields.

    • Sambeeta Das
    • , Astha Garg
    •  & Stephen J. Ebbens

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of modern flexible electronics calls for new materials with extreme stretchability and high conductivity. Here, Mates et al. show a printable material made of commercially-available elastomers and carbon nanofibres, which exhibits low resistance and water-repellency at strain up to 500%.

    • Joseph E. Mates
    • , Ilker S. Bayer
    •  & Constantine M. Megaridis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Liquid metal dealloying produces topologically complex nanoporous structures, however little is known about how they form. Here, the authors use mesoscale phase-field modeling and experiments to show that structure formation is governed by both interfacial spinodal decomposition and diffusion-coupled growth.

    • Pierre-Antoine Geslin
    • , Ian McCue
    •  & Alain Karma

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sediment-hosted gas hydrates may release vast quantities of methane upon failure, but destabilizing mechanisms at the molecular level are poorly understood. Here, the authors study the deformation using simulations and find that failure differs between single crystals and polycrystalline hydrates.

    • Jianyang Wu
    • , Fulong Ning
    •  & Zhiliang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The understanding of complex electronic correlation and non-equilibrium atomic interactions is a grand challenge. Here, the authors show that chemical disorder in single-phase concentrated solid solution alloys can lead to reduction in electron mean free path and electrical and thermal conductivity.

    • Yanwen Zhang
    • , G. Malcolm Stocks
    •  & William J. Weber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endowing composite materials with spatially discrete mechanical behaviours is possible by varying the internal concentration and arrangement of particles. Here, the authors demonstrate a 3D magnetic printing technique which enables the fabrication of materials with intricate internal designs.

    • Dimitri Kokkinis
    • , Manuel Schaffner
    •  & André R. Studart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The composition of oxide compounds controls many of their properties and electronic phases. Here, the authors show that entropy and configurational disorder can stabilize new phases of oxides, potentially enabling a better engineering of their properties.

    • Christina M. Rost
    • , Edward Sachet
    •  & Jon-Paul Maria

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glass transition shows dramatic dynamic slowdown, but its origin remains unclear. Here, Xia et al. observe in granular systems the rapid growth of a geometrically frustrated polytetrahedral order with packing fraction, which is spatially correlated with the slow dynamics.

    • Chengjie Xia
    • , Jindong Li
    •  & Yujie Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chalcogenide-based phase-change materials such as Ge2Sb2Te5could be useful for optical data storage, but the mechanism that ultimately limits their switching speed is unclear. Here, the authors use coherent phonon spectroscopy to better understand the non-thermal pathways between the two different phases.

    • Muneaki Hase
    • , Paul Fons
    •  & Junji Tominaga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanical degradation is an undesired behaviour for battery electrode materials such as lithiated silicon. Here, the authors performin situnanomechanical experiments and atomistic modelling to reveal the damage tolerance of electrochemically lithiated silicon.

    • Xueju Wang
    • , Feifei Fan
    •  & Shuman Xia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The atomic structure of metallic glasses is related to their properties such as the ability of materials to form glasses. Here, the authors develop a new approach to model the atomic structure of metallic glasses, to enable a better connection between atomic structure and glass properties.

    • K. J. Laws
    • , D. B. Miracle
    •  & M. Ferry

  • Article
    | Open Access

    To obtain superior mechanical properties of cast components, grain refinement via semi-solid deformation is desirable. Here, the authors use in situ X-ray tomography to study the response of an alloy to indentation, and present a new mechanism of transgranular liquation cracking.

    • S. Karagadde
    • , P. D. Lee
    •  & R. C. Atwood

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The overall physical properties of binary-phase systems ranging from metallic alloys to soft polymers are affected by phase-separation morphologies. Here, Chung et al.use atomic-resolution electron microscopy to demonstrate the influence of quadruple junctions on the morphology evolution during phase separation.

    • Sung-Yoon Chung
    • , Si-Young Choi
    •  & Young-Min Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrically conductive composites are increasingly being studied for their favourable mechanical and electrical properties. Here, the authors employ a new synthetic strategy to attain fractal silver micro-dendrites which can be laser-scribed for implementation in flexible printed microelectronics.

    • Cheng Yang
    • , Xiaoya Cui
    •  & Ching-Ping Wong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Thermoelectric materials could be used to convert waste heat into useful electricity, but the ideal substance needs to both optimize the electrical power factor and suppress thermal conductivity. Here, the authors report a high figure of merit of 1.5 at 1,200 K in the p-type half-Heusler alloy FeNbSb.

    • Chenguang Fu
    • , Shengqiang Bai
    •  & Tiejun Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is crucial to avoid crystallization in metallic glasses, which show appealing mechanical properties associated with their amorphous structures. Sohnet al. identify unusual nucleation kinetics in metallic glass nanorods, which exhibits a crystallization temperature minimum at a certain diameter.

    • Sungwoo Sohn
    • , Yeonwoong Jung
    •  & Judy J. Cha

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The fine interface between crystallinity and amorphicity in synthetic hybrid materials has to-date been relatively under-explored. Here, the authors probe the relationship between amorphisation and melting behaviour in zeolitic metal-organic frameworks as a route towards functional glasses.

    • Thomas D. Bennett
    • , Jin-Chong Tan
    •  & G. Neville Greaves

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Refractory high-entropy alloys show promising mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, but are generally brittle at room temperature. Here, the authors observe an improved ductility and yield strength in high-entropy alloy micropillars consisting of nanometre-sized grains that also exhibit excellent thermal stability.

    • Yu Zou
    • , Huan Ma
    •  & Ralph Spolenak

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metal-free semiconductors with appropriate bandgaps create photocatalytic routes to water splitting and CO2reduction. Here the authors dope hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with carbon via a simple method to synthesize a ternary B–C–N alloy capable of performing just this function.

    • Caijin Huang
    • , Cheng Chen
    •  & Xinchen Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnetic skyrmions are circulating topologically-protected spin textures which can arise in chiral magnets and potentially be applied in information processing. Here, the authors demonstrate the appearance of skyrmions at and above room temperature in a β-Mn-type Co-Zn-Mn alloy.

    • Y. Tokunaga
    • , X. Z. Yu
    •  & Y. Tokura

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The lowering of polymer viscosity upon addition of small amounts of nanoparticles is counter-intuitive and has puzzled researchers. Here, Mangal et al. explain this intriguing phenomenon using a model polymer–nanocomposite system comprised of well-dispersed nanoparticles in an entangled polymer melt.

    • Rahul Mangal
    • , Samanvaya Srivastava
    •  & Lynden A. Archer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High-resolution microscopy allows imaging of information on the atomic scale. Here, by combining precession electron diffraction with scanning transmission electron microscopy, the authors demonstrate an efficient, alternative technique to determine the three-dimensional orientation of materials.

    • Alexander S. Eggeman
    • , Robert Krakow
    •  & Paul A. Midgley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The strength and stability of silk proteins is thought to be related to the high content of β-sheets within their structures. Here, the authors show that when heated at high temperature, and above that of thermal degradation, these β-sheets are transformed into an ordered hexagonal graphitic structure.

    • Se Youn Cho
    • , Young Soo Yun
    •  & Hyoung-Joon Jin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spider webs have some intriguing mechanical properties, but understanding of the properties is limited to individual silk fibres. Here, the authors create mimics of spider web using 3D techniques, which enables them to acquire knowledge of mechanical strength of the entire synthetic web.

    • Zhao Qin
    • , Brett G. Compton
    •  & Markus J. Buehler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Materials that can store and release heat on demand are of use for energy storage applications. Here, the authors discover a ceramic material that can reversibly store energy from heat, light or electricity and release this energy as heat through the application of pressure.

    • Hiroko Tokoro
    • , Marie Yoshikiyo
    •  & Shin-ichi Ohkoshi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pressure causes profound changes in the properties of atoms and chemical bonding leading to unusual materials. Here, the authors investigate the Ca-C system and find that it becomes increasingly complex and develops a multitude of phases with various compositions and new structures at higher pressures.

    • Yan-Ling Li
    • , Sheng-Nan Wang
    •  & Timothy A. Strobel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Materials that are tolerant to radiation damage are important for use in nuclear reactors or the storage of nuclear materials. Here, the authors show that pre-introduced nanovoids in nanotwinned copper improve self-healing of the material and therefore enhance its radiation tolerance.

    • Y. Chen
    • , K Y. Yu
    •  & X. Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nanoscale manipulation of the shape and composition of metallic glasses is challenging. Here, the authors employ a multitarget carousel oblique angle deposition strategy to synthesize metallic glass nanoarchitectures, and demonstrate applicability to a range of glass-forming alloys.

    • Yanhui Liu
    • , Jingbei Liu
    •  & Jan Schroers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In sintering, powders of small grains are packed together to form shapes or grain structures that cannot be achieved by melt casting. Here, the authors demonstrate the fast sintering of a nanostructured alloy at low temperatures, preserving its nanoscale grain structure.

    • Mansoo Park
    •  & Christopher A. Schuh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Defects in a crystalline solid can have a dramatic effect on the material’s properties. Here, the authors demonstrate a class of defects in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides mediated by chalcogen vacancies and inherently related to the crystal symmetry

    • Yung-Chang Lin
    • , Torbjörn Björkman
    •  & Kazu Suenaga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional sodium ion batteries have low energy and power densities. Here, the authors report the use of MXene Ti2C as a negative electrode for sodium ion energy storage, and show that the pseudocapacitance of the electrode allows the hybrid capacitors to achieve high electrochemical performance.

    • Xianfen Wang
    • , Satoshi Kajiyama
    •  & Atsuo Yamada

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Previous studies have predicted that carbyne (a single chain of sp1carbon atoms) goes from being metallic to semiconducting under strain. Here, the authors measure the electronic properties of carbyne, confirming the prediction and showing that the conductivity is determined by strain and by the contacts.

    • A. La Torre
    • , A. Botello-Mendez
    •  & F. Banhart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transition metal fluorides have high theoretical specific capacities as cathodes for lithium ion batteries, but low working potentials and poor energy efficiency limit their practical applications. Here, the authors report a group of ternary metal fluorides, which may overcome these problems.

    • Feng Wang
    • , Sung-Wook Kim
    •  & Jason Graetz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soft biological composites have great potential in areas such as artificial tissue constructs and bio-integrated devices, but receive little attention. Here, the authors design soft biomimetic materials that can precisely reproduce the non-linear mechanics of relevant biological materials.

    • Kyung-In Jang
    • , Ha Uk Chung
    •  & John A. Rogers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The hydrogenation of leuvinic acid to γ-valerolactone is an important step in the conversion of lignocellulose to high value chemicals. Here, the authors report that bimetallic alloys are active and stable catalysts for this reaction, and attribute this to geometric and electronic effects.

    • Wenhao Luo
    • , Meenakshisundaram Sankar
    •  & Bert M. Weckhuysen

  • Article |

    Many layered composites exhibit a remarkable balance of strength, toughness and stiffness. Here, the authors construct a model to explain the synergy of key mechanical properties of layered composites by considering the elastic/plastic properties of the matrix and use 3D-printed samples to validate their predictions.

    • Navid Sakhavand
    •  & Rouzbeh Shahsavari

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Investigations into non-precious metal catalysts for hydrogen evolution are ongoing. Here, the authors report a hierarchical, nanoporous copper-titanium electrocatalyst, and demonstrate that it catalyses hydrogen production at twice the over-all rate of commercial platinum-based catalysts.

    • Qi Lu
    • , Gregory S. Hutchings
    •  & Jingguang G. Chen

  • Article |

    Topological insulators are insulators in the bulk, but can support conducting states on their surface. Here, Chen et al. predict orthorhombic perovskite iridates to be topological crystalline metals, exhibiting bulk metallic behaviour and surface states protected by certain crystal symmetries.

    • Yige Chen
    • , Yuan-Ming Lu
    •  & Hae-Young Kee

  • Article |

    It is commonly believed that pressure-induced crystallization in Ce-Al amorphous alloy is caused by Ce 4f orbital delocalization. Here, Wu et al. propose an alternative mechanism, whereby the crystallization is driven by a steric effect of dominant packing of cerium atoms at high pressure.

    • Min Wu
    • , John S. Tse
    •  & J.Z. Jiang

  • Article |

    The thermal conductance of interfaces between metal and diamond at high pressure is often greater than can be accounted for by two-phonon processes. Here, the authors present a new experimental system, suggesting that the ‘extra’ thermal conductance seen is controlled by Raman-like three-phonon processes.

    • Gregory T. Hohensee
    • , R.B. Wilson
    •  & David G. Cahill

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