Recent lbnl_es_ms items

Ultrafast Nanoimaging of Carrier Funneling in Composition-Graded Semiconductor Nanowires

Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent advances in bandgap engineering of low-dimensional semiconductors have enabled high-efficiency carrier transport in miniaturized electronic and optoelectronic devices. The physical properties and functionalities of these materials are governed by complex carrier dynamics coupled with multiple transport mechanisms in tailored band structures. Here, we report ultrafast nanoimaging of carrier funneling and recombination in composition-grade CdS_xSe_1-x nanowires using pump-probe near-field nanoscopy. Leveraging the high resolution of this technique in both space and time, we resolve nanoscale local carrier dynamics along composition-graded nanowires, revealing the local variation of composition-dependent carrier mobilities and lifetimes that significantly differ from their uniform composition counterparts. Furthermore, we demonstrate a length-dependent behavior wherein shorter nanowires exhibit enhanced funneling effects, accelerating carrier...

Nanoscale Compositional and Strain Gradients Enable High‐Speed and Amplitude‐Resolved Pyroelectric Sensing

Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The frequency response of pyroelectric sensors is fundamentally governed by thermal time constant (τ_th, determined by thermal mass and thermal conductance) and electrical impedance arising from film capacitance and readout circuit. Conventional bulk LiTaO₃ detectors are optimized for high responsivity at low modulation frequencies (0.1-10 Hz), possessing a large τ_th that thermally averages rapid temperature oscillations at elevated modulation frequencies, limiting fidelity in resolving dynamic varying thermal signals. Here, compositional and strain gradients are introduced into 100-nm-thick relaxor-ferroelectric films reducing τ_th to ≈2 µs and producing built-in potentials (≈1.45 V or 145 kV cm^-1) that enhance the pyroelectric coefficient and suppress the dielectric constant. This enables complementary dual-mode operation by enhancing current-mode electrical responsivity and improving the voltage-mode figure...

Unconventional polaronic ground state in superconducting LiTi2O4

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Geometrically frustrated lattices can display a range of correlated phenomena, ranging from spin frustration and charge order to dispersionless flat bands due to quantum interference. One particularly compelling family of such materials is the half-valence spinel LiB2O4 materials. On the B-site frustrated pyrochlore sublattice, the interplay of correlated metallic behavior and charge frustration leads to a superconducting state in LiTi2O4 and heavy fermion behavior in LiV2O4. To date, however, LiTi2O4 has primarily been understood as a conventional BCS superconductor despite a lattice structure that could host more exotic ground states. Here, we present a multimodal investigation of LiTi2O4, combining ARPES, RIXS, proximate magnetic probes, and ab-initio many-body theoretical calculations. Our data reveals a novel mobile polaronic ground state with spectroscopic signatures that underlie co-dominant electron-phonon coupling and electron-electron correlations also found in the lightly...

Multimodal Nanoscale Mapping of Local Structure and CO2 Adsorption in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Diamine functionalization of the metal-organic framework Mg₂(dobpdc) (dobpdc^4- = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) significantly enhances its selectivity for CO₂ capture from flue gases and air. The structure and CO₂ capacity of such materials are typically assessed using bulk techniques that rely on averaging signal over large ensembles of unit cells, obscuring local heterogeneities, such as variations in CO₂ occupancy across individual nanocrystals. To resolve this limitation, we demonstrate a multimodal, nanoscale characterization of Mg₂(dobpdc) appended with 1,3-diaminopropane. By employing recently developed characterization techniques at progressively smaller length scales, we uncover insights from correspondingly smaller populations of unit cells. First, we use parallel-beam 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) to identify a prominent expansion in lattice parameters upon desorption of CO₂, as...

Demonstration of a dual-beam zone plate for phase-contrast coherent soft x-ray imaging

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Coherent x-ray imaging faces fundamental speed limitations due to computational reconstruction requirements of current phase retrieval methods. We demonstrate dual-beam zone plates that enable direct phase-contrast measurements by structuring coherent x-rays into two focused 110nm spots separated by 11μm, bypassing iterative algorithms entirely. Experimental validation at the COSMIC beamline confirms precise dual-beam formation with clear interference patterns analogous to Young’s double-slit experiment. Comparative measurements reveal enhanced sensitivity: phase detection achieves 45° phase shifts at sample boundaries where intensity contrast shows poor signal clarity due to noise. Spectroscopic demonstrations across the oxygen K-edge show energy-selective capabilities, with phase features providing improved signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional absorption measurements. The high photon efficiency of this direct measurement approach enables fast imaging capabilities,...

Generalizable Porous Aromatic Framework‐Included Polymer Membranes for Diffusion‐Enhanced Gas Separations

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Industrial separation processes account for 10-15% of global energy consumption. Membrane-based processes are less energy-intensive than traditional gas separation technologies; however, enhanced material separation performance and stability for numerous gas mixtures are needed for widespread industrial adoption. This work presents a generalizable strategy for preparing mixed-matrix gas separation membranes exceeding the performance upper bounds of existing polymer membranes for a wide variety of industrial gases. By incorporating robust porous aromatic framework (PAF) particles into various dense commercial polymer matrices, gas diffusivity and solubility can be enhanced. For diverse gas mixtures (e.g., CO₂/N₂, O₂/N₂, He/CH₄, H₂/N₂, and C₂H₄/C₂H₆), the resulting composite membranes exhibit enhanced gas permeabilities-by as much as 520%-and largely unchanged...

Constructing a Virtual Furnace for Solid-State Thermodynamic Models

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Connecting 0 K density functional theory (DFT) energies to finite-temperature, finite-pressure synthesis conditions is a well-established thermodynamic formalism, yet quantified guidance on when and how to accurately calibrate these results to experimental chemical potentials in practice remains sparse. In this work, we systematically benchmark a complete workflowthe virtual furnacethat constructs effective oxygen chemical potentials (μO2) for common synthesis atmospheres (air, Ar, H2, CO) as functions of temperature and partial pressure and propagates quantified errors from formation enthalpies through reaction energies to critical chemical potentials. Applying this workflow to 11 binary oxides, we find that “gas-only” thermal corrections are sufficient at low temperatures and for Group II oxides across all temperatures, while solid-phase vibrational contributions become critical at elevated temperatures for transition metal oxides. We quantify this threshold through the ratio...

N‑Terminal Octylated Peptoid Hydrogels as 3D-Printable Cell Scaffolds and Proteolytically Robust Cargo Depots

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Supramolecular hydrogels that mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) represent promising materials for tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, conventional hydrogels formed via the self-assembly of natural or synthetic building blocks often face a trade-off between biological functionality and biochemical stability, limiting their utility in long-term or protease-rich environments. Peptoids, a class of peptide-inspired, sequence-defined polymers, offer a compelling alternative due to their exceptional proteolytic resistance and bioactivity. Despite this potential, the development of supramolecular peptoid hydrogels has been hindered by the absence of backbone hydrogen bond donors, which limits long-range ordering necessary for efficient hydrogel formation. This work describes a short peptoid functionalized at the N-terminus with an octyl chain that readily self-assembles into hydrogels. Hydrophobic interactions among pendant octyl groups promote directional peptoid...

Correction: Atomate2: modular workflows for materials science

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D5DD00019J.].

Elucidating the Effects of LiF on Lithium Metal Anodes

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

LiF is widely recognized as a crucial component of a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) for Li metal anodes. However, the roles of LiF in the SEI remain elusive. Herein, we examined the evolution of SEI influenced by LiF and identified distinct features that elucidate functional characteristics of LiF for Li metal anodes. Through comprehensive empirical and theoretical analyses, we found that LiF enriches Li₂O within the SEI, forms LiF/Li₂O interfaces, exhibits non-negligible solubility with spontaneous dissolution-reprecipitation behavior in the electrolyte, and works synergistically with Li₂O. These findings shed light on the effects of LiF on Li metal anodes and the arrangement characteristic of LiF within the SEI. By integrating key discoveries regarding LiF, a projected working mechanism for LiF is illustrated. Overall, our study on LiF provides valuable insights that advance the understanding of the SEI and interphase nanostructures, contributing...

Magneto-optical Kerr effect in an A-type antiferromagnet

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) is a powerful probe of broken time-reversal symmetry (T$${{\mathcal{T}}}$$), typically used to study ferromagnets. While MOKE has been observed in some antiferromagnets (AFMs) with vanishing magnetization, it is often associated with structures whose symmetry is lower than basic collinear, bipartite order. In contrast, theory predicts a mechanism for MOKE intrinsic to all AFMs of A-type, i.e. layered AFMs in which ferromagnetic layers are antiferromagnetically aligned. Here we report the experimental confirmation of this mechanism in a bulk AFM. We achieve this by measuring the imaginary component of MOKE as a function of photon energy in MnBi2Te4, an A-type AFM where T$${{\mathcal{T}}}$$ is preserved in combination with a translation, and comparing the experimental results with model calculations. Our model suggests that observable MOKE should be expected in all collinear A-type AFMs with out-of-plane spin order, thus enabling optical detection...

Observation of a Goldstone mode in the broken helix by time-resolved optical polarimetry

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Magnets with isotropic easy-plane symmetry host Goldstone modes that can be leveraged for efficient spin transport. Here, we present a time-resolved optical polarimetry technique that allows us to detect and characterize such low-frequency modes, and use it to observe the Goldstone mode in the multi-Q broken helix phase of EuIn2As2. The strength of our technique comes from the ability to distinguish between nematic and magnetization dynamics in order to yield information about the mode structure, in addition to its frequency. We find that the nearly uniform spin precession characteristic of a Goldstone mode is realized only when a small magnetic field is used to unpin the broken helix from local strain generated during crystal growth. In this regime, the mode frequency scales linearly with the applied field due to the ground state C2z symmetry of the broken helix. Our work shows how optical polarimetry can be used to study the Goldstone modes of complex magnets.

Atomate2: Modular workflows for materials science

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

High-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations have become a vital element of computational materials science, enabling materials screening, property database generation, and training of “universal” machine learning models. While several software frameworks have emerged to support these computational efforts, new developments such as machine learned force fields have increased demands for more flexible and programmable workflow solutions. This manuscript introduces atomate2, a comprehensive evolution of our original atomate framework, designed to address existing limitations in computational materials research infrastructure. Key features include the support for multiple electronic structure packages and interoperability between them, along with generalizable workflows that can be written in an abstract form irrespective of the DFT package or machine learning force field used within them. Our hope is that atomate2’s improved usability and extensibility can reduce...

Dynamic permeability in metastable droplet interfacial bilayers

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Membrane pores are implicated in several critical functions, including cell fusion and the transport of signaling molecules for intercellular communication. However, these structural features are often difficult to probe directly. Droplet interfacial bilayers offer a synthetic platform to study such membrane properties. We develop a theory that links size-selective transport across a metastable membrane with its transient structural properties. The central quantity of our theory is a dynamic permeability that depends on the mechanism of pore growth, which controls the transient distribution of pore sizes in the membrane. We present a mechanical perspective to derive pore growth dynamics and the resulting size distribution for growth via Ostwald ripening and discuss how these dynamics compare to other growth mechanisms such as coalescence and growth through surfactant desorption. We find scaling relations between the transported particle size, the pore growth rate, and the...

Observation of Synchronization between Two Quantum van der Pol Oscillators in Trapped Ions

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Synchronization is a hallmark of collective behavior that emerges when nonlinear systems interact, spanning scales from mechanical oscillators to planetary orbits. As a universal phenomenon, it underpins the study of complex systems and has far-reaching technological implications. While classical synchronization has a long and rich history, it has not been observed experimentally between multiple quantum limit-cycle oscillators despite a decade of theoretical investigations. We realize synchronization between two quantum van der Pol oscillators by engineering dissipation in a mixed-isotope trapped-ion quantum simulator. The synchronized state is encoded in a fixed relative phase between the oscillators that is inaccessible to individual measurements and revealed only through joint readout of both oscillators, in stark contrast to the system in the (deterministic) classical limit where synchronization can be observed via individual phase measurements. We further show that the relative...

Electrode-omics reveals epochs in silicon anode evolution underpinning electrochemomechanical resilience

Tue, 4 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Here, we advance electrode-omics to identify evolutionary bursts by which ethereal locally superconcentrated electrolytes (LSCEs) mitigate silicon anode degradation through its epochs of electrochemical and chemical reactions. Anode composites form initially at high potential from ethereal solvent and anion [bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI^-)] redox. A first evolutionary burst at lower potential enriches composites with lithium alkoxides (LiO-R) and lithium oxide (Li₂O) and depletes sulfur oxides (SO_x) species. As the cells are cycled, a second evolutionary burst takes place, where previously extinct SO_x species reemerge concurrently with a loss of LiO-R and Li₂O. This identifies reactions rooted in "SuFEx" chemistry, where oxoanionic LiO-R and Li₂O species, electrochemically generated in the solid-electrolyte interphase, chemically react with FSI^- in the electrolyte to form emergent species....

High-throughput analysis of total electron yield and outgassing under EUV exposure for accelerated photoresist materials discovery

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As technology nodes shrink, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresists are essential for high-resolution nanopatterning. Incident photons, as well as electrons generated during EUV exposure can cause both intended and unintended chemical reactions. Understanding these processes is critical for improving resist performance. This study investigates how resist components, particularly photoacid generators (PAGs) and photo decomposable quenchers (PDQ), influence photon- and electron-induced chemistry. It also aims to develop a high-throughput characterization method for efficient screening of novel materials. A high-throughput system combining total electron yield (TEY) and residual gas analysis (RGA) was developed. TEY measures electron generation and capture, while RGA monitors chemical transformations via outgassing. The method is applied to model resists. TEY and outgassing analysis revealed that PAGs and PDQs strongly influence electron behavior and outgassing characteristics. The...

Toward Hydrogen Isotope Separations through Strong Hydrogen Adsorption at Open Copper(I) Sites in an Ultramicroporous Metal–Organic Framework

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Metal-organic frameworks with coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (open metal sites) capable of engaging in orbital interactions with π-acidic gases are of interest for enabling ambient-temperature gas separations, such as hydrogen isotope separations. In view of the weakly π-acidic nature of H₂, we sought to strengthen π-backbonding-mediated H₂ adsorption through pore confinement effects. Toward that end, we synthesized and characterized the ultramicroporous metal-organic framework Cu_xZn_5-xCl_4-yH_z(bbta)₃ (Cu^IZn-MFU-4; H₂bbta = 1H,5H-benzo(1,2-d:4,5-d')bistriazole), featuring π-basic trigonal pyramidal Cu^I sites that reside within 7 Å of one another at their closest. Gas adsorption measurements reveal an H₂ adsorption enthalpy of -38 kJ/mol, exceeding that of the larger-pore analog (Cu^IZn-MFU-4l;...

Ion Transport and Crystal Rotation in Plastic Crystal Electrolytes Under Applied Electric Fields

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Organic ionic plastic crystal electrolytes, containing a plastic crystal and lithium salt, offer a potential balance between mechanical and electrochemical properties for solid state lithium-ion battery electrolytes. These electrolytes contain multiple mobile ionic species (three or four), resulting in complex transport mechanisms which have not yet been established. Plastic crystals are defined by long-range positional order and short-range rotational disorder. It is therefore necessary to quantify changes in the local crystal structure of the electrolyte as current flows through it. Herein, we examine the electrochemical properties of pyrrolidinium-based plastic crystal electrolytes containing lithium salt and zwitterion additives, including measurements of current fraction and limiting current. We obtain species-specific insight into electrolyte transport using pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and find that, while the zwitterion additive increases...

Electrostatic‐Attraction‐Driven Self‐Assembled Graphene‐Disordered Rocksalt Composite Cathode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT Disordered rocksalt cathodes hold promise for achieving high‐capacity lithium‐ion batteries while using low‐cost, earth‐abundant elements. However, their electrochemical performance remains critically limited by their poor electronic conductivity. Conventional strategies such as high‐energy ball milling with excess carbon additives can improve conductivity but remain challenging to scale and often produce defects and increase surface area, thereby accelerating capacity degradation. Herein, we report an alternative approach of electrostatic‐attraction‐driven self‐assembly to fabricate Li 1.2 Mn 0.6 Ti 0.2 O 1.8 F 0.2 (LMTOF) particles uniformly wrapped with electronically conductive graphene sheets without associated materials degradation. The graphene‐wrapped LMTOF demonstrates significantly improved cycling stability (89% capacity retention after 100 cycles) and superior rate capability compared with an LMTOF‐carbon composite electrode fabricated using the conventional...

Universal Relationship between Limiting Current and Electrochemical Transport Properties in Malonate-Based Polymer Electrolytes

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There is considerable interest in developing high-performance electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries. For practical applications, the electrolyte must support large dc currents. However, the parameters most often reported in the literature, conductivity, κ, and current fraction, ρ+, reflect ion transport in the limit of infinitesimal currents. In this limit, the efficacy of an electrolyte is given by the product κρ+. The limiting current density, i lim, is the maximum current density that can be applied across an electrolyte; the cell voltage diverges if the applied current density exceeds i lim. This parameter reflects ion transport in the limit of large dc currents and is therefore of practical interest. It would therefore be convenient if i lim could be predicted from measurements of κρ+. In order to explore this possibility, we studied six malonate-based polymers and PEO at a fixed salt concentration (r = 0.08) and temperature (90°C) using symmetric cells with planar...

Two-component exciton condensates in an electron–hole bilayer

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Macroscopic quantum coherence emerges when bosons condense into a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC)1, 2, 3, 4–5. Excitons are a long-sought solid-state route to high-temperature BECs with strong interactions, electrical tunability and potentially multicomponent spinor order, but conclusive evidence for equilibrium condensation has remained elusive. Here we report evidence for two-component exciton BECs in MoSe2/hBN/WSe2 electron–hole bilayers6, 7, 8–9 by probing the spin–valley susceptibility of constituent electrons and holes. This heterostructure hosts equilibrium exciton fluids with four spin–valley flavours. Magneto-optical spectroscopy in a dilution refrigerator reveals three exciton condensate phases with distinct flavour polarizations. At zero magnetic field, the many-body ground state is a coherent superposition of two condensed intravalley exciton flavours. Under a magnetic field, the intravalley exciton condensate first switches to a two-component intervalley condensate...

Structure of domain walls in chiral spin liquids

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The chiral spin liquid is a canonical state of quantum spins combining topological and symmetry-breaking order, and possible experimental realizations have attracted growing interest. We examine the physics at interfaces between chiral spin liquid domains of opposite chirality. We show that a self-consistent mean-field description of spinons remains possible in the vicinity of a domain wall and use this to formulate a Ginzburg-Landau theory of the domain wall. The bulk of a chiral spin liquid contains gapped spinon excitations and gauge fluctuations, set by a finite spinon mass and a nonzero spinon Chern number. A third class of excitations consists of amplitude fluctuations of the spinon hoppings, which admit a geometric interpretation in terms of effective vielbein fields. These fluctuations are usually neglected because they are irrelevant for a homogeneous chiral spin liquid and are suppressed in standard large-[Formula: see text] treatments. Going beyond the purely topological...

Mechanisms of Alkali Ionic Transport in Amorphous Oxyhalides Solid State Conductors

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT Amorphous oxyhalides have attracted significant attention due to their relatively high ionic conductivity (1 mS ), excellent chemical stability, mechanical softness, and facile synthesis routes via standard solid‐state reactions. These materials exhibit an ionic conductivity that is almost independent of the underlying chemistry, in stark contrast to what occurs in crystalline conductors. In this work, we employ machine learning interatomic potentials to construct large‐scale molecular dynamics trajectories encompassing hundreds of nanoseconds to obtain statistically converged transport properties. We find that the amorphous state consists of chain fragments of metal‐anion tetrahedra of various lengths. By analyzing the residence time of alkali cations migrating around tetrahedrally‐coordinated metals, we find that oxygen anions limit alkali diffusion. By computing the full Einstein expression of the ionic conductivity, we demonstrate that the alkali transference number...

Amphiphilic Baskets for Supramolecular Nanoarchitectures at Interfaces: Inverted Monolayer Formation on Water

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Interfacial chemistry of molecular baskets remains poorly understood despite their promise for supramolecular applications of detection and sequestration of toxic molecules including those of illicit drugs, organophosphorus compounds, and anticancer agents. We present a fundamental investigation of the interfacial behavior of three amphiphilic supramolecular baskets (ASB 4, 8, and 12), having increasingly longer yet linear alkyl chains at the top of their bowl-shaped cavity. The studies were completed at the air-water interface to elucidate surface activity, interfacial stability, self-assembly, and monolayer organization that drive inverted monolayer formation, in which the molecular arms orient toward the aqueous phase in a configuration opposite to that typically observed for lipids. Herein, surface pressure-area isotherms of ASB 4, 8, 12, deposited on a water surface, were performed in tandem with nonequilibrium relaxation experiments to quantify surface activity, thermodynamic...

Scalable multiplexed machine learning gas sensor chips for food classification

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Multiplexed gas sensor arrays combined with machine learning have unlocked previously inaccessible applications for scent-based sensing. Current platforms are limited by overlapping sensing materials with similar compositions, leading to highly correlated responses, or multistep deposition processes that hinder scalability. In this work, we developed a 16-element monolithic chip with fully distinct sensing layers, enabling a truly heterogeneous array. The system consists of highly sensitive carbon nanotube field effect transistors that are functionalized through a single-step microdispensing method compatible with automated pipetting systems. The resulting chip produces characteristic signal patterns in response to object-specific scent profiles and, when combined with machine learning algorithms, can perform automated object identification. We demonstrate the classification of 16 different objects, including food spoilage and nut allergens, with a 92.6% overall prediction accuracy.

Visualizing Millisecond Atomic Dynamics of Nanocrystals in Liquid

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Atomic structures of nanomaterials are inherently dynamic and continuously reshaped through interactions with chemical species and external stimuli. Such dynamics are further amplified as the size and dimensionality of nanomaterials decrease. Despite advances in analytical methods, it remains challenging to capture the structural dynamics of nanomaterials in reactive environments with both atomic spatial resolution and commensurate temporal resolution. Here, we directly visualize atomic-scale dynamics of gold (Au) nanocrystals in reactive liquid environments with millisecond-speed liquid-cell electron microscopy (EM) and deep-learning denoising. We uncover reversible fluctuations in the local crystallinity of Au nanocrystals dependent on the surrounding chemical environment. These transient fluctuations, driven by interactions at nanocrystal-liquid interfaces, critically influence the dissolution kinetics and grain boundary relaxation. By overcoming the spatiotemporal limitations...

Visualizing Crystallization Dynamics and Transformation Pathways of Disordered Rocksalt Oxides During Thermally Activated Sol–Gel Synthesis

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT Sol–gel synthesis is a wet‐chemical processing route for fabricating functional materials with control over composition and microstructure at relatively low temperatures compared to conventional solid‐state synthesis. While sol–gel process initiates with intermixed molecular precursors, the early‐stage nucleation pathways are insufficiently understood. Here, the chemical and structural transformation of disordered rocksalt (DRX) Li 1.2 Mn 0.4 Ti 0.4 O 2 (LMTO), a promising cathode material for lithium batteries, is studied by multiscale characterizations. In situ heating transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a liquid cell visualizes and identifies crystallization pathways at the nanoscale. While some regions follow a classical multi‐step transition through thermodynamically stable intermediates, others exhibit a kinetic shortcut via a localized amorphous matrix to directly form the DRX structure. Macroscale Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy corroborates...

Atomic Evolution of Hydrogen Intercalation Wave Dynamics in Palladium Nanocrystals Revealed by Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Solute-intercalation-induced phase separation creates spatial heterogeneities in host materials, a phenomenon ubiquitous in batteries, hydrogen storage, and other energy devices. Despite many efforts, probing intercalation processes at the atomic scale has been a significant challenge. By utilizing liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we study hydrogen (de)intercalation in palladium nanocrystals as a model system and have achieved unprecedented atomic-resolution imaging of hydrogen intercalation wave dynamics. Our observations reveal that intercalation wave mechanisms, instead of shrinking-core mechanisms, prevail at ambient temperature for palladium nanocubes ranging from ∼60 nm down to ∼10 nm. Systematic image analysis uncovers the atomic evolution of the hydrogen intercalation wave, transitioning from nonplanar and inclined boundaries to those closely aligned with {100} planes. Our kinetic Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the observed intercalation wave...

Visualizing the impact of quenched disorder on 2D electron Wigner solids

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Electron Wigner solids (WSs)1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11–12 provide an ideal system for understanding the competing effects of electron–electron and electron–disorder interactions, a central unsolved problem in condensed matter physics. Progress in this topic has been limited by a lack of single-defect-resolved experimental measurements as well as accurate theoretical tools to enable realistic experiment/theory comparison. Here we overcome these limitations by combining atomically resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) with neural-quantum-state quantum Monte Carlo (NQS-QMC) simulation of disordered 2D electron WSs to discover new disorder-induced physical regimes of correlated electron behaviour. STM was used to image the electron density (ne)-dependent evolution of electron WSs in gate-tunable bilayer MoSe2 (BL-MoSe2) devices with varying long-range (nLR) and short-range (nSR) disorder densities. These images were compared with NQS-QMC simulations using realistic...

Hund's coupling governed orbital-selective superconductivity in Ba1−xKxFe2As2

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding how strong electronic correlations shape superconductivity remains a central challenge in quantum materials. In multiorbital systems, correlations driven by Hund's coupling can differentiate the behavior of individual orbitals, producing the so-called Hund's metal state. How such orbital-selectivity also governs superconducting pairing, however, has remained largely unexplored experimentally. Here we use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to systematically map the superconducting gap structure across the phase diagram of the representative iron-based superconductor Ba1−xKxFe2As2. We find that superconductivity evolves in a strongly orbital-dependent manner: the gap associated with the dxy orbital collapses beyond optimal doping while pairing on the dxz/dyz orbitals persists. This behavior mirrors the orbital-selective correlations observed in the normal state and reveals a direct connection between Hund's metal physics and the superconducting...

Electronic Origin of Delicate Antiferromagnetism in FexNbS2

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Among the family of intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), Fe_{x}NbS_{2} is found to possess unique current-induced resistive switching behaviors, tunable antiferromagnetic states, and a commensurate charge order, all of which are tied to a critical Fe doping of x_{c}=1/3. However, the electronic origin of such extreme stoichiometry sensitivities remains unclear. Combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we identify and characterize a dramatic eV-scale electronic restructuring that occurs across the x_{c}. Moment-carrying Fe 3d_{z^{2}} electrons manifest as narrow bands within 200 meV of the Fermi level, distinct from other transition metal intercalated TMD magnets. These states strongly hybridize with itinerant electrons in the TMD layer and rapidly lose coherence above x_{c} due to correlation-driven effects. This sudden quasiparticle decoherence collapses the Fe-Nb hybridization, which...

Deep Search for Joint Sources of Gravitational Waves and High-energy Neutrinos with IceCube during the Third Observing Run of LIGO and Virgo

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The discovery of joint sources of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves has been a primary target for the LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and IceCube observatories. The joint detection of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves would provide insight into cosmic processes, from the dynamics of compact object mergers and stellar collapses to the mechanisms driving relativistic outflows. The joint detection of multiple cosmic messengers can also elevate the significance of the common observation even when some or all of the constituent messengers are subthreshold, i.e., not significant enough to declare their detection individually. Using data from the LIGO, Virgo, and IceCube observatories, including subthreshold events, we searched for common sources of gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos during the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. Our search did not identify significant joint sources. We derive constraints on the rate densities...

Universality of Shallow Global Quenches in Critical Spin Chains

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Measuring universal data in the strongly correlated regime of quantum critical points remains a fundamental objective for quantum simulators. In foundational work, Calabrese and Cardy demonstrated how these data govern the dynamics of certain global quenches to 1+1-dimensional conformal field theories. While the quasiparticle picture they introduce has been widely successful in both theory and experiment, their seminal prediction that the critical exponents are simply encoded in the relaxation rates of local observables is challenging to investigate experimentally. In this Letter, we examine the critical quench dynamics of local observables from two types of readily accessible initial conditions: ground states and finite-temperature ensembles. We identify universal scaling collapses and scaling functions, utilizing a combination of conformal perturbation theory and tensor network numerics. For the finite-temperature quenches, we determine a regime in which the conformal field...

Anisotropic multi-Q order in CoxTaS2

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The cobalt-intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide CoxTaS2 hosts a rich landscape of magnetic phases that depend sensitively on x. While the stoichiometric compound with x = 1/3 exhibits a single magnetic transition, samples with x≤0.325 display two transitions with an anomalous Hall effect (AHE) emerging in the lower temperature phase. Here, we resolve the spin structure in each phase by employing a suite of magneto-optical probes that include the discovery of anomalous magneto-birefringence: a spontaneous time-reversal sensitive rotation of the principal optic axes. A symmetry-based analysis identifies the AHE-active phase as an anisotropic (2+1)Q state, in which magnetic modulation at one wavevector (Q) differs in symmetry from that at the remaining two. The (2+1)Q state naturally exhibits scalar spin chirality as a mechanism for the AHE and expands the classification of multi-Q magnetic phases.

Hierarchical high-throughput screening of alkaline-stable lithium-ion conductors combining machine learning and first-principles calculations

Thu, 9 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Solid-state batteries require lithium-ion conductors that combine high ionic conductivity with stability under harsh electrochemical and chemical conditions. Here, we investigate the chemical factors governing the stability of NASICON-type and garnet-type Li-ion conductors in highly alkaline environments. This is particularly relevant to solid-state Li-air cells operated under humidified air, where alkaline conditions arise due to the formation of LiOH discharge products. We implement a hierarchical high-throughput screening workflow that consists of a pre-screening step using a universal machine-learning interatomic potential and a more accurate density functional theory (DFT)-based screening. This approach enables rapid evaluation of over 320,000 compositions, from which 209 alkaline-stable candidates are identified. We identify specific cation substitutions that improve alkaline stability in NASICON and garnet compounds and reveal the underlying mechanism. More importantly,...

Tiny Bubbles: Measuring Strain Fields and Missing Atoms in Nanoscale He Bubbles via High-Resolution STEM Techniques

Tue, 7 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Tiny Bubbles: Measuring Strain Fields and Missing Atoms in Nanoscale He Bubbles via High-Resolution STEM Techniques

Superionic Surface Li-Ion Transport in Carbonaceous Materials

Tue, 7 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Unlike Li-ion transport in the bulk of carbonaceous materials, little is known about Li-ion diffusion on their surface. In this study, we have discovered an ultrafast Li-ion transport phenomenon on the surface of carbonaceous materials with limited reversible Li insertion capacity and high surface area. An ionic conductivity of 18.1 mS cm^-1 at room temperature is observed in lithiated Ketjen black (KB), far exceeding those of most solid-state ion conductors. Theoretical calculations reveal low diffusion barriers for the surface Li species. As a result, lithiated KB functions effectively as an interlayer between Li and solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) to mitigate dendrite growth. Further, lithiated KB acts as a high-performance mixed ionic-electronic conductor and replaces solid electrolytes to enhance graphite anode performance, demonstrating full utilization with ∼85% capacity retention over 300 cycles. The discovery of this surface-mediated ultrafast Li-ion transport...

Understanding the role of underlayers in enhancing EUV resist sensitivity

Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

During the EUV lithography process, a significant fraction of EUV photons is absorbed by the underlayer (UL), potentially leading to the emission of electrons that can alter the chemistry of the overlying resist. In this study, we address the challenge of understanding how such electrons influence chemical transformations in photoresists. To isolate and examine these effects, we developed a novel experimental methodology that employs soft X-ray irradiation to selectively stimulate UL electron emission while minimizing direct photoabsorption by the organic photoresist. Three distinct ULs, each with unique soft X-ray absorption and photoelectron emission properties, were selected and combined with a series of model photoresists. Our systematic evaluation revealed that secondary electrons from the UL induce notable chemical changes in the photoresist, which, in turn, may affect its sensitivity during development. These findings not only provide the first direct evidence of underlayer-generated...

Advanced processes in metal-oxide resists for high-NA EUV lithography

Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

One of the key steps in the pattern formation chain of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is the development process to resolve the resist pattern after EUV exposure. The traditional development process might be insufficient to achieve the requirements of ultra-high-resolution features with low defect levels. The aim of this paper is to establish a process to achieve a good roughness, a low defectivity at a low EUV dose, and capability for extremely-high-resolution for high numerical aperture (NA) and hyper-NA EUV lithography. A new development method named ESPERT™ (Enhanced Sensitivity develoPER Technology™) has been introduced to improve the performance of metal oxide-resists (MOR). ESPERT™ as a chemical super resolution technique effectively apodized the MOR chemical image, improving chemical gradient (higher exposure latitude (EL)) and reducing scums (fewer bridge defects). This new development method can also keep the resist profile vertical to mitigate the break defects....

Ultralow line edge roughness of hybrid multilayer Extreme ultraviolet resist with vertical molecular wire structure

Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study introduces an innovative extreme ultraviolet (EUV) resist featuring a vertically oriented molecular wire architecture, designed to achieve exceptionally low line edge roughness (LER). The resist is synthesized via molecular layer deposition, a gas-phase technique that allows precise monolayer-level control over thickness, ensuring excellent reproducibility, conformality, and uniformity. The hybrid multilayer resist is constructed through controlled ligand-exchange reactions between diethylzinc and 3-mercaptopropanol (3MP), which create vertically oriented molecular wires with widths below 1 nm. This innovative structure achieves an unprecedentedly low LER of 1.37 nm at a dose of 60 mJ/cm2. EUV exposure induces unique cross-linking coordination bonds between the zinc atoms and the oxygen and sulfur atoms in 3MP without degassing, thereby enhancing EUV sensitivity. The combination of vertically oriented high-aspect-ratio molecular wires and effective lateral...

High-resolution chemical patterns from negative-tone resists for directed self-assembly: extension to EUV lithography and Al2O3 sacrificial patterns

Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is a robust and complementary strategy to overcome the stochastic variability and resolution limits of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. While conventional DSA relies on positive-tone resists to generate chemical pre-patterns, their limited resolution increasingly mismatches the capabilities of high–numerical-aperture (high-NA) EUV tools. Recently, we introduced a new fabrication strategy for creating chemical pre-patterns based on negative-tone resists, employing an inorganic sacrificial pattern. In this work, we extend the versatility of this approach by exploring new combinations of lithographic sources and sacrificial materials. We transition from electron-beam to EUV lithography and investigate Al2O3 as a fab-compatible alternative to Cr sacrificial layers.

Light sources for high-volume manufacturing EUV lithography: technology, performance, and power scaling

Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is expected to succeed in 193-nm immersion multi-patterning technology for sub-10-nm critical layer patterning. In order to be successful, EUV lithography has to demonstrate that it can satisfy the industry requirements in the following critical areas: power, dose stability, etendue, spectral content, and lifetime. Currently, development of second-generation laser-produced plasma (LPP) light sources for the ASML’s NXE:3300B EUV scanner is complete, and first units are installed and operational at chipmaker customers. We describe different aspects and performance characteristics of the sources, dose stability results, power scaling, and availability data for EUV sources and also report new development results.

Understanding the Cathode Electrochemistry of Humidified Solid‐State Lithium‐Oxygen Batteries

Wed, 1 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Lithium‐oxygen batteries (LOBs) possess a high theoretical energy density, making them potential candidates for next‐generation energy storage. However, challenges such as reactive oxygen species‐induced component degradation hinder their practical use. Inorganic solid‐state electrolytes offer an alternative to degradation‐prone aprotic electrolytes, while also protecting lithium anodes from potential atmospheric reactants. This study explores the cathode electrochemistry of solid‐state LOBs using humidified oxygen, which forms an aqueous catholyte during initial cycling, thereby improving cathode‐electrolyte contact. To quantitatively analyze the cathode electrochemistry, a ‘Humidity‐Incorporated’ Differential Electrochemical Gas Monitoring System (HiDEMS) is developed to control humidity and monitor gas consumption and evolution in real time. When studying a Li‐O 2 cell that employs a NASICON‐type Li 1.3 Al 0.3 Ti 1.7 (PO 4 ) 3 (LATP) solid electrolyte and a porous...

Random heteropolymers as enzyme mimics

Wed, 1 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite successes in replicating the primary–secondary–tertiary structure hierarchy of protein, it remains elusive to synthetically materialize protein functions that are deeply rooted in their chemical, structural and dynamic heterogeneities1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11–12. We propose that for polymers with backbone chemistries different from that of proteins, programming spatial and temporal projections of sidechains at the segmental level can be effective in replicating protein behaviours13,14; and leveraging the rotational freedom of polymer can mitigate deficiencies in monomeric sequence specificity and achieve behaviour uniformity at the ensemble level2,3,15, 16, 17, 18, 19–20. Here, guided by the active site analysis of about 1,300 metalloproteins, we design random heteropolymers (RHPs) as enzyme mimics based on one-pot synthesis. We introduce key monomers as the equivalents of the functional residues of protein and statistically modulate the chemical characteristics...

Next-generation anodes for high-energy and low-cost sodium-ion batteries

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) are increasingly becoming commercially viable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), driven by sodium’s lower cost and greater resource availability. However, current NIB technology still falls short of established LIB systems, such as those based on LiFePO4, in both cost efficiency and energy density. Although since the early 2020s, industrial advances have raised NIB energy densities to around 175 Wh kg−1, performance remains limited by the relatively low specific capacity (typically 200–350 mAh g−1) and low tap density (0.3–1.0 g cm−3) of the prevailing hard carbon anodes. This Review analyses emerging anode materials that could unlock higher-energy and lower-cost NIBs, with a focus on high-capacity hard carbon and alloy-based systems. We discuss the latest progress, fundamental challenges and future directions in these anode materials across the key themes of electrode design, structure–property engineering and characterization. By offering...

Symmetry Enforced Fermi Surface Degeneracies Observed in Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Superconductor LaNiGa$_2$

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

LaNiGa$_2$ is superconductor that breaks time-reversal symmetry in the superconducting state without any known nearby magnetism. Recently, single crystals of LaNiGa$_2$ have been synthesized, revealing a nonsymmorphic Cmcm space group. Here, we report measurements of the electronic structure of LaNiGa$_2$ throughout the three-dimensional Brillouin zone (BZ) using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Our findings show broad consistency with density functional theory (DFT) calculations and provide evidence for degeneracies in the electronic structure that are predicted from the space group. The calculations also predict four Fermi surfaces which cross the purported nodal plane and should therefore form two degenerate pairs. We report evidence for those predicted symmetry enforced degeneracies as well as accidental near degeneracies throughout the BZ. These degeneracies and near-degeneracies may play a role in the pairing mechanism of LaNiGa$_2$. Our results provide...

Measurements of Electronic Band Structure in CeCoGe3 by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of the electronic structure of CeCoGe3 throughout the entire Brillouin zone in the non-magnetic regime using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The electronic structure agrees in large part with first principles calculations, including predicted topological nodal lines. Two new features in the band structure are also observed, namely a surface state and folded bands, the latter of which is argued to originate from a unit cell reconstruction.

Forty years of high-temperature superconductivity.

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The first demonstration of superconductivity at 35 kelvin drove decades of materials research and introduced a puzzle about this strange state of matter.

Patterned, Low-Temperature Growth of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Low Resistance Raised Contacts

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers are promising channel materials for next-generation electronic devices. A challenge is the high contact resistance between monolayer TMDs and metal contacts, especially for holes. In this regard, raised source/drain contacts are promising. However, the direct, patterned growth of raised contacts at CMOS-compatible temperatures remains largely unresolved. We present plasma-free selenization and sulfurization of metal oxides at substrate temperatures down to 400 °C, compatible with back-end-of-line thermal budgets. To achieve growth at such temperatures, gas-phase chalcogen precursors are first thermally activated at 950 °C. Films grown on single-crystal monolayer TMDs exhibit high crystal quality, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Raised contacts on WSe₂ monolayers fabricated using this approach yield a low hole contact resistance of 0.3 kΩ·μm after chemical doping. This process is shown to be applicable...

Ion transport through reconfigurable nanoparticle-surfactant stabilized droplet interface bilayers

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite their adaptability and mechanical stability, Pickering emulsions based on the interfacial assembly of colloidal particles have not found use in iontronics, since the dense interfacial packing of micron-sized particles precludes functional connectivity between two droplets. Here, we introduce a chemically reconfigurable droplet interface bilayer (DIB) platform based on the interfacial assembly of nanoparticle-surfactants (NPSs) that enables spontaneous or field-induced formation of ion-conducting nanochannels, eliminating the need of ionophores or nanochannel-forming proteins. These nanoscopic channels emerge from packing defects in the jammed interfacial assemblies of the charged NPSs and support size and charge selective, hysteretic ion transport governed by interfacial electrostatics and dimensional constraints. The NPS-DIBs show short-term and long-term plasticity, hallmarks of neuromorphic behavior, that are mediated by the structural and chemical design of the bilayer....

Pattern-enhanced Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering for Operando monitoring of electrochemical solid-liquid interfaces

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Unveiling interfaces at sub-nanometer scales is essential for advancing the understanding of complex chemical transformations. However, characterizing solid-liquid interfaces with high dimensional sensitivity and temporal resolution remains challenging, due to their dynamic nature and inaccessibility by conventional probes. Here we present an approach, Pattern-enhanced Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering, to overcome the challenges. Rooted in a “sample-as-optics” philosophy, this technique utilizes precisely engineered line-grating nanopatterns to modulate near-field X-ray illumination, coherently enhancing scattering signals from the line-gratings. We implement the method using Ni line-grating nanopatterns in electrochemical water oxidation. The periodic nanostructures serve as diffractive optical elements to reveal the Ni oxidation gradients and structural dynamics at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Finite-element simulations corroborate the observed trends by modeling variations...

Slow Quasiparticle Dynamics and Anyonic Statistics in a Fractional Quantum Hall Fabry-Pérot Interferometer

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Anyons are two-dimensional particles with fractional exchange statistics that emerge as elementary excitations of fractional quantum Hall phases. Experimentally, their exchange statistics can be measured in the edge-state Fabry-Pérot interferometer, wherein the presence of localized anyons contributes a phase to the interference pattern where is twice the exchange phase. Here we report the observation of large, hysteretic phase jumps in a monolayer graphene Fabry-Pérot interferometer at . When the filling factor is increased from toward the center of the plateau, we observe phase slips with magnitude , consistent with the addition of individual quasiparticles to the interferometer bulk. These phase slips occur as instantaneous jumps in the interference signal, with intervals between the jumps indicating quasiparticle equilibration times exceeding 20 min. We use this long timescale to investigate the effect of changes in interferometer area and independently at fixed...

Discovery of van Hove singularities: electronic fingerprints of 3Q magnetic order in a van der Waals quantum magnet

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging as a rich platform for exploring exotic quantum states in van der Waals magnets. Among them, CoxTaS2 has attracted intense interest following the recent discovery of a distinctive 3Q magnetic ground state and a pronounced topological Hall effect below a critical doping of x ≈ 1/3, both intimately tied to cobalt concentration. To date, direct signatures of this enigmatic 3Q magnetic order in the electronic structure remain elusive. Here we report a comprehensive doping dependent angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy study that unveils these long-sought fingerprints. Our data reveal an unexpected inverse-Mexican-hat dispersion along the K-M-K′$${\mathrm{K}}^{\prime}$$ direction, accompanied by two van Hove singularities. These features are consistent with theoretical predictions for a 3Q magnetic order near three-quarters band filling on a cobalt triangular lattice. These results provide evidence...

Supramolecular assembly of molecular wires alternating crown ethers and metal–halide complexes

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Metal–halide complexes serve as key emissive centres in halide perovskites; however, precise control over their spatial organization through bottom-up assembly is challenging. Here we show that a crown-ether-assisted supramolecular assembly strategy can alternatingly connect metal–halide complexes and (crown ether@A)2+ (where ‘A’ is an alkaline earth metal cation) complexes into a one-dimensional molecular wire, which can then be packed into a hexagonal crystal structure. This process resulted in the creation of an (18C6@Ba)MnBr4 single crystal with green emission, achieving over 80% photoluminescence quantum yield and a narrow full width at half maximum. In addition, the non-centrosymmetric crystal structure gave rise to strong nonlinear optical responses, including second-harmonic generation. This versatile supramolecular assembly approach could be generalized to create various [M(I)X2]−, [M(I)X3]2−, [M(II)X4]2− and [M(III)X5]2− molecular wires, broadening the potential for...

Electronic Band Structures of a Germanium Halide Perovskite Semiconductor

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

CsGeX3, a class of halide perovskites, is an emergent semiconductor with ferroelectricity and potential optoelectronic properties that can be harnessed for device applications. However, measurements of the electronic structure for this class of material are still lacking. In this work, we report, for the first time, the experimental band structures of CsGeI3, a ferroelectric halide perovskite semiconductor, through angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The crystals were cleaved along both the (110) and (111) surfaces, facilitating the observation of clear valence band dispersions in several high-symmetry momentum directions. The observed valence band is characterized by a small hole effective mass of ∼0.1m 0 at the valence band maximum, without notable spectral signatures associated with the Rashba effect. Our experimental measurements are supported by electronic structure calculations in the DFT + G0W0 framework, enabling assessment of the band orbital characteristics,...

Gate-All-Around Nanowire Field-Effect Transistors: A Historical Perspective

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The development of transistor architectures, evolving from 2D planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) to FinFETs and then to gate-all-around nanowire (GAANW) FETs, plays a crucial role in downscaling technology nodes in the semiconductor industry. This perspective reviews the concept of MOSFETs and summarizes this historical development with particular emphasis on GAANW transistors due to their importance in next-generation technology for nodes below 3 nm. Specifically, the concept of GAANW transistors and their advantages over planar and FinFET devices for further scaling are presented, along with a discussion of their transition from early conceptual ideas to laboratory demonstrations and, ultimately, industrial adoption. Furthermore, potential solutions, such as complementary FETs (CFETs) and 2D semiconductor-based FETs, and their associated challenges for the future generation, known as the Angstrom Era, are discussed in a technological roadmap....

Photoluminescence line shapes of nanocrystals: Contributions from first- and second-order vibronic couplings

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present a microscopic, parameter-free approach for computing the photoluminescence spectra of a single semiconductor nanocrystal. The method derives exciton-phonon coupling directly from the semi-empirical pseudopotential framework and systematically incorporates both diagonal and off-diagonal exciton-phonon interactions, expanded to second-order in the phonon coordinates. The dipole-dipole correlation function was calculated using a Dyson expansion within the Kubo-Toyozawa formalism, enabling a consistent description of the role of pure dephasing and population transfer on the photoluminescence spectral features. Applied to CdSe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals, the approach quantitatively reproduces experimental photoluminescence spectra over a wide temperature range, revealing that quadratic phonon couplings account for nearly half of the homogeneous linewidth above ≈100-150 K, while off-diagonal couplings leading to exciton thermalization play only a minor role and only as T → 300 K.

Decoding THz‐Driven Dynamic Fingerprints of Ferroelectric Nanotwin Networks

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ultrafast polarization dynamics in ferroelectrics are of considerable interest for high-speed tunable dielectrics and electro-optics. Extended domain wall networks formed in ferroelectric twin nanodomains can support collective dynamics in the terahertz regime but require techniques that track polarization and strain evolution driven by ultrafast stimulus. Here, we use multi-modal probing of THz-pulse-driven excitations in PbTiO₃/SrTiO₃ superlattices by combining X-ray free electron laser measurements that directly tracks lattice changes, with optical second harmonic generation that tracks the electronic potential coupled with the lattice potential. Dynamical phase-field modeling enables fingerprinting of these collective modes as superpositions of domain "breathing" through wall oscillations and polarization "rotations" with still walls. Ultrafast domain wall motion at 0.1-0.5 THz is observed at practical fields of 100 kV/cm with wall velocities of...

Strong long-wavelength electron-phonon coupling in Ta2Ni(Se,S)5

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The search for intrinsic excitonic insulators (EI) has long been confounded by coexisting electron–phonon coupling in bulk materials. Although the ground state of an EI may be difficult to differentiate from density-wave orders or other structural instabilities, excited states offer distinctive signatures. One way to provide clarity is to directly inspect the phonon spectral function for long wavelength broadening caused by phonon interaction with the high velocity EI phason. Here, we report that the quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) EI candidate Ta2NiSe5 shows extremely anisotropic phonon broadening and softening in the semimetallic normal state. In contrast, such behavior is completely absent in the broken symmetry state of Ta2NiSe5 and in the isostructural Ta2NiS5 , where the latter has a fully gapped normal state. By contrasting the expected phonon lifetimes in the BCS and BEC limits of a putative EI, our results suggest that the phase transition in Ta2Ni(Se,S)5 family is closely...

First High-Throughput Evaluation of Dark Matter Detector Materials

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We perform the first high-throughput search and evaluation of materials that can serve as excellent low-mass dark matter detectors. Using properties of close to 1000 materials from the Materials Project database, we project the sensitivity in dark matter parameter space for experiments constructed from each material, including both absorption and scattering processes between dark matter and electrons. Using the anisotropic materials in the dataset, we further compute the level of daily modulation in interaction rates and the resulting directional sensitivities, highlighting materials with prospects to detect the dark matter wind. Our methods provide the basic tools for the data-driven design of dark matter detectors, and our findings lay the groundwork for the next generation of highly optimized direct searches for dark matter as light as the keV scale. This represents a major step in the application of results from condensed matter physics to dark matter search design.

Chiral superconductivity from a parent Chern band and its non-Abelian generalization

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We propose a minimal model starting from a parent Chern band with quartic dispersion that can describe the spin-valley polarized electrons in rhombohedral tetralayer graphene. The interplay between repulsive and attractive interactions on top of that parent Chern band is studied. We conduct standard self-consistent mean-field calculations, and find a rich phase diagram that consists of metal, quantum anomalous Hall crystal, chiral topological superconductor, as well as trivial gapped Bose-Einstein condensate. In particular, there exists a topological phase transition from the chiral superconductor to the Bose-Einstein condensate at zero temperature. Motivated by the recent experimental and theoretical studies of composite Fermi liquid in rhombohedral stacked multilayer graphene, we further generalize the physical electron model to its composite fermion counterpart based on a field theory analysis. The chiral superconductor phase of the composite fermion becomes the non-abelian...

Field-driven ion pairing dynamics in concentrated electrolytes

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We investigate ion pairing dynamics in electrolytes driven far from equilibrium using molecular simulations and nonequilibrium rate theory. Focusing on 0.5M LiPF6 in water and acetonitrile under uniform electric fields, we compute transition path theory observables, including reactive fluxes and mean first-passage times of ion pairing. Moreover, we introduce a dynamical proxy of free-ion population, where its field-induced change is strongly correlated with the nonlinear enhancement of conductivity, yielding an increase of 40% at 50 mV/Å in acetonitrile, compared to that of less than 10% in aqueous electrolytes. Further kinetic analysis elucidates that Onsager's classical theory substantially overestimates field-induced enhancement of ion pair dissociation in molecular electrolytes. This discrepancy arises from solvent-mediated dynamical pathways and field-induced dielectric decrement that suppress ion pair dissociation within explicit solvents, highlighting that a faithful...

Solvent effects on triplet yields in BODIPY-based photosensitizers

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We employ molecular dynamics simulations and quantum rate theories to elucidate the complex condensed-phase dynamics underpinning triplet-state formation in organic photosensitizers. Using models informed by first-principles calculations complete with a molecular representation of solvents of different polarities, we elucidate the interplay of the internal and environmental interactions underlying triplet yield. We find that triplet yields depend sensitively on the dielectric stabilization of the charge transfer intermediate that facilitates a transition into the triplet manifold. Our results illustrate the importance of molecularly detailed models in understanding the excited-state internal charge-transfer dynamics of photochemically relevant organic molecules.

Point defects in semiconductors: Friends and foes for quantum technologies

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Point defects in semiconductors are both a curse and a blessing in microelectronics: they enable the control of electrical conductivity through doping, yet can also act as trapping and recombination centers that degrade device performance. In quantum information science, defects play a similarly dual role. They can be harnessed as spin–photon interfaces enabling the coupling of electronic and nuclear spins to light and the creation of distributed entanglement for quantum networks or used as atomistic scale sensors for quantum sensing. At the same time, defects are a major source of decoherence for superconducting qubits, one of the leading quantum computing platforms. This article discusses how a deeper materials-level understanding of defects can guide the design of improved quantum devices for communication, sensing, and computation.Graphic Abstract

Nanocrystal Geometry Governs Phase Transformation Pathways in Palladium Hydride

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pathways and structural dynamics of phase transformations impact performance of materials in energy and information storage technologies. Palladium hydride (PdH_x) nanocrystals are an ideal model system for studying solute-induced phase transformations, where elastic energy from lattice mismatch between α-PdH_x and β-PdH_x phases is often considered a key to determining the transformation pathways. α/β-PdH_x interfacial elastic energy is affected by the confined geometry of a nanocrystal. However, how nanocrystal geometry influences phase transformation pathways is largely unknown. Using in situ liquid phase transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize hydrogenation in Pd nanocrystals with two geometries, a nanocube and a hexagonal nanoplate. Both follow similar sequences of an initially curved nucleus, interface flattening, and reverse-stage nucleation; however, their evolving α/β-PdH_x...

Entropy of Strongly Correlated Electrons in a Partially Filled Landau Level

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We use high-resolution chemical potential measurements to extract the entropy of monolayer and bilayer graphene in the quantum Hall regime via the Maxwell relation . Measuring the entropy from down to , we identify the sequential emergence of quantum Hall ferromagnetism, fractional quantum Hall states, and various charge orders by comparing the measured entropy in different temperature regimes with theoretical models. At the lowest temperature of we perform a detailed study of the entropy near even-denominator fractional quantum Hall states in bilayer graphene, and comment on the possible topological origin of the observed excess entropy.

A Lens into the Cu Nanograin by In Situ Vibrational Spectroscopy

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cu-based catalysts are uniquely capable of C-C coupling during electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂R), yet further mechanistic understanding remains hampered by the lack of spectroscopically resolved descriptors that demonstrate how surface adsorbates emerge and evolve within their catalytic environment. Here, we correlate in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) to resolve the potential-dependent dynamics during CO₂R on Cu nanograin catalysts. By building on previous benchmarking of low overpotential performance and nanograin structural evolution, we offer a diagnostic framework linking vibrational signatures to catalytic function, unveiling which species appear, persist, and turnover as the electrified surface and interfacial environment evolve under bias. The onset of linear CO is marked below -0.45 V, coincident with persistent adsorbed *OH/*O domains beyond the CO₂R...

Dara: Automated Multiple-Hypothesis Phase Identification and Refinement from Powder X‑ray Diffraction

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a foundational technique for characterizing crystalline materials. However, the reliable interpretation of XRD patterns, particularly in multiphase systems, remains a manual and expertise-demanding task. As a characterization method that only provides structural information, multiple reference phases can often be fit to a single pattern, leading to potential misinterpretation when alternative solutions are overlooked. To ease humans' efforts and address the challenge, we introduce Dara (data-driven automated Rietveld analysis), a framework designed to automate the robust identification and refinement of multiple phases from powder XRD data. Dara performs an exhaustive tree search over all plausible phase combinations within a given chemical space and validates each hypothesis using the BGMN Rietveld refinement routine. Key features include structural database filtering, automatic clustering of isostructural phases during tree expansion, and peak-matching-based...

Ion correlations explain kinetic selectivity in diffusion-limited solid-state synthesis reactions

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Establishing viable solid-state synthesis pathways for novel inorganic materials remains a major challenge in materials science. Previous pathway design methods using pairwise reaction approaches have navigated the thermodynamic landscape with first-principles data but lack kinetic information, limiting their effectiveness. This gap leads to suboptimal precursor selection and predictions, especially for reactions forming competing phases with similar formation energies, where ion diffusion is a critical influence. Here we demonstrate an inorganic synthesis framework by incorporating machine learning-derived transport properties through ‘liquid-like’ product layers into a thermodynamic cellular reaction model. In the Ba–Ti–O system, known for its competitive polymorphism, we obtain accurate predictions of phase formation with varying BaO:TiO2 ratios as a function of time and temperature. We find that diffusion–thermodynamics interplay governs phase compositions, with cross-ion...

Author Correction: An autonomous laboratory for the accelerated synthesis of inorganic materials

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Correction to: Naturehttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06734-w Published online 29 November 2023 Following publication of this article, concerns were raised about the unambiguous identification of the compound structures using diffraction as well as the original claims of material novelty. We acknowledge that the original claims of material novelty were subject to misinterpretation—their intention was to indicate that the materials were new to the prediction platform, not necessarily new to science. The article text has been updated to reflect this in the HTML and PDF versions of the article. For a detailed breakdown of the textual changes, please see the annotated PDF article file available as Supplementary Information accompanying this amendment. In addition, we have manually re-analyzed the diffraction patterns and have confirmed that the prediction platform came to the correct conclusion in 36 of its 40 reported successes, with 4 compounds being inconclusive. This re-analysis...

Reducing Flavin and Ubiquinone Headgroups with Silicon Nanowire Photocathodes

Fri, 5 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Photosynthetic biohybridsa structure composed of semiconducting electrodes and carbon dioxide-fixing autotrophs which can be energized by the electrodeoffer a promising platform for selective CO2 reduction. However, studying the charge-transfer mechanisms from the semiconductor to the cell proves challenging due to a variety of simultaneous processes. Therefore, to deconvolute the system to understand photoelectrochemical performance, we employ model systems composed of a subset of the electron-transfer pathway. Here, we photoelectrochemically reduced ubiquinone-0 (UQ0) and riboflavin (Rf) (the head groups of ubiquinone-8/10 and flavin mononucleotide/flavin adenine dinucleotide) using Pt-decorated n+p-silicon nanowires, a robust catalytic architecture. Under irradiation with 100 mW cm–2 red light (740 nm), UQ0 and Rf were reduced with onset potentials of 0.876 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (VRHE) and 0.691 VRHE, respectively. In addition, UQ0 achieved a maximum Faradaic...

2D Magnetic Materials for Sensor Technologies

Wed, 3 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials have emerged as a promising platform for next-generation sensing technologies due to their atomic thickness, tunable magnetic properties, and compatibility with van der Waals heterostructures. Rapid progress in material discovery, synthesis, and device integration has expanded opportunities for compact, low-power, and highly sensitive sensor platforms. This review examines selected sensing mechanisms enabled by 2D magnetic materials, highlighting recent experimental advances and emerging device concepts. Current limitations and challenges such as environmental stability, scalability, and room-temperature operation are considered in the context of ongoing research efforts. By examining these approaches, this review aims to provide insight into the current development and potential of 2D magnetic materials for sensing technologies. This review is organized to first introduce the fundamental properties and challenges of 2D magnetic materials,...

Light‐Induced Lattice Coherence and Emission Enhancement in PTM‐Passivated CsSnI3 Perovskites

Wed, 3 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Metal halide perovskites continue to lead in optoelectronic applications, but the toxicity of lead has driven efforts to identify environmentally benign alternatives. Cesium tin iodide (CsSnI 3 ) is one such, with a direct bandgap and near‐infrared emission, though its performance is limited by instability. We show that phthalimide (PTM) passivation during single crystal growth enhances optical output and stability. Under continuous excitation, PTM‐passivated microscale crystals show up to one order of magnitude increase in photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield, accompanied by reversible sharpening of a low‐frequency Raman mode associated with Cs⁺ rattling. This reveals dynamic, light‐induced lattice reordering that passivates trap states and enhances radiative recombination. Mechanical grinding yields nanocrystals with redshifted, narrowed PL, consistent with a relaxed polymorph and reduced inhomogeneous broadening. Despite increased surface area, PTM remains effective...

Deciphering Experimental Reactivity of Metal Clusters Toward N2 Activation Using Graph Neural Networks

Wed, 3 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Machine learning (ML) analysis of gas-phase metal cluster reactivity has emerged as a pivotal approach in this field. However, existing ML studies relying on electronic properties have primarily focused on discrete features, with less consideration of continuous structural factors that also govern cluster reactivity. Here, we present the first graph neural network (GNN) framework to model N₂ activation reactivity across 245 metal clusters, combining DFT-optimized structures with experimental reaction rates collected from the literature and a public data set. Through encoding both topological connectivity and atomic-level features (e.g., natural charge, valence electron occupancy, and atomic number), the graph isomorphism network (GIN) achieves superior predictive performance on reaction rates of unseen clusters. Explainable analysis reveals that natural charge redistribution likely serves as the primary mechanism for ligand-mediated reactivity modulation. Furthermore,...

Chiral spin liquid and quantum phase transition in the triangular-lattice Hofstadter-Hubbard model

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent advances in moiré engineering motivate the study of lattice models of strongly correlated electrons subjected to substantial orbital magnetic flux. We analyze the triangular-lattice Hofstadter-Hubbard model at one-quarter flux quantum per plaquette and a density of one electron per site, where a chiral spin liquid phase may exist between weak-coupling integer quantum Hall and strong-coupling 120∘ antiferromagnetic phases. We use matrix product state methods and analytical arguments to investigate this model compactified to cylinders of finite circumference. We uncover a glide particle-hole symmetry operation which, we argue, is spontaneously broken at the quantum Hall to spin liquid transition on odd-circumference cylinders. We numerically verify the spontaneous symmetry breaking and further demonstrate that this transition is associated with algebraic long-range correlations of various spin-singlet, charge-neutral operators. For even-circumference cylinders, the transition...

Spin Polarization from Circularly Polarized Light Induced Charge Transfer

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We show how a spin polarization can be generated through the photoinduced electron transfer of an achiral donor-acceptor complex following chiral light excitation. In particular, we illustrate the basic energetic and symmetry requirements for chirality induced spin selectivity where the chirality emerges from the electronic degrees of freedom following excitation with circularly polarized light. We study this effect in a simple model of a metalloporphyrin complex with an axial acceptor ligand using quantum mechanical rate theories and numerical simulations. We find that the spin polarization emerges due to the selective excitation of a ring current within the porphryin, breaking the degeneracy of the two degenerate spin states. The resultant spin polarization increases with the spin orbit coupling between the metal in the porphyrin and the axial ligand, and is transient, with a lifetime dependent on the rate of dephasing from the Jahn-Teller distortion mode. This proposed effect...

A photochargeable semiconductor for highly efficient dehydrogenative coupling of amines

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The development of materials with high photocatalytic efficiency is essential for sustainable chemical transformations. Here we introduce photochargeable zinc indium sulfide nanocrystals with notable charge storage capacity, enabling highly efficient photocatalytic dehydrogenative coupling of amines. Combined with a nickel cocatalyst, the nanocrystals deliver diamines and hydrogen at rates exceeding 120 mmol per gram of photocatalyst per hour, with > 95% selectivity and an apparent quantum efficiency of up to 39.4% under ambient conditions. The system exhibits excellent scalability, demonstrated by a reaction on a 20-g scale, and broad versatility in promoting amino acid ester coupling and polymerization reactions with concurrent hydrogen evolution. Mechanistic studies attribute the photocharging capability of zinc indium sulfide nanocrystals to in situ-generated trap states such as sulfur vacancies, which extend hydrogen production into the dark catalytic cycle and enhance...

Orbital-Dependent Coulomb Drag in Electron-Hole Bilayer Graphene Heterostructures

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We report Coulomb drag studies in an electron-hole bilayer graphene heterostructure in a magnetic field, where the orbital, spin, and valley degrees of freedom are lifted by the combined effects of exchange interaction, Zeeman energy, and a vertical displacement field. Our device enables the application of a large vertical displacement field across both layers. In addition to the well-established strong Coulomb drag between the Landau levels with an orbital quantum number N=0, we observe a Coulomb drag signal between the N=1 Landau levels under a suitable vertical displacement field. As the vertical displacement field increases further, the Coulomb drag signal between N=1 Landau levels weakens, and a Coulomb drag signal emerges between the N=0 and N=1 Landau levels. These findings suggest the important roles of the orbital index and the vertical displacement field in interlayer Coulomb interaction within the quantum Hall regime of coupled bilayer systems.

Identification of Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Species by Joint Characterization of Li-Ion Battery Chemistry by Mass Spectrometry and Electrochemical Reaction Networks

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The formation and stability of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) play central roles in determining the long-term performance and safety of modern electrochemical energy storage systems. Despite decades of research, the SEI's heterogeneous, dynamic, and multiphase nature has defied comprehensive molecular-level characterization, creating a critical knowledge gap that limits rational battery design. In this work, we introduce a computational-experimental framework that integrates high-throughput quantum chemistry calculations, data-driven electrochemical reaction networks (eCRNs), stochastic algorithms, and laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LDI-FTICR-MS) to unravel SEI formation in carbonate-based electrolytes without imposing predefined mechanisms. We constructed the most comprehensive eCRN to date, spanning over 10,000 species and 209 million reactions. Through stochastic network analysis, we successfully recovered 27...

Revealing short- and long-range Li-ion diffusion in Li 2 MnO 3 from finite-temperature dynamical mean field theory

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Li 2 MnO 3 is a key component of Li-excess layered cathodes of the form (1 − x ), LiMO 2 + x , Li 2 MnO 3 (M = Mn, Ni, Co, …), yet its role in setting Li-ion transport limitations remains under debate. Li 2 MnO 3 is a key component of Li-excess layered cathodes of the form (1 − x ), LiMO 2 + x , Li 2 MnO 3 (M = Mn, Ni, Co, …), yet its role in setting Li-ion transport limitations remains under debate. Here we combine DFT+U, finite-temperature DFT+DMFT with a continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo impurity solver, and nudged-elastic-band (NEB) calculations to study Li + migration in paramagnetic Li 2 MnO 3 in the presence of a single Li vacancy. Evaluating DMFT total energies along the DFT+U NEB geometries reveals that dynamical correlations strongly renormalize the lowest-barrier processes, reducing the activation energies to E a = 0.18 eV for the shortest-range hop and E a = 0.50 eV for the next-lowest (transport-controlling) step. The 0.18 eV barrier quantitatively reproduces...

Extended Rice–Thomson analysis and atomistic simulations revealing grain boundary effects on fracture in refractory high-entropy alloys

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding how grain boundaries mediate fracture remains a critical challenge in designing ductile, high-performance refractory alloys. Here, we extend the Rice-Thomson criterion to account for the angle between cracks and the impinging grain boundaries (GBs), capturing the competition between intergranular fracture and dislocation-mediated plasticity. Using machine learning interatomic potentials, we performed molecular statics simulations to probe fracture mechanisms in nanocrystalline NbMoTaW and Nb₄₅Ta₂₅Ti₁₅Hf₁₅, each with two different grain sizes, revealing trends consistent with experimental observations and the extended Rice model. Comparison with averaged R-curves for bulk samples demonstrates that GBs enhance ductility in Nb₄₅Ta₂₅Ti₁₅Hf₁₅ in both grain sizes investigated. In contrast, GBs only locally improve fracture resistance in NbMoTaW when cracks are temporarily pinned at...

New Materials for Photoelectrochemical Energy Conversion

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This review concerns light-to-chemical energy conversion, focusing on approaches that could be driven by terrestrial sunlight to produce hydrogen and/or reduce carbon dioxide. Recent advances in photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) materials are covered. In both approaches, the electron-hole pairs that are created by photon absorption must travel in specific directions to the sites that mediate multielectron bond making/breaking redox reactions. Thermodynamic requirements for materials stability are described, although some recently discovered materials appear to be exceptions. For PC materials, the importance of rate matching between reduction and oxidation processes and the mass transfer of intermediates and products is emphasized. Surprisingly, metal sulfides appear to be promising for PC carbon dioxide reduction. For PEC materials, recent work elucidating the elementary step mechanism for oxygen evolution on metal oxides and the discovery of chalcogen-based...

Engineering micromotion in Floquet prethermalization via space-time symmetries

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We present a systematic framework for Floquet prethermalization under strong resonant driving, emphasizing the pivotal role of dynamical space-time symmetries. Our approach demonstrates how dynamical space-time symmetries map onto the projective static symmetry group of the prethermal Hamiltonian governing the prethermal regime. We introduce techniques for detecting dynamical symmetries through the time evolution of local observables, facilitating a detailed analysis of micromotion within each period and surpassing the limitations of conventional stroboscopic Floquet prethermal dynamics. To implement this framework, we present a prethermal protocol that preserves order-2 dynamical symmetry in a spin-ladder model, confirming the predicted relationships between the expectation values of local observables at distinct temporal points in the Floquet cycle, linked by this symmetry.

A highly utilized and practical lithium-sulfur positive electrode enabled in all-solid-state batteries

Fri, 8 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

All-solid-state batteries using sulfur-based positive electrodes (cathodes) offer a cost-effective route to achieve high specific energy. However, low active material utilization and cycle life hinder performance. Here, we demonstrate a positive electrode design that employs sulfide solid-state electrolytes, where a high energy synthesis approach forms a metastable and ionically conductive interphase on the active material surface. This interphase facilitates high active material utilization and contributes capacity with cycling. We also show that tailoring active material particle sizes to the micron-scale improves rate performance and cycling stability. Structural analysis reveals that the substantial volume change of sulfur-based positive electrodes during operation can partially offset that of the negative electrodes, thereby mitigating internal mechanical stress. The combined design principles enable sulfur areal capacities up to 11 mAh cm-2 while maintaining stable cycling...

Quantitative X‐ray scattering and reflectivity measurements of polymer thin films with 2D detectors

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract We describe a fully open‐sourced Python package to process raw X‐ray scattering data using a GANESHA SAXSLAB facility, and review in this manuscript the connection of X‐ray scattering theories with the open‐sourced package. This package affords researchers more flexibility in analyzing and visualizing X‐ray scattering and reflectivity data from what is now a commonplace facility at many universities and research laboratories engaged in polymer research. We briefly review the applications of X‐ray scattering and diffraction, followed by the scattering theories. A pedagogical introduction to processing X‐ray scattering data is provided using the modules in the Python package. We compare conventions to visualize and interpret transmission and grazing‐incidence scattering data using self‐assembled lamellar morphology of bottlebrush copolymers as an example, then describe how area detectors measure specular and off‐specular reflectivity. Examples of in‐house reflectivity and...

Interfacial Inversion of Stealth Surfactants

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Amphiphilic macromolecular surfactants segregate to liquid-liquid interfaces, thereby reducing the interfacial tension and free energy. We investigated "stealth surfactants" in the form of core-shell bottlebrush polymers comprised of pH-responsive diblock copolymer side chains forming a hydrophilic core and a hydrophobic shell, enabling solubility in oil. At liquid-liquid interfaces, these polymers undergo a structural "inversion", with hydrophilic blocks segregating into the aqueous phase and hydrophobic blocks residing in the oil phase. The reconfiguration kinetics and surfactant properties are influenced by multiple factors, including the molecular weights of the backbone and side chain components, the hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic balance of the side chains, and the pH of the aqueous phase. An observed nonmonotonic dependence of interfacial tension with time is attributed to a progressive structural inversion, where the projected area of the macromolecule onto the interface decreases....

hashin_shtrikman_mp: a package for the optimal design and discovery of multi-phase composite materials

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

hashin_shtrikman_mp: a package for the optimal design and discovery of multi-phase composite materials

Front Matter: Volume 7969

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 7969, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Navigating the research landscape for hyper-NA EUV lithography and future patterning technologies

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hyper-Numerical Aperture (Hyper-NA) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is gathering growing support as the technology of choice to sustain the dimensional scaling trajectory of Moore's Law. This transition, which targets resolution down to 5 nm, necessitates several research advances across several key lithography areas, such as patterning materials, imaging with polarization control, and the optimization of the mask structure. In this paper, we briefly review the historical role of the government-industrial partnerships enabling Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO) pathfinding research for prior EUV lithography generations. We also highlight the role of the Department of Energy's Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) on High-Precision Patterning Science (CHiPPS) as a critical initiative to fundamentally address the pervasive stochastic challenges in materials science that limit the RLS (Resolution, Sensitivity, Line Edge Roughness) tradeoff, charting a path toward the Angstrom...

A simple Rice-Ashby ductile–brittle transition temperature (DBTT) model based on dislocation mobility for body-centered cubic complex concentrated alloys