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At least 541 records · Page 30

Exploring interlayer coupling in the twisted bilayer PtTe 2

We have investigated interlayer interactions in the bilayer PtTe 2 system, which influence the electronic energy bands near the Fermi level. Our diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) calculations for the high-symmetry bilayer stackings (AA, AB, AC) manifest distinct interlayer binding characteristics among the stacking modes by revealing significantly different interlayer separations depending on the stacking, which is critical to understanding the interlayer coupling of the twisted bilayers consisting of various local stacking arrangements. Furthermore, a comparison between the interlayer separations obtained from DMC and density functional theory (DFT) shows that meta-generalized gradient approximation (GGA)-based van der Waals–DFT results agree with DMC for different layer stackings, including twisted bilayers, but only the ground-state AA stacking matches well with GGA-based DFT predictions. This underscores the importance of accurate exchange-correlation potentials even for capturing the stacking-dependent interlayer binding properties. We further show that the variability in DFT-predicted interlayer separations is responsible for the large discrepancy of band structures in the 21 . 79 ∘ twisted bilayer PtTe 2 , affecting its classification as metallic or insulating. These results demonstrate the importance of obtaining a correct description of stacking-dependent interlayer coupling in modeling delicate bilayer systems at finite twists. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ferromagnetic liquid droplets with adjustable magnetic properties

Significance Structured functional liquids combine mechanical versatility of fluids with solid-state properties, such as ferromagnetism, and offer a route to synthesize and control magnetic liquids for adaptive liquid robotics. Studies on these intriguing materials are only in their nascent state, and a profound understanding of the physical state is still lacking. We use hydrodynamics experiments to probe how the magnetization of ferromagnetic liquid droplets, governed by the assembly and jamming of magnetic nanoparticles at liquid–liquid interfaces, and their response to external stimuli can be tuned by chemical, structural, and magnetic means. Our results highlight the leading role of structural short-range order on magnetic properties, which provide a path toward nano-patterning structured liquids.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Electrical signaling in fungi: past and present challenges

Abstract Electrical signaling is a fundamental mechanism for integrating environmental stimuli and coordinating responses in living organisms. While extensively studied in animals and plants, the role of electrical signaling in fungi remains a largely underexplored field. Early studies suggested that filamentous fungi generate action potential-like signals and electrical currents at hyphal tips, yet their function in intracellular communication remained unclear. Renewed interest in fungal electrical activity has fueled developments such as the hypothesis that mycorrhizal networks facilitate electrical communication between plants and the emerging field of fungal-based electronic materials. Given their continuous plasma membrane, specialized septal pores, and insulating cell wall structures, filamentous fungi possess architectural features that could support electrical signaling over long distances. However, studying electrical phenomena in fungal networks presents unique challenges due to the microscopic dimensions of hyphae, the structural complexity of highly modular mycelial networks, and the limitations of traditional electrophysiological methods. This review synthesizes current evidence for electrical signaling in filamentous fungi, evaluates methodological approaches, and highlights experimental challenges. By addressing these challenges and identifying best practices, we aim to advance research in this field and provide a foundation for future studies exploring the role of electrical signaling in fungal biology.

Buffi, Matteo↗

Heterometallic Actinide-Containing Photoresponsive Metal-Organic Frameworks: Dynamic and Static Tuning of Electronic Properties

Acquiring fundamental knowledge of properties of actinide-based materials is a necessary step to create new possibilities for addressing the current challenges in the nuclear energy and nuclear waste sectors. Here in this report, we established a photophysics–electronics correlation for actinide-containing metal-organic frameworks (An-MOFs) as a function of excitation wavelength, for the first time. A stepwise approach for dynamically modulating electronic properties was applied for the first time towards actinide-based heterometallic MOFs through integration of photochromic linkers. Optical cycling, modeling of density of states near the Fermi edge, conductivity measurements, and photoisomerization kinetics were employed to shed light on the process of tailoring optoelectronic properties of An-MOFs. Furthermore, the first photochromic MOF-based field-effect transistor, in which the field-effect response could be changed through light exposure, was constructed. As a demonstration, the change in current upon light exposure was sufficient to operate a two-LED fail-safe indicator circuit.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Nanoscale Ferroelectric Control of Novel Electronic States in Layered Two-Dimensional Materials (Final Report)

In this DOE Early Career project “Nanoscale Ferroelectric Control of Novel Electronic States in Layered Two-Dimensional Materials,” the PI’s group has combined ferroelectric field effect with nanoscale domain imaging and writing to design the electronic and optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials, including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides MoS2 and ReS2. The van der Waals materials have been prepared into field effect transistor (FET) devices with ferroelectric gates. Through domain patterning in a ferroelectric polymer PVDF-TrEF top-gate via conductive atomic force microscopy, the team has created programmable Schottky junctions in monolayer MoS 2 , where both barrier height and I-V rectifying polarity can be reconfigured. The transport anisotropy of monolayer to few-layer ReS 2 has been mapped out by defining the entire channel into an insulating state and creating nanoscale conducting paths along different directions through domain writing in the ferroelectric top-gate. The result shows that the conductivity along and perpendicular to the Re-chain can differ by >5.5x10 4 . Theoretical modeling points to the band origin of the transport anomaly and reveals the emergence of a flat band in few-layer ReS 2 . The interfacial epitaxial relation between ReS 2 and PVDF-TrFE further promotes the formation of close-packed, highly ordered PVDF-TrFE nanowires with width of 35 nm and 10 nm. Nonvolatile modulation of quantum Hall effect has been achieved in graphene FETs with a ferroelectric oxide Ba 0.4 Sr 0.6 TiO 3 back-gate. Scattering from the remote surface optical phonon in Ba 0.4 Sr 0.6 TiO 3 limits the room temperature mobility of graphene to be about 3x10 4 cm 2 /Vs. Steep-slope switching has been achieved in MoS 2 FETs back-gated by polycrystalline Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 , which signals a static-state negative capacitance mode without involving an additional dielectric layer. Piezoresponse force microscopy studies show that the sub-threshold swing can be well correlated with the domain wall density in Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 . The team also observes an unconventional filtering effect of the second harmonic generation response at the MoS 2 /Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 heterointerface, which can be accounted for by the alignment between one of the polar axes of MoS 2 and the chiral dipole rotation at the surface of domain wall in Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 . The research supported by this DOE grant has significantly advanced the fundamental understanding and functional design of ferroelectric/2D van der Waals heterostructures for their implementation towards energy applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Infrared Nanoimaging of Hydrogenated Perovskite Nickelate Memristive Devices

Solid-state devices made from correlated oxides, such as perovskite nickelates, are promising for neuromorphic computing by mimicking biological synaptic function. However, comprehending dopant action at the nanoscale poses a formidable challenge to understanding the elementary mechanisms involved. Here, we perform operando infrared nanoimaging of hydrogen-doped correlated perovskite, neodymium nickel oxide (H-NdNiO 3 , H-NNO), devices and reveal how an applied field perturbs dopant distribution at the nanoscale. This perturbation leads to stripe phases of varying conductivity perpendicular to the applied field, which define the macroscale electrical characteristics of the devices. Hyperspectral nano-FTIR imaging in conjunction with density functional theory calculations unveils a real-space map of multiple vibrational states of H-NNO associated with OH stretching modes and their dependence on the dopant concentration. Moreover, the localization of excess charges induces an out-of-plane lattice expansion in NNO which was confirmed by in situ X-ray diffraction and creates a strain that acts as a barrier against further diffusion. Our results and the techniques presented here hold great potential for the rapidly growing field of memristors and neuromorphic devices wherein nanoscale ion motion is fundamentally responsible for function.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Unconventional ferroelectricity in moiré heterostructures

Although all matter is composed of component particles, these particles can arrange themselves in various ways, giving rise to emergent phenomena that can be surprisingly rich and often cannot be understood by studying only the individual constituents. Discovering and understanding novel forms of emergence in quantum materials, especially in those where multiple degrees of freedom or energy scales are delicately balanced, is of great fundamental interest to condensed matter research. In this work, we report on the surprising observation of emergent ferroelectricity in graphene-based moiré heterostructures. Ferroelectric materials exhibit an electrically-switchable electric dipole, which is usually formed by spatial separation between the averaged centers of positive and negative charge within the unit cell. Based on this, it is difficult to imagine graphene, a material composed only of carbon atoms, exhibiting ferroelectricity. However, in this work, we indeed realize switchable ferroelectricity in Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene sandwiched between two hexagonal boron nitride (BN) layers. By introducing a moiré superlattice potential (via aligning bilayer graphene with the top and/or bottom BN crystals), we observe prominent and robust hysteretic behavior of the graphene resistance with an externally applied out-of-plane displacement field. Our systematic transport measurements reveal rich and striking response as a function of displacement field and electron filling, not previously observed in any 2D systems, and beyond the framework of conventional ferroelectrics. We further directly probe the ferroelectric polarization through a nonlocal monolayer graphene sensor. Our results suggest an unconventional, odd parity electronic ordering in the bilayer graphene/BN moiré system. This emergent moiré ferroelectricity may pave the way for ultrafast, programmable, and atomically thin carbon-based memory devices.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Light Output Fitting Software

Light output response of scintillators is crucial to the utilization of organic scintillators as effective tools in radiation detection and measurement. While the response is a continuous distribution, the light output corresponding to the maximum energy deposition is crucial in effectively understanding and simulating a detector. There are a variety of fits derived in literature that will vary for every detector material. The Light Output Response Fitter, or LORF Program is a python script designed to easily and quickly compute and plot fits for a variety of scintillator light output models. It includes a stopping power library constructed from SRIM including Organic Glass, EJ309, EJ301, Stilbene, EJ276, and their deuterated counterparts by default, with the ability for the user to add custom stopping power libraries. The user is also capable of importing the python package and utilizing its in-built functions as appropriate. Uses for this capability include plotting and computing a model with known parameters.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Pressure-induced charge orders and their postulated coupling to magnetism in hexagonal multiferroic LuFe 2 O 4

Hexagonal LuFe 2 O 4 is a promising charge order (CO) driven multiferroic material with high charge and spin-ordering temperatures. The coexisting charge and spin orders on Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ sites result in magnetoelectric behaviors, but the coupling mechanism between the charge and spin orders remains elusive. Here, by tuning external pressure, we reveal three charge-ordered phases with suggested correlation to magnetic orders in LuFe 2 O 4 : (i) a centrosymmetric incommensurate three-dimensional CO with ferrimagnetism, (ii) a non-centrosymmetric incommensurate quasi-two-dimensional CO with ferrimagnetism, and (iii) a centrosymmetric commensurate CO with antiferromagnetism. Experimental in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements combined with density functional theory calculations suggest that the charge density redistribution caused by pressure-induced compression in the frustrated double-layer [Fe 2 O 4 ] cluster is responsible for the correlated spin-charge phase transitions. The pressure-enhanced effective Coulomb interactions among Fe-Fe bonds drive the frustrated (1/3, 1/3) CO to a less frustrated (1/4, 1/4) CO, which induces the ferrimagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition. Our results not only elucidate the coupling mechanism among charge, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom in LuFe 2 O 4 , but also provide a new way to tune the spin-charge orders in a highly controlled manner.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multiscale embedded printing of engineered human tissue and organ equivalents

Creating tissue and organ equivalents with intricate architectures and multiscale functional feature sizes is the first step toward the reconstruction of transplantable human tissues and organs. Existing embedded ink writing approaches are limited by achievable feature sizes ranging from hundreds of microns to tens of millimeters, which hinders their ability to accurately duplicate structures found in various human tissues and organs. In this study, a multiscale embedded printing (MSEP) strategy is developed, in which a stimuli-responsive yield-stress fluid is applied to facilitate the printing process. A dynamic layer height control method is developed to print the cornea with a smooth surface on the order of microns, which can effectively overcome the layered morphology in conventional extrusion-based three-dimensional bioprinting methods. Since the support bath is sensitive to temperature change, it can be easily removed after printing by tuning the ambient temperature, which facilitates the fabrication of human eyeballs with optic nerves and aortic heart valves with overhanging leaflets on the order of a few millimeters. The thermosensitivity of the support bath also enables the reconstruction of the full-scale human heart on the order of tens of centimeters by on-demand adding support bath materials during printing. Here, the proposed MSEP demonstrates broader printable functional feature sizes ranging from microns to centimeters, providing a viable and reliable technical solution for tissue and organ printing in the future.

3D bioprinting↗

Rigidity‐Driven Structural Isomers in the NaCl–Ga 2 S 3 System: Implications for Energy Storage

Alternative energy sources require the search for innovative materials with promising functionalities. Systems with unusual chemical properties represent an insufficiently explored domain, concealing unexpected features. Using diffraction and Raman spectroscopy over a wide temperature range, supported by first‐principles simulations, a rare phenomenon is unveiled: phase‐dependent chemical interactions between binary components in the NaCl–Ga 2 S 3 system. In this unique occurrence, previously intact binary crystalline species transform upon melting into mixed liquid structural isomers, forming bonds with new partners. The chemical combinatorics appears to be fully reversible for stable crystals and liquids. Despite this, rapidly frozen glasses out of thermodynamic equilibrium remain in a metastable isomeric state, offering remarkable properties, particularly a high room‐temperature Na + conductivity, comparable to the best sodium halide superionic conductors and therefore encouraging for sodium solid‐state batteries and energy applications. A rigidity paradigm is responsible for the observed phenomenon, as the extremely constrained Ga 2 S 3 crystal lattice does not survive viscous flow, breaking up at a short‐range level. The removal of rigidity constraints and dense packing leads to a significant increase in empty space, which is the origin of high sodium diffusivity. Broadly, the rigidity‐driven structural isomerism opens up an inspiring path to the discovery of atypical materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Nano-spectroscopy of excitons in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides

Abstract Excitons play a dominant role in the optoelectronic properties of atomically thin van der Waals (vdW) semiconductors. These excitons are amenable to on-demand engineering with diverse control knobs, including dielectric screening, interlayer hybridization, and moiré potentials. However, external stimuli frequently yield heterogeneous excitonic responses at the nano- and meso-scales, making their spatial characterization with conventional diffraction-limited optics a formidable task. Here, we use a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM) to acquire exciton spectra in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide microcrystals with previously unattainable 20 nm resolution. Our nano-optical data revealed material- and stacking-dependent exciton spectra of MoSe 2 , WSe 2 , and their heterostructures. Furthermore, we extracted the complex dielectric function of these prototypical vdW semiconductors. s-SNOM hyperspectral images uncovered how the dielectric screening modifies excitons at length scales as short as few nanometers. This work paves the way towards understanding and manipulation of excitons in atomically thin layers at the nanoscale.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Boosting the interfacial superionic conduction of halide solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries

Designing highly conductive and (electro)chemical stable inorganic solid electrolytes using cost-effective materials is crucial for developing all-solid-state batteries. Here, we report halide nanocomposite solid electrolytes (HNSEs) ZrO 2 (-ACl)-A 2 ZrCl 6 (A = Li or Na) that demonstrate improved ionic conductivities at 30 °C, from 0.40 to 1.3 mS cm -1 and from 0.011 to 0.11 mS cm -1 for Li + and Na + , respectively, compared to A 2 ZrCl 6 , and improved compatibility with sulfide solid electrolytes. The mechanochemical method employing Li 2 O for the HNSEs synthesis enables the formation of nanostructured networks that promote interfacial superionic conduction. Via density functional theory calculations combined with synchrotron X-ray and 6 Li nuclear magnetic resonance measurements and analyses, we demonstrate that interfacial oxygen-substituted compounds are responsible for the boosted interfacial conduction mechanism. Compared to state-of-the-art Li 2 ZrCl 6 , the fluorinated ZrO 2 -2Li 2 ZrCl 5 F HNSE shows improved high-voltage stability and interfacial compatibility with Li 6 PS 5 Cl and layered lithium transition metal oxide-based positive electrodes without detrimentally affecting Li + conductivity. We also report the assembly and testing of a Li-In||LiNi 0.88 Co 0.11 Mn 0.01 O 2 all-solid-state lab-scale cell operating at 30 °C and 70 MPa and capable of delivering a specific discharge of 115 mAh g -1 after almost 2000 cycles at 400 mA g -1 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A REDUCED ORDER MODELING APPROACH TO PROBABILISTIC CREEP-DAMAGE PREDICTIONS IN FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

This paper introduces a computationally efficient Reduced Order Modeling (ROM) approach for the probabilistic prediction of creep-damage failure. Component-level probabilistic simulations are needed to assess the reliability and safety of high-temperature components. Full-scale probabilistic creep-damage modeling in finite element (FE) approach is computationally expensive requiring many hundreds of simulations to replicate the uncertainty of component failure. To that end, ROM is proposed to minimize the elevated computational cost while controlling the loss of accuracy. It is proposed that full-scale probabilistic simulations can be completed in 1D at a reduced cost, the extremum conditions extracted, and those conditions applied for lower-cost 2D/3D probabilistic simulations of components that capture the mean and uncertainty of failure. The probabilistic Sine-hyperbolic (Sinh) model is selected which in previous work was calibrated to alloy 304 stainless steel. The Sinh model includes probability density functions (pdfs) for test condition (stress and temperature), initial damage (i.e. microstructure), and material properties uncertainty. The Sinh model is programmed into ANSYS finite element software using the USERCREEP.F material subroutine. First, the Sinh model and FE code are subject to verification and validation to ensure the accuracy of the simulations. Numerous Monte Carlo simulations are executed in a 1D model to generate probabilistic creep deformation, damage, and rupture data. This data is analyzed and the probabilistic parameters corresponding to extreme creep response are extracted. The ROM concept is applied where only the extreme conditions are applied in the 2D probabilistic prediction of a component. The probabilistic predictions between the 1D and 2D geometry is compared to assess ROM for creep. The accuracy of the probabilistic prediction employing the ROM approach will potentially reduce the time and cost of simulating complex engineering systems. Future studies will introduce multi-stage Sinh, stochasticity, and spatial uncertainty for improved prediction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Elucidating the Microscale Behavior and Phase Separation Kinetics of Thermally Responsive Ionic Liquid–Water Mixtures

Thermally responsive ionic liquids (ILs) exhibit liquid-liquid phase separation into a water-rich (WR) and ionic-liquid-rich (ILR) phase when heated above a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). This phase behavior has been leveraged for applications ranging from forward osmosis (FO) desalination, where the IL acts as a draw solute, to refrigeration and dehumidification cycles, where the IL acts as a liquid desiccant. While significant effort has been devoted to characterizing the thermodynamic and thermophysical properties of LCST ILs, their phase separation kinetics have not been investigated. In this work, we describe the macroscale phase separation kinetics (phase separation time) by gleaning insight into the microscale colloidal behavior of aqueous mixtures of four different materials, P 4444 TFA (tetrabutylphosphonium-2,4-trifluoroacetate), P 4444 DMBS (tetrabutylphosphonium-2,4-dimethyl-benzenesulfonate), N 4444 Sal (tetrabutylammonium salicylate), and P 4444 Sal (tetrabutylphosphonium salicylate) as a function of IL concentration at a separation temperature of 70 °C. We report the discontinuous microscale size distributions for each material and correlate their theoretical settling velocities to experimental phase separation times. The results indicate that a simple Stokes' law model can predict the phase separation time within reasonable accuracy. Overall, this work lays the foundation for understanding the micro- to macroscale phase separation behavior and kinetics of LCST ILs for various water-energy applications.

LCST↗

Charge-transfer satellites and chemical bonding in photoemission and x-ray absorption of SrTi O 3 and rutile Ti O 2 : Experiment and first-principles theory with general application to spectroscopic analysis

First-principles, real-time-cumulant, and Bethe-Salpeter-equation calculations fully capture the detailed satellite structure that occurs in response to the sudden creation of the core hole in both photoemission and x-ray absorption spectra of the transition-metal compounds SrTi O 3 and rutile Ti O 2 . Analysis of the excited-state, real-space charge-density fluctuations betrays the physical nature of these many electron excitations that are shown to reflect the materials’ solid-state electronic structure and chemical bonding. This first-principles development of the cumulant-based core hole spectral function is generally applicable to other systems and should become a standard tool for all similar spectroscopic analysis going beyond the quasiparticle physics of the photoelectric effect.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Simulation of Isotopic Concentrations and Gamma Spectra from Dynamic Fission Sources

A tool was developed to rapidly generate synthetic gamma-ray spectra to evaluate safeguards material control and accounting methods for liquid-fueled molten salt reactors. Molten salt reactor operations pose unique challenges to nuclear safeguards methods and protocols compared to deployed reactors designs (e.g., light water reactors). This research evaluates the use of gamma-ray spectroscopy to monitor fission product isotopic flow through a reactor model to understand expected operations and investigate changes to the spectra with material diversion scenarios. The large design space of molten salt reactors (e.g., liquid-fueled, liquid-cooled, online separations) could potentially lead to many measurement points within the reactor system. The developed analytical tool generates and evaluates synthetic gamma-ray spectra from dynamic reactor simulations by extracting isotopic inventory to generate source terms. An implementation in the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) Application Program Interface (API) uses the source terms, a model of the reactor component, a detector response function, and measurement plan to quickly generate and analyze spectra. Prospective measurements are then evaluated in the more accurate but slower Geant4 simulations. Utilization of the developed modeling tool and analysis of the subsequent spectra enables optimization of collimation, shielding requirements, and expected count rates that are used to determine key measurement points in the modeled reactor design.

O'Brien, Sean↗

ExaCA v2.0: A versatile, scalable, and performance portable cellular automata application for additive manufacturing solidification

The previously established ExaCA software for performance portable alloy grain structure simulation has been updated to better represent the solidification behavior during complex alloy processing conditions, such as those encountered during metal additive manufacturing (AM), and for improved performance and scalability. Here, an extension to the time–temperature history input data format and the core ExaCA algorithm to include an arbitrary number of melting and solidification events yielded improved prediction of texture for various melt pool geometries, expanding the range of AM-relevant conditions that can be accurately simulated. Improved heat transport process simulation coupling, including the creation of large raster datasets from single track time–temperature history data and in-memory coupling with the new, performance portable finite difference code Finch, were also demonstrated in example studies on the effect of multilayer AM microstructure predictions on hatch spacing and cell size, respectively. Additional new features are detailed and demonstrated, including the ability to perform simulations using various interfacial response function forms, execute simulations on state-of-the-art hardware, improved usability through post-processing versatility, and improved strong and weak scaling performance. The performance, physics, and versatility improvements demonstrated here will further enable large-scale studies on AM process–microstructure relationships that were not previously possible. Furthermore, the usability improvements and ability to run coupled AM process–microstructure simulations using the Finch-ExaCA workflow will facilitate broader use of this open-source software by the computational materials community.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗