Science and Technology of Advanced Materials

Many artificial molecular machines have been synthesized, and various functions have been expressed by changing their molecular conformations. However, their structures are still simple compared with those of biomolecular machines, and more energy is required to control them. To design artificial molecular machines with more complex structures and higher functionality, it is necessary to combine molecular machines with simple movements such as components. This means that the motion of individual molecular machines must be precisely controlled and observed in various environments...

Photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) tandem system has been considered as an effective way to fully utilize the solar spectrum, and has been demonstrated in a perovskite solar cell (PSC)-thermoelectric (TE) configuration. However, the conventional PSC-TE tandem architecture cannot convert infrared light transmitted through the upper PSC into heat effectively, impeding the heat-electricity conversion of TE devices. Herein, a semi-transparent PSC-photothermal-TE tandem system is designed for improved photothermal utilization...

It is of great significance to grasp the role of surface topography in de-icing, which however remains unclear yet. Herein, four textured surfaces are developed by regulating surface topography while keeping surface chemistry and material constituents same. Specifically, nano-textures are maintained and micro-textures are gradually enlarged. The resultant ice adhesion strength is proportional to a topography parameter, i.e. areal fraction of the micro-textures, owing to the localized bonding strengthening, which is verified by ice detachment simulation using finite element method...

Hydrogels are flexible materials that typically accommodate elongation with positive Poisson's ratios. Auxetic property, i.e., the negative Poisson's ratio, of elastic materials can be macroscopically implemented by the structural design of the continuum. We realize it without mold for hydrogel made of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). The complex structural design of auxetic Kirigami is first implemented on the dry CNF film, i.e., so-called nanopaper, by laser processing, and the CNF hydrogel is formed by dipping the film in liquid water...

Microspheres composed of Y-containing materials are effective agents for cancer radioembolization therapy using β-rays. The distribution and dynamics of these microspheres in tissues can be easily determined by providing the microspheres with an imaging function. In addition, the use of quantum dots will enable the detection of microspheres at the individual particle level with high sensitivity. In this study, core - shell quantum dots were bound to chemically modified yttria microspheres under various conditions, and the effect of reaction conditions on the photoluminescence properties of the microspheres was investigated...

Micropatterning of biological surfaces performed via assembly of nano-blocks is an efficient design method for functional materials with complex organic-inorganic architecture. Halloysite clay nanotubes with high aspect ratios and empty lumens have attracted widespread interest for aligned biocompatible composite production. Here, we give our vision of advances in interfacial self-assembly techniques for these natural nanotubes. Highly ordered micropatterns of halloysite, such as coffee rings, regular strips, and concentric circles, can be obtained through high-temperature evaporation-induced self-assembly in a confined space and shear-force brush-induced orientation...

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have received significant attention for use in large-scale energy storage systems (ESSs) because of their long cycle life, flexible capacity, power design, and safety. However, the poor electrochemical activity of the conventionally used carbon felt electrode results in low energy efficiency of the VRFBs and consequently impedes their commercialization. In this study, a carbon felt (CF) electrode with numerous nanopores and robust oxygen-containing functional groups at its edge sites is designed to improve the electrochemical activity of a carbon felt electrode...

The ever-growing use of nature-derived materials creates exciting opportunities for novel development in various therapeutic biomedical applications. Living cells, serving as the foundation of nanoarchitectonics, exhibit remarkable capabilities that enable the development of bioinspired and biomimetic systems, which will be explored in this review. To understand the foundation of this development, we first revisited the anatomy of cells to explore the characteristics of the building blocks of life that is relevant...

The creation of self-healing polymers with superior strength and stretchability from biodegradable materials is attracting increasing attention. In this study, we synthesized new biomass-derived cellulose acetate (CA) derivatives by ring-opening graft polymerization of δ-valerolactone followed by the introduction of ureidopyrimidinone (Upy) groups in the polymer side chains. Due to the semicrystalline aliphatic characteristics of the side chain poly(δ-valerolactone) (PVL) and quadruple hydrogen bonds formed by the Upy groups, the stretchability of the resulting polymers was significantly enhanced...

We report investigations of the magnetic textures in periodic multilayers [Pt(1 nm)/(CoFeB(0.8 nm)/Ru(1.4 nm)]10 using polarised neutron reflectometry (PNR) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The multilayers are known to host skyrmions stabilized by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions induced by broken inversion symmetry and spin-orbit coupling at the asymmetric interfaces. From depth-dependent PNR measurements, we observed well-defined structural features and obtained the layer-resolved magnetization profiles...

The fillers inside a polymer matrix should typically be self-assembled in both the horizontal and vertical directions to obtain 3-dimentional (3D) percolation pathways, whereby the fields of application can be expanded and the properties of organic-inorganic composite films improved. Conventional dielectrophoresis techniques can typically only drive fillers to self-assemble in only one direction. We have devised a one-step dielectrophoresis-driven approach that effectively induces fillers self-assembly along two orthogonal axes, which results in the formation of 3D interconnected T-shaped iron microstructures (3D-T CIP) inside a polymer matrix...

A series of porous organic polymers based on a singlet oxygen generating oxoporphyinogen (' OxP ') has been successfully prepared from a pseudotetrahedral OxP -tetraamine precursor ( OxP(4-NH 2 Bn) 4 ) by its reaction with tetracarboxylic acid dianhydrides under suitable conditions. Of the compounds studied, those containing naphthalene ( OxP-N ) and perylene ( OxP-P ) spacers, respectively, have large surface areas (~530 m2 g-1 ). On the other hand, the derivative with a simple benzene spacer ( OxP-B ) exhibits the best 1 O2 generating capability...

The interaction between diverse nanoarchitectured fullerenes and cells is crucial for biomedical applications. Here, we detailed the preparation of hydrophilic self-assembled fullerenes by the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) method and hydrophilic coating of the materials as a possible vascularization strategy. The interactions of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) with hydrophilic fullerene nanotubes (FNT-P) and hydrophilic fullerene nanowhiskers (FNW-P) were investigated. The average length and diameter of FNT-P were 16 ± 2 μm and 3...

A lightweight AlSiBeTiV high entropy alloy (HEA) powder is synthesized by the ball milling process and is reinforced on SS410 through friction stir processing (FSP). Subsequently, the annealing process is conducted on the processed samples at 450, 600, and 750°C for 120 mins. The grains are refined at 600°C by 23.3% than the processed HEA sample. A higher microhardness of 672 HV is attained on the processed HEA sample annealed at 600°C due to the synergistic effect of FSP and annealing through refined grains...

PtII complexes of π-extended dipyrrolyldiketones were synthesized as anion-responsive π-electronic molecules. The dipyrrolyldiketone PtII complexes exhibited red-shifted absorption and photoluminescence properties. In the solid state, [1 + 1]-type anion complexes formed charge-by-charge ion-pairing assemblies when combined with countercations. Detailed theoretical studies of the packing structures revealed favorable interactions between the planar anion complexes and π-electronic cations...

Cation-based resistance switches have been considered as promising candidates for memory cells and other novel devices. So far, the most accepted switching processes of such devices are based on the formation/rupture of metallic filaments between two electrodes. Although many recent studies have identified the existence of H2 O (and resulting -OH groups) in such devices, their effects on the switching process are still unclear. In the present work, by taking Cu/Ta2 O5 /Pt device as an example, we have theoretically revealed that H ions may dissociate from -OH groups and accumulate onto the Cu filament in amorphous Ta2 O5 ...

  The rapid advancement in intelligent bionics has elevated electronic skin to a pivotal component in bionic robots, enabling swift responses to diverse external stimuli. Combining wearable touch sensors with IoT technology lays the groundwork for achieving the versatile functionality of electronic skin. However, most current touch sensors rely on capacitive layer deformations induced by pressure, leading to changes in capacitance values. Unfortunately, sensors of this kind often face limitations in practical applications due to their uniform sensing capabilities...

In recent times, there has been a significant surge in research interest surrounding thermo-responsive water-soluble polyacrylamides, primarily due to their intriguing capability to undergo significant solubility changes in water. These polymers exhibit the remarkable ability to shift from a soluble to an insoluble state in response to temperature variations. The capacity of these polymers to dynamically respond to temperature changes opens up exciting avenues for designing smart materials with tunable properties, amplifying their utility across a spectrum of scientific and technological applications...

Already in 2012, Blom et al. reported (Nature Materials 2012, 11 , 882) in semiconducting polymers on a general electron-trap density of ≈3 × 1017 cm-3 , centered at an energy of ≈3.6 eV below vacuum. It was suggested that traps have an extrinsic origin, with the water-oxygen complex [2(H2 O)-O2 ] as a possible candidate, based on its electron affinity. However, further evidence is lacking and the origin of universal electron traps remained elusive. Here, in polymer diodes, the temperature-dependence of reversible electron traps is investigated that develop under bias stress slowly over minutes to a density of 2 × 1017 cm-3 , centered at an energy of 3...

Polymer fabrics are versatile materials used in various fields. Surface modification methods for hydrophobic polymer fibers have been developed to endow the materials with water wettability and functionality. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to freely introduce functional groups to polymer fiber surfaces in a simple manner. Herein, we report the decoration of nonwoven fabric surfaces with azidated cello-oligosaccharide assemblies via molecular self-assembly. Cello-oligosaccharides with a terminal azido group were enzymatically synthesized and allowed to self-assemble in polyolefin, polyester, and vinylon nonwoven fabrics...