Materials Today Physics最新文献

{"title":"Design of ceramic metamaterial with high temperature radar-infrared-compatible stealth based on one-step in situ pressureless sintered TiB2/MgAl2O4 ceramics","authors":"Yuzhou Yang ,&nbsp;Zhizhi Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiongzhang Liu ,&nbsp;Chao Geng ,&nbsp;Jiangtao Li ,&nbsp;Peilun Li ,&nbsp;Hui Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Currently, the conflicting underlying physical mechanisms have caused the poor compatibility between radar and infrared (IR) stealth, particularly at high temperatures. Among various materials, the TiB₂/MgAl₂O₄ ceramic metamaterial has long been regarded as an ideal candidate for excellent impedance matching, electromagnetic wave (EMW) attenuation and thermal insulation performance at high temperatures. In this study, the TiB₂/MgAl₂O₄ ceramics were fabricated via a one-step <em>in situ</em> pressureless sintering route, which effectively improved the dispersion of TiB₂ absorbers. A three-dimensional (3D) periodic metamaterial was designed to improve high temperature radar-IR-compatible stealth performance. Results show that the one-step <em>in situ</em> sintering processes can introduce a rather homogenous dispersion of the TiB₂ absorber into the MgAl₂O₄ matrix, increasing the polarization relaxation loss. Representatively, the TiB₂/MgAl₂O₄ ceramic with 15 wt% TiB₂ achieved a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of −19.65 dB at 1.00 mm, 17.91 GHz, and 100 °C. The TiB₂/MgAl₂O₄ ceramic metamaterial maintained reflection loss (RL) below −15 dB across the entire Ku band from 25 to 700 °C, which is attributed to the synergistic effects of impedance matching, conductive loss, polarization loss, and resonant loss. Moreover, the aerogel-based TiB₂/MgAl₂O₄ ceramic metamaterial exhibited a thermal insulation of 685.80 °C under a 1200 °C thermal load for 810 s, highlighting its potential for IR stealth applications. This study offers an engineerable solution for radar-IR-compatible stealth materials under extremely thermal environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 102110"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147851888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nanoparticle segmentation in electron microscopy images: From systematic dataset preparation to deep generative augmentation","authors":"Varun Ajith ,&nbsp;Anindya Pal ,&nbsp;Piyali Chatterjee,&nbsp;Amit Kumar Chakraborty,&nbsp;Sayantari Ghosh","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on nanomaterials depend largely on the accurate characterization of nanoparticles by electron microscopy (EM) images. Low image contrast, complicated particle geometries, and the scarcity of labeled data make automation in this endeavor extremely difficult. While manual labeling takes a lot of time and effort, traditional deep learning models usually require big datasets in order to function reliably. In order to overcome these drawbacks, we propose a three-phase deep learning architecture that can accurately segment data with only few supervised samples. We use a small dataset of 20 micrographs of WO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> nanoparticles acquired by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), to create our own dataset, and train the proposed model in the first phase. Despite this small dataset, the model effectively learns to focus on morphologically significant nanoparticle structures while suppressing background noise and imaging artifacts. In the second phase, the trained segmentation model is integrated into a CycleGAN-inspired generative framework to synthesize realistic EM image–mask pairs that reflect the morphological diversity and complexity of actual samples. Finally, these synthetic samples are actively incorporated into the training phase, augmenting the original dataset and substantially improving segmentation performance. By embedding this data generation directly into the learning pipeline, our method achieves robust, morphologically accurate segmentation even in scenarios of extreme data scarcity. Experimental validations confirm notable performance gains, especially for complex particle morphologies with limited ground truth annotations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 102111"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147851936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interfacial atomic-asymmetry induced z-spin and enhanced spin–orbit torque for all-electrical magnetization manipulation","authors":"Mingzhang Wei ,&nbsp;Ziji Shao ,&nbsp;Xinyu Shu ,&nbsp;Yingmei Zhu ,&nbsp;Shiqi Liu ,&nbsp;Menghao Jin ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Chen ,&nbsp;Liang Liu ,&nbsp;Zhongshu Feng ,&nbsp;Xiaofeng Han ,&nbsp;Haodong Fan ,&nbsp;Changqiu Yu ,&nbsp;Jiahong Wen ,&nbsp;Bo Liu ,&nbsp;Tiejun Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ever-growing demand for high-density and low-power magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) stimulates intensive efforts toward all-electrical manipulation of perpendicular magnetization through spin orbit torque (SOT). Although the perpendicularly magnetized W/CoFeB/MgO that possesses high-density potential is compatible to the back-end-of-line processes, field-free switching via SOT, while maintaining CMOS compatibility and wafter-level uniformity, remains challenging. Here, a robust field-free switching (FFS) with enhanced SOT and perpendicular anisotropy in <em>β</em>-W/CoFeB heterostructures are demonstrated through interfacing with atomically-asymmetric layer of Gd_100-xPt_x between <em>β</em>-W and CoFeB. FFS is observed over composition range of x = 20–50 and FFS ratio peaks at x = 30 (Gd₇₀Pt₃₀) with a value of 84%. Ab Initio Random Structure Searching reveals an atomic-level asymmetry in the interface-confined <em>Pm′</em> phase of Gd₇₀Pt₃₀ that is able to generate out-of-plane spin polarization (z-spin) and induces FFS. Thickness-dependent measurements show that the effective perpendicular anisotropy energy <em>K</em>_eff first increases by a factor of ∼3.5 at 0.3 nm Gd₇₀Pt₃₀ and then decreases until the PMA vanishes as Gd₇₀Pt₃₀ ≥ 0.6 nm. FFS occurs over Gd₇₀Pt₃₀ thickness of 0.2-0.5 nm, where PMA is maintained. Moreover, an 85% enhancement of the y-spin Hall conductivity and a σ_z/σ_y of over 20% are observed as the Gd₇₀Pt₃₀ thickness varies. Spin-relaxation analysis attributes the y-spin components to a Dyakonov–Perel-like mechanism, evidenced by the deviation from the conventional proportional scaling between spin and momentum relaxation rates. The significantly enhanced y-spin works synergistically with the sizable z-spin, resulting in a high SOT efficiency that accounts for the observed low switching current density (∼1 × 10⁷ A/cm²) and improved FFS ratio (up to 90%). The simultaneous achievements of improved <em>K</em>_eff, enhanced <em>σ</em>_y and sizable <em>σ</em>_z offers a promising pathway towards high-density and low-power SOT-MRAM applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 102113"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147799736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flexible photonic waveguides and textiles: Materials, fabrication techniques, and emerging applications in wearable sensing","authors":"Muhammad Ali Butt","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102122","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102122","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The integration of photonics with flexible materials has led to the emergence of flexible photonic waveguides and photonic textiles, which are enabling technologies for next-generation wearable sensing systems. These systems combine optical functionality with mechanical compliance, allowing seamless interfacing with the human body and dynamic environments. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the materials used in flexible photonic platforms, including polymers, hydrogels, elastomers, and biodegradable substances, highlighting their optical properties, mechanical behavior, and biocompatibility. Various fabrication techniques such as nanoimprinting, 3D printing, fiber drawing, and roll-to-roll processing are discussed, with an emphasis on their scalability and integration capabilities. The review also explores different waveguide architectures and the incorporation of photonic elements into textiles through weaving and embroidery. The potential of photonic textiles to serve as smart garments with sensing, display, and actuation capabilities is examined. Current challenges such as optical losses, mechanical durability, power integration, and manufacturing scalability are identified. The review concludes by outlining future directions and interdisciplinary strategies needed to overcome these limitations and realize the full potential of flexible photonic systems in real-world wearable applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 102122"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147851889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to ","authors":"Xiaoming Hu, Xin Chen, Jiachang Shui, Peng Zhou, Zeyu Wang, Yawei Li, Matthew Barnett, Zhu He, Guangqiang Li, Xi’an Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102085","url":null,"abstract":"The authors regret &lt;the grant number in the Acknowledgements section was incorrectly stated in the published article","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147726411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to \"Machine-learning potentials for Quantum and Anharmonic Effects in Superconducting LaBeH8\" [Materials Today Physics, DOI: 10.1016/j.mtphys.2025.101939]","authors":"Guiyan Dong, Tian Cui, Zihao Huo, Zhengtao Liu, Wenxuan Chen, Pugeng Hou, Yue-Wen Fang, Defang Duan","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102098","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147681502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disentangling electronic and phononic contributions to high-temperature superconductivity in X2MH6 hydrides","authors":"Feng Zheng ,&nbsp;Shiya Chen ,&nbsp;Zhen Zhang ,&nbsp;Renhai Wang ,&nbsp;Feng Zhang ,&nbsp;Zi-zhong Zhu ,&nbsp;Cai-Zhuang Wang ,&nbsp;Vladimir Antropov ,&nbsp;Yang Sun ,&nbsp;Kai-Ming Ho","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102089","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102089","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the factors that control superconductivity is essential for discovering new superconducting materials using high-throughput elemental substitution. Focusing on the recently predicted ambient-pressure superconducting X₂MH₆ family, we disentangle the phononic and electronic contributions to <em>T</em>_<em>c</em> to determine how isoelectronic substitution alters superconductivity. While substitution affects both phononic and electronic properties, the electronic contribution plays the dominant role in determining <em>T</em>_<em>c</em> in the X₂MH₆ family. We show that the electronic contribution is affected by three key factors: the X–H bond distance, the electron localization function networking value of hydrogen, and the hydrogen-projected density of states at the Fermi level. A combined figure of merit derived from these parameters exhibits a robust correlation with <em>T</em>_<em>c</em> across the family. We further show that pressure produces competing effects on superconductivity: it enhances the electronic contribution by shortening X–H bonds, but simultaneously weaken the phononic contribution by increasing phonon frequencies. The net pressure dependence of <em>T</em>_<em>c</em> therefore results from the balance between these opposing tendencies. By disentangling and analyzing the electronic and phononic mechanisms, this work provides comprehensive insight into superconductivity in X₂MH₆ hydrides and offers practical guidance for designing new high-<em>T</em>_<em>c</em> hydride superconductors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 102089"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147587341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction of MXene/Co/SiO2 microwave-absorbing/thermally insulating flexible fabrics via a dual-growth encapsulation strategy based on magnetic-dielectric synergy","authors":"Bobo Shi ,&nbsp;Zhe Liu ,&nbsp;Siyu Fang ,&nbsp;Yajing Wang ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Feng ,&nbsp;Sicheng Peng ,&nbsp;Xiuchen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102087","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102087","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As electromagnetic interference environments become increasingly complex, addressing electromagnetic pollution and thermal radiation is essential for enhancing military stealth, protecting personnel in specialized industries, and ensuring secure living environments. Most existing thermal insulation materials, such as aerogels, are limited by their thickness and structural stability, restricting their use in textiles. This paper presents a dual-growth encapsulation strategy for creating a hierarchical MXene/Co/SiO₂ (M-C-S) composite structure. We achieve uniform loading and controlled distribution by in situ growth of Co on MXene and by solvothermal synthesis of SiO₂ nanoparticles. This structure leverages the magnetic-dielectric synergy (Synergistic effect of magnetic loss and dielectric loss) of MXene/Co (M − C) and the microscale regulation of SiO₂ to significantly enhance electromagnetic-wave attenuation. The M-C-S reagent achieves RLmin of −22.2 dB at 9.4 GHz. Compared to conventional absorbers, this reagent exhibits outstanding thermal stability. When heated to 920 °C, the M-C-S reagent retains 81.78% of its original mass. Integrating the reagent into textiles enables the fabrication of M-C-S-based flexible materials that combine electromagnetic-wave absorption and thermal-insulation properties. Its multi-level thermal management structure enables a thermal conductivity as low as 0.0595 W/m·K at a thickness of just 0.54 mm, achieving an RL_min of −10.5 dB at 10 GHz. Combining exceptional thermal insulation with up to 90% microwave absorption efficiency, this innovative material surpasses traditional insulating materials. This work develops low-cost, flexible wave-absorbing and thermal-management materials, showing potential for infrared stealth, electromagnetic protection, cryogenic operations, and wearable electronics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 102087"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147587343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The importance of interchain configuration on thermal conductivity in crystalline conjugated polymers","authors":"Xinran Zhang ,&nbsp;Yinglong Hu ,&nbsp;Jian Luo ,&nbsp;Ke Li ,&nbsp;Shuo Wang ,&nbsp;Meiyi Jiang ,&nbsp;Chen Li ,&nbsp;Hao Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102091","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102091","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polymers are integral to flexible and miniaturized electronics, but their inherently low thermal conductivity limits performance in high-power applications. While most efforts focus on enhancing intrachain phonon transport, the influence of interchain configuration remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate thermal transport in twelve crystalline conjugated polymers by engineering interchain configurations (parallel vs. perpendicular) using atomistic simulations. Across all systems, the perpendicular configuration consistently yields higher axial thermal conductivity, with enhancements exceeding a factor of two in some cases. For example, planar poly(p-phenylene) (PPP) exhibits a thermal conductivity of 205.2 ± 11.1 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ in the perpendicular configuration, compared to 119.5 ± 7.5 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ in the parallel arrangement. Mechanistically, a perpendicular interchain configuration with a planar backbone significantly strengthens non-bonded interactions, enhances dihedral ordering, stiffens bonds, and suppresses angular fluctuations. These synergistic effects substantially reduce phonon scattering and increase phonon lifetimes. Overall, this study identifies interchain configuration as a key structural factor governing thermal transport in crystalline conjugated polymers, and provide physical insights and design guidelines for the rational development of high-thermal-conductivity polymers for thermal management applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 102091"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147587340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tailoring X-ray attenuation in tungsten-based nanocomposites via particle morphology, multilayering, and concentration gradients","authors":"Aklilu G. Messele ,&nbsp;Ernest Osei ,&nbsp;Tizazu H. Mekonnen","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102092","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102092","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lightweight, flexible, and lead-free polymer nanocomposites are promising alternatives to conventional metallic shields for X-ray attenuation; however, their performance is strongly governed by filler morphology and mesoscale architecture in addition to composition. Here, tungsten oxide (WO_3-x)–polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites are systematically engineered to elucidate the effects of nanoparticle shape, loading, and graded multilayer designs on X-ray shielding efficiency. Composites incorporating WO_3-x nanorods exhibit substantially higher attenuation than those containing nanoflakes or amorphous particles, achieving ∼120% and ∼70% increases in linear attenuation coefficient at 79 and 120 kV, respectively, at identical filler loadings. This enhancement is attributed to improved packing efficiency, reduced interparticle voids, and more continuous high-Z pathways within the polymer matrix. Increasing nanorod content further improves shielding, with a 50 wt% composite exhibiting a tenth-value layer of ∼0.5 cm at 200 kV. Beyond composition, architectural design plays a critical role: graded multilayer structures exploiting beam-hardening effects simultaneously suppress primary and scattered radiation. An increasing concentration gradient (30 - 40 - 50 wt%) delivers the highest linear attenuation coefficient (∼9.8 cm⁻¹ at 100 kV) while reducing scattered radiation by ∼51%, outperforming reverse-gradient and centrally concentrated configurations despite identical nominal tungsten contents. Comparisons with spectrum-averaged XCOM simulations reveal increasing microstructural contributions at lower photon energies, highlighting limitations of idealized models. Collectively, these results establish particle morphology and concentration gradients as powerful design parameters for next-generation, lightweight, lead-free X-ray shielding nanocomposites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"63 ","pages":"Article 102092"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147598079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}