Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-11DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103279
Xiaoning Xu , Punit Kumar , David H. Cook , Qibin Ye , Binxing Wang , Yuexin Chu , Yong Tian , Yi Li , Robert O. Ritchie
{"title":"Inverse temperature-dependent toughness and exceptional cryogenic damage tolerance in a plain bcc steel","authors":"Xiaoning Xu , Punit Kumar , David H. Cook , Qibin Ye , Binxing Wang , Yuexin Chu , Yong Tian , Yi Li , Robert O. Ritchie","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Steels with the body-centered cubic (<em>bcc</em>) structure suffer low-temperature brittleness due to an inherent ductile-to-brittle transition that inhibits plastic deformation. Strategies to improve the cryogenic toughness generally involve stabilizing a face-centered cubic (<em>fcc</em>) phase to prevent this transition; however, this involves alloying with high concentrations of nickel, cobalt, and chromium, which are expensive and unsustainable due to their high environmental impact, energy-intensive extraction processes, and limited global reserves. Here, we engineered a low-carbon, micro-alloyed steel to possess a dual-phase, ultrafine-grained ferrite/martensite lamellar microstructure. This structure confers an unusual inverse-temperature dependence of impact toughness across a broad temperature range (383 K to 77 K) and exceptional resistance to fracture under both impact and quasi-static loading conditions at cryogenic temperatures (77 K). These properties are achieved through a combination of extrinsic toughening from delamination and crack bridging, as well as intrinsic toughening by interface dislocation-mediated plastic deformation within ferrite and activation of multiscale substructure sliding in martensite. This microstructural design strategy offers a pathway to engineer plain <em>bcc</em> steels with exceptional cryogenic damage tolerance without the addition of expensive and critical elements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103279"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-04DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103268
Jinqiao Liu , Hao Wang , Ranming Niu , Chuanxi Ren , Kevin Sisco , Ying Liu , Zibin Chen , Julie Cairney , Yiu-Wing Mai , Simon Ringer , Xiaozhou Liao
{"title":"Deformation behaviors of dislocation cellular structures in alloys produced by additive manufacturing","authors":"Jinqiao Liu , Hao Wang , Ranming Niu , Chuanxi Ren , Kevin Sisco , Ying Liu , Zibin Chen , Julie Cairney , Yiu-Wing Mai , Simon Ringer , Xiaozhou Liao","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The dislocation cellular structure is a typical microstructural feature in additively manufactured alloys. A persistent debate surrounds how dislocation cellular structures strengthen materials. This study, utilizing in-situ tensile straining transmission electron microscopy, unveils the presence of two distinct types of cell walls, differentiated by the presence or absence of discernible crystallographic misorientations across the cell walls. Cell walls with misorientations act as dislocation sinks and absorb dislocations, whereas cell walls without misorientation hamper dislocation motion by forest dislocation entanglement. These contrasting cell wall–dislocation interaction mechanisms lead to different structural stabilities of cell walls. Cell walls with misorientations tend to maintain their structural integrity during deformation, while cell walls without misorientation are prone to dissolution under high strain. These deformation behaviors suggest that the dislocation cellular structure enforces both dislocation hardening and boundary hardening mechanisms, contingent on the type of dislocation cell walls. This study further demonstrates that by varying additive manufacturing parameters, the fractions of different types of cell walls can be adjusted, thereby enhancing the overall mechanical properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103268"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-04DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103267
Mingxi Li , Maowen Liu , Guodong Li , Zengqian Liu , Fei Fang , Chaoli Ma , Zhefeng Zhang , Robert O. Ritchie , Ruixiao Zheng
{"title":"3-D printed ultrastrong heat-resistant aluminum alloy achieved by bioinspired nanoscale amorphous confinement","authors":"Mingxi Li , Maowen Liu , Guodong Li , Zengqian Liu , Fei Fang , Chaoli Ma , Zhefeng Zhang , Robert O. Ritchie , Ruixiao Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high-temperature applications of aluminum alloys are constrained by their poor thermal stability, high creep susceptibility, and limited strength at elevated temperatures. Traditional dispersion strengthening has encountered inherent limitations in overcoming these challenges. Here, we introduce a bioinspired nanoscale confinement strategy realized by engineering a continuous three-dimensional crystalline-amorphous interpenetrating network structure, reminiscent of those found in natural biological materials. This strategy is implemented in an additively manufactured aluminum alloy, providing stringent spatial confinement that effectively impedes dislocation motion, grain-boundary migration, and atomic diffusion. In addition to good printability, the as-printed alloy achieves ultrahigh strength at room temperature to elevated temperatures, superior creep resistance, and outstanding thermal stability – a synergistic combination of properties that markedly outperforms previously reported materials. This work demonstrates the concept of strengthening materials by utilizing a continuous nanoscale amorphous network, rather than dispersed particles, through harnessing the nanoscale confinement effect inspired by Nature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103267"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-11DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103280
Davide Vacirca , Francesco Bignoli , Andrea Li Bassi , Yuting Dai , Ali Ahmadian , Gregory Abadias , Philippe Djemia , Gerhard Dehm , James P. Best , Matteo Ghidelli
{"title":"Ultrafine CoCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy thin films with high strength, plastic deformability and thermal stability achieved via grain engineering and nanoclustering","authors":"Davide Vacirca , Francesco Bignoli , Andrea Li Bassi , Yuting Dai , Ali Ahmadian , Gregory Abadias , Philippe Djemia , Gerhard Dehm , James P. Best , Matteo Ghidelli","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The design of high-performance structural materials is always pursuing the combination of mutually exclusive properties such as mechanical strength, plasticity and thermal stability. Although high entropy alloys thin films (HEAs-TF) show promising mechanical and thermal properties, the development of novel nanostructures with unique nanoscale features is needed to overcome the strength-plasticity-thermal stability trade-off, going beyond a conventional compositional control. Here, we present a new synthesis route to fabricate ultra-strong, highly plastic, and thermally stable HEAs-TF leveraging the unique capabilities of pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We demonstrate our approach by focusing on CoCrCuFeNi, a model FCC HEA of the original Cantor family. Specifically, we synthetize ultrafine grain structures with controllable size (down to 12 nm) which can be further tailored by post-thermal annealing treatments, resulting in high hardness (11 GPa) and yield strength (2.0 GPa) due to Hall-Petch strengthening, outperforming similar HEAs-TF while maintaining high plasticity (no fracture at 30% strain). Moreover, these ultrafine HEAs-TF shows enhanced thermal stability, grain growth starting at <em>T</em> = 49% of <em>T<sub>m</sub></em> (melting temperature), while maintaining high hardness (9.1 GPa) after annealing for 1 h at 460°C. The PLD-deposited ultrafine HEAs-TF lead to mutual thermodynamic and mechanical stabilization, opening up a new approach for stable, strong and ductile materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103280"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-05DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103270
Jun Liao , Zhiqiang Lin , Chuang Liu
{"title":"Precision uterine mRNA therapy to Restore implantation and fertility","authors":"Jun Liao , Zhiqiang Lin , Chuang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Endometrial dysfunction is a major cause of implantation failure, yet protein-based local therapies are limited by rapid clearance and systemic exposure. A recent study exploits the window of implantation (WOI) to enable integrin-targeted messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery, turning the endometrium into a transient source of therapeutic proteins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103270"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-08DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103205
Yadong Yang , Wanwei Zhao , Guangyao Jin , Ye Hong , Rui Xu
{"title":"Strain-tolerant design of LiFexMn1-xPO4 cathodes: mechanistic insights and practical strategies toward high-performance phosphate batteries","authors":"Yadong Yang , Wanwei Zhao , Guangyao Jin , Ye Hong , Rui Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>LiFe<em><sub>x</sub></em>Mn<sub>1</sub><em><sub>-x</sub></em>PO<sub>4</sub> (LFMP) has emerged as a next-generation cathode material that bridges the cost-effectiveness, safety, and sustainability of LiFePO<sub>4</sub> (LFP) with the higher energy density of nickel-rich layered oxides without reliance on cobalt or nickel. However, the commercialization of LFMP is hindered by its intrinsically low electronic conductivity, one-dimensional tortuous Li<sup>+</sup> diffusion channels, and Mn-induced Jahn-Teller distortions. These factors, compounded by lattice strain during Fe<sup>2+</sup>/Fe<sup>3+</sup> and Mn<sup>2+</sup>/Mn<sup>3+</sup> redox transitions, lead to anisotropic stress, Li<sup>+</sup> transport barriers, increased internal resistance, and rapid capacity fade. This review systematically examines the structural and electrochemical behavior of LFMP across compositions, morphologies, and doping strategies. We analyze operando phase evolution, defect chemistry, and Li<sup>+</sup> migration pathways to elucidate the mechanistic origin of electrochemical fading. Particular emphasis is placed on solid solution stabilization, anti-site defect engineering, and elastic strain modulation via ion substitution and particle miniaturization. We synthesize insights across compositional design (multi-metal doping, Fe/Mn ordering), crystallographic defect control (e.g., anti-site Li<sup>+</sup>/M<sup>2+</sup> engineering), and morphological strategies (strain-accommodated nanoarchitectures), outlining approaches to extend solid-solution regimes and mitigate mechanical degradation. By bridging mechanistic understanding with scalable synthesis techniques, this review proposes a roadmap for the commercialization of LFMP as a strain-resilient, high-voltage cathode suitable for terawatt-scale energy storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103205"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-10DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103271
Mingshen Li , Renguang Liu , Andrew Godfrey , Yiming Niu , Shuyan Zhong , Menghan Ma , Yubin Lan , Jinhan Chen , Kailun Li , Wenjing Zhang , Wei Liu , Xiaoxu Huang , Huajian Gao
{"title":"Grain boundary topology engineering enables crack-free additive manufacturing of tungsten","authors":"Mingshen Li , Renguang Liu , Andrew Godfrey , Yiming Niu , Shuyan Zhong , Menghan Ma , Yubin Lan , Jinhan Chen , Kailun Li , Wenjing Zhang , Wei Liu , Xiaoxu Huang , Huajian Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Additive manufacturing (AM) of tungsten is severely limited by intergranular cracking, rooted in its intrinsic brittleness and coarse solidification microstructure. Here we demonstrate that grain-boundary topology engineering, enabled by multi-cycle local rescanning in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), produces crack-free, high-performance bulk tungsten without extreme preheating or alloying. Controlled thermomechanical cycling introduces well-recovered low-angle dislocation boundaries that progressively reconstruct straight solidification grain boundaries into a tortuous network rich in large-dihedral-angle triple junctions. Experiments and finite-element modeling reveal that this reconstruction is driven by cyclic high-temperature plasticity beneath the melt pool. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations show that these large-angle triple junctions act as potent crack arrestors, promoting crack-tip blunting and dislocation-mediated plasticity. The resulting tungsten exhibits full density, complete crack suppression, and mechanical properties comparable to wrought material. Our results establish grain-boundary topology engineering as a general design principle for introducing toughness into brittle crystalline materials through deliberate control of boundary network geometry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103271"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toxicity and biosafety optimizing in perovskite nanomaterials","authors":"Yupeng Zhang , Shuang Zhu , Yutong Jin , Haiwei Xu , Zhanjun Gu , Xuesong Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perovskite nanomaterials demonstrate good optoelectronic properties with broad applications in photovoltaics, light emitting diode, and biomedicine. However, their potential biological toxicity poses significant challenges for safe use. This review systematically examines toxicity mechanisms primarily driven by lead ion release, which induces oxidative stress, DNA damage, and organ-specific pathological changes across respiratory, cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, and neural systems. Additionally, the toxicity of lead-free alternatives and organic cations is discussed. We highlight material engineering strategies such as surface modification, encapsulation, and elemental substitution to mitigate biosafety risks. Furthermore, regulatory frameworks and risk assessment methods are outlined to guide safe deployment. This work aims to bridge the gap between high performance and biosafety, providing critical insights for developing biocompatible perovskite-based technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103264"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-05DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103265
Jinghan Lin , Yining Zhu , Leonardo Cheng , Christine Wei , Jiayuan Kong , Joseph Choy , Xiaoya Lu , Di Yu , Jingyao Ma , Xiang Liu , Yunhe Su , Sareena Naganand , Claire Gueguen , Quentin Huaulme , Pauline Urquia , Hai-Quan Mao
{"title":"Imidazolium lipid-based nanoparticles enable effective mRNA delivery and cellular immune response","authors":"Jinghan Lin , Yining Zhu , Leonardo Cheng , Christine Wei , Jiayuan Kong , Joseph Choy , Xiaoya Lu , Di Yu , Jingyao Ma , Xiang Liu , Yunhe Su , Sareena Naganand , Claire Gueguen , Quentin Huaulme , Pauline Urquia , Hai-Quan Mao","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Imidazolium LipidBrick® cationic lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) provide a pH-independent alternative to conventional ionizable systems for nucleic acid delivery. Through a high-throughput screen of 1,944 formulations spanning eight imidazolium cores, three helper lipids, and varying PEG densities, we found that more than half of the library outperformed the clinical ionizable benchmark ALC-0315 in multiple representative mammalian cell types. Top-performing candidates showed robust cellular uptake, efficient endosomal escape, and strong transgene expression both <em>in vitro</em> and following intramuscular administration. A lead formulation (C3 LNP), incorporating an imidazolium lipid core bearing a hydroxyethyl substituent, with 30 mol% DOPE, achieved comparable intramuscular luciferase expression and antibody titers to ALC-0315, while eliciting ∼ 3-fold stronger ovalbumin-specific IFN-γ<sup>+</sup> T-cell responses and maintaining low cytotoxicity. Machine-learning analysis of the dataset further distilled transferable design rules to inform future formulation strategies. Collectively, these findings establish cationic LipidBrick® LNPs as a versatile platform for mRNA delivery, offering a generalizable framework for the high-throughput discovery of ionization-independent systems that effectively prime adaptive immune responses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103265"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials TodayPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-03-06DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103269
Ke Wang , Maosen Wang , Wei Wei , Bo Hao , Mengqin Liu , Qiaochao Xiang , Xin Zhou , Qiang Hou , Yue Sun , Zengwei Zhu , Sheng Li , Yuefeng Nie , Zhixiang Shi
{"title":"Pauli-limited upper critical field and anisotropic depairing effect of La2.82Sr0.18Ni2O7 superconducting thin film","authors":"Ke Wang , Maosen Wang , Wei Wei , Bo Hao , Mengqin Liu , Qiaochao Xiang , Xin Zhou , Qiang Hou , Yue Sun , Zengwei Zhu , Sheng Li , Yuefeng Nie , Zhixiang Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.103269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigate the upper critical field and superconducting anisotropy of epitaxial La<sub>2.82</sub>Sr<sub>0.18</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> thin films, which show a sharp superconducting transition at <span><math><mrow><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>c</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>31.6</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>K</mi></mrow></math></span>. Near <span><math><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>c</mi></msub></math></span>, superconductivity exhibits thickness-limited two-dimensional characteristics. Upon cooling, the out-of-plane coherence length <span><math><msub><mi>ξ</mi><mi>c</mi></msub></math></span> decreases below the sample thickness of ∼ 6 nm, corresponding to a 3-unit-cell film, indicating a crossover to intrinsic three-dimensional bulk superconductivity. High-field transport measurements reveal large upper critical fields with a small anisotropy ratio <span><math><msubsup><mrow><mi>γ</mi><mo>=</mo><mi>H</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>c</mi><mn>2</mn></mrow><mrow><mi>ab</mi></mrow></msubsup></math></span>/<span><math><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mrow><mi>c</mi><mn>2</mn></mrow><mi>c</mi></msubsup></math></span> <span><math><mrow><mo>≈</mo><mn>1.34</mn></mrow></math></span>, comparable to bulk Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates. At low temperatures, the in-plane (<em>ab</em>) upper critical field <span><math><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mrow><mi>c</mi><mn>2</mn></mrow><mrow><mi>ab</mi></mrow></msubsup></math></span> is strongly suppressed by spin-paramagnetic pair breaking and approaches the Pauli limit (<span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mrow><msub><mi>c</mi><mn>2</mn></msub></mrow><mrow><mi>P</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>u</mi><mi>l</mi><mi>i</mi></mrow></msubsup><mo>=</mo><mn>58</mn><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span>), while <span><math><msubsup><mi>H</mi><mrow><mi>c</mi><mn>2</mn></mrow><mi>c</mi></msubsup></math></span> remains largely unaffected. This anisotropic Pauli limitation accounts for the reduced upper critical field anisotropy and supports the conclusion that superconductivity in these films is fundamentally three-dimensional bulk like. Our results highlight the essential role of spin-paramagnetic effects in shaping the high-field superconducting phase diagram of Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 103269"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}