Materials Today最新文献

{"title":"Supramolecular lipid nanoparticle reprograms tumor microenvironment by cucurbit[7]uril-based host–guest recognition for STING-activating cancer immunotherapy","authors":"Yunxuan Feng ,&nbsp;Yuan Yu ,&nbsp;Xinyang Yu ,&nbsp;Mengyao Li ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Lei ,&nbsp;Yongcan Li ,&nbsp;Zhida Liu ,&nbsp;Shaolong Qi ,&nbsp;Guocan Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.11.029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.11.029","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Targeting cGAS-STING pathway offers opportunities for cancer immunotherapy, whereas the clinical performance in treating solid tumors remains unsatisfactory. Emerging evidence indicates that the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) severely impedes T cell activation, proliferation and infiltration. The diminished immunogenicity of “cold tumor” complicates the cytotoxicity of T cells, and the rapid metabolism of small-molecule STING agonists accelerates their clearance, thus greatly attenuates the antitumor outcomes. Moreover, the accumulation of endogenous polyamines within tumors considerably suppresses cGAS activity and further weakens the therapeutic efficacy of STING-based immunotherapy. To address these challenges, a supramolecular lipid nanoparticle system (MC7-LNP) has been developed to reprogram the immunosuppressive TME and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of STING agonist. MC7-LNP platform simultaneously incorporates MSA-2 and copper ion through host–guest recognition and metal coordination. A modified cucurbit[7]uril-based lipid facilitates the sustained release of MSA-2 in tumor cells and restricts the function of endogenous polyamines. Concurrently, the oxidative stress induced by copper ion contributes to the formation of damaged DNA and damage-associated molecular patterns, markedly boosting the immunogenicity of tumor cells and revitalizing T cell function. In combination with mRNA encoding the immunostimulatory cytokine IL-12, this innovative supramolecular approach dramatically suppresses melanoma progression and evokes a robust cytotoxic T lymphocytes response. Our findings present a promising synergistic modality to amplify the efficacy of STING agonist-based immunotherapy through TME remodeling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 101-114"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015880","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":"Unlocking asymmetric coordination of ferrocyanide ligand through high-spin vacancy for ultra-long lifespan aqueous potassium ion batteries","authors":"Usman Ali ,&nbsp;Qi Zhang ,&nbsp;Maoyu Sun ,&nbsp;Tingting Wang ,&nbsp;Yuehan Hao ,&nbsp;Lu Li ,&nbsp;Chungang Wang ,&nbsp;Bingqiu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aqueous potassium ion batteries (AKIBs) are a fascinating alternative energy source due to their high safety, low cost, and widespread resources. However, the randomly distributed low-spin [Fe(CN)₆]^3-/4- vacancies enhance the instability, lattice strain, and phase transition, causing Prussian blue (PB) to dissolve in the aqueous electrolyte, resulting in poor cyclability and a short lifespan. To constrain these issues, an iron hexacyanoferrate (KFHCF) cathode with high-spin (HS) vacancies is developed through defect engineering. The high-spin vacancies in the KFHCF electrode activate new K-storage sites, enhance the structure stability, and minimize polarization during topotactic K-ions insertion, resulting in excellent rate performance and cyclability for both half cells (10,000 cycles at 500 mA g⁻¹) and full cells (13,500 and 23,500 cycles at 500 mA g⁻¹ and 2000 mA g⁻¹). Theoretical calculations and experimental results uncovered the eccentric coordination of the cyanide ligand and modulation of the electronic environment, which prevented the phase transition owing to these HS vacancies, ultimately improving the K-ion migration and diffusion during the (de)potassiation. This study provides the formation of HS vacancy in PB and offers a novel approach for improving the performance and stability of AKIBs, with potential application to other hexacyanometallates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 358-369"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146016593","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":"Remodeling the immunosuppressive microenvironment of KARS-LKB1 co-mutant non-small cell lung cancer via targeted PGAM5 siRNA delivery for enhanced immunotherapy","authors":"Yongfei Fan ,&nbsp;Meng Li ,&nbsp;Mingjun Li ,&nbsp;Siyu Zhu ,&nbsp;Yani Li ,&nbsp;Xichun Qin ,&nbsp;Jiao Chang ,&nbsp;Yan Li ,&nbsp;Leilei Wu ,&nbsp;Kun Li ,&nbsp;Dong Xie ,&nbsp;Zhongmin Tang ,&nbsp;Jianlin Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2026.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>KRAS–LKB1 (KL) co-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized by an immunologically “cold” tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), and resultantly exhibits intrinsic resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Developing effective strategies to remodel the TIME and overcome ICI resistance remains an urgent clinical need. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) identified PGAM5 as a therapeutic target in patients with KL co-mutant NSCLC. Functional inhibition of PGAM5 suppressed mitochondrial autophagy and promoted necroptosis, thus activating the cGAS–STING pathway in synergy with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor decitabine (DAC). Guided by these findings, we engineered a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) modified with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides (LNP-RGD) to target integrin αvβ3 on tumor cells, enabling co-delivery of mouse Pgam5 siRNA (siPgam5) and DAC (LNP-RGD-DAC). In the Kras^LSL−G12D/+Lkb1^fl/fl (KrasLkb1) genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM), LNP-RGD-DAC achieved efficient intratumoral delivery, robustly inducing necroptosis of the cancer cells and cGAS–STING activation. Notably, such a combinational therapy featuring LNP-RGD-DAC and programmed death-1 (PD-1) blockade has resulted in almost complete tumor regression, accompanied by a progressive increase in tumor infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells, CD11c⁺ dendritic cells (DCs), and NK1.1⁺ natural killer (NK) cells, as well as their activated subsets. This rationally designed lipid nanoparticle system not only enables precise tumor targeting but also achieves efficient and selective co-delivery of nucleic acid and small-molecule drugs, offering a highly translationally promising nanotherapeutic platform to overcome immunotherapy resistance in refractory KL co-mutant NSCLC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 453-472"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015619","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":"Biomimetic additive manufacturing tactile sensing systems: mechanisms, materials, techniques, and prospects","authors":"Jiacheng Wen ,&nbsp;Bingqian Li ,&nbsp;Lei Ren ,&nbsp;Kunyang Wang ,&nbsp;Yongjing Cao ,&nbsp;Luquan Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.11.039","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.11.039","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biological sensing systems exhibit exceptional advantages in sensitivity, multidimensional force decoupling capability, and robustness. However, traditional manufacturing techniques face significant limitations in replicating the hierarchical and heterogeneous microstructures inherent to biological organisms. Additive manufacturing, with its bottom-up material deposition approach—mirroring natural growth processes—has emerged as a transformative tool in<!--> <!-->the<!--> <!-->construction of intricate biomimetic sensing architectures. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the tactile perception mechanisms and architectures of humans, animals, and plants, and<!--> <!-->summarizes<!--> <!-->the biomimetic tactile sensing systems fabricated with additive manufacturing techniques. Then, a comprehensive analysis of materials for biomimetic additive manufacturing tactile sensing systems are summarized. Additionally, typical additive manufacturing techniques utilized in tactile sensing systems are evaluated in terms of their applicability,<!--> <!-->performance, and limitations.<!--> <!-->Subsequently,<!--> <!-->representative research progress in biomimetic additive manufacturing tactile sensing systems across various application domains is summarized. Finally, the challenges and<!--> <!-->future prospects<!--> <!-->for additive manufacturing tactile sensing systems are discussed. In-depth research on biological tactile mechanisms and the optimization of additive manufacturing technologies are proposed<!--> <!-->to address the challenges of current sensing systems,<!--> <!-->providing<!--> <!-->a crucial theoretical basis and practical guidance for designing high-performance tactile sensing systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 711-750"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015628","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":"Design and applications of immunomodulatory microspheres: From material properties to multisystem disease therapies","authors":"Shengwen Cheng ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Luo ,&nbsp;Lijun Yang ,&nbsp;Mingfei Dong ,&nbsp;Wenjing Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinrui Cai ,&nbsp;Xiaole Peng ,&nbsp;Chen Zhao ,&nbsp;João F. Mano ,&nbsp;Wei Huang ,&nbsp;Yiting Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Immunomodulatory microspheres represent an advanced class of biomaterials that function as comprehensive platforms integrating passive drug delivery and active immunoregulatory capabilities. This review synthesizes fundamental design principles—where engineered chemical (e.g., ion release, surface functionalization, redox modulation) and physical (e.g., size, morphology, stiffness) properties synergistically create “immune instruction systems” to reprogram pathological microenvironments. Their transformative applications span multisystem diseases. In orthopedics, microspheres recalibrate macrophage polarization (M1/M2) to resolve osteoarthritis inflammation and promote bone regeneration in osteoporosis. In gynecology, they overcome mucosal barriers to target ectopic lesions in endometriosis and enhance immunotherapy for Premature Ovarian Insufficiency. Moreover, in neurology, they penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB) to mitigate neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. Despite its promise, clinical translation faces challenges, including tissue-specific delivery barriers (e.g., joint clearance, cervical mucus, and BBB penetration) and immune-related safety risks (e.g., cytokine release syndrome). Emerging solutions include stimulus-responsive designs, exosome-microsphere hybrids, and personalized formulations based on immune profiling. Future advancements require scalable manufacturing and long-term safety validation to realize the full potential of these platforms in precision immunotherapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 925-951"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015701","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":"Recent research progress of 4D-STEM from methodology to application in materials science","authors":"Bowen Liu ,&nbsp;Zheng Hu ,&nbsp;Pierre Ruterana ,&nbsp;Ezra J. Olivier ,&nbsp;Lin Gu ,&nbsp;Yi Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.029","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the structural, chemical, and functional properties of materials is essential for advancing performance. Over the past two decades, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has undergone transformative developments, with state-of-the-art imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy establishing it as a cornerstone of materials characterization at the micro- to nanoscale. A key breakthrough has been the advent of pixelated direct electron detectors, which enable the recording of two-dimensional diffraction patterns at each probe position and have given rise to four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM). Analysis of 4D-STEM datasets provides rich information about strain distribution, crystallographic orientation, and variations in electric and magnetic fields across multiple length scales. Moreover, ptychographic reconstruction, achieved by decoupling the electron probe wave functions and specimen object functions, allows retrieval of quantitative phase information with atomic-scale precision, thereby surpassing the resolution limits of conventional TEM. This review summarizes the principles and recent applications of 4D-STEM, encompassing virtual detector imaging, strain and orientation mapping, electromagnetic field measurements, radial distribution function analysis, ptychography, and data acquisition strategies in functional materials. Finally, it highlights the challenges and future opportunities in advancing 4D-STEM toward deeper insights into material properties and the rational design of next-generation materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 906-924"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015650","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":"A Lewis acid-base interactive solid-state electrolyte mediating highly stable lithium deposition and long-cycling solid-state batteries","authors":"Rongjin Lin ,&nbsp;Ming Jiang ,&nbsp;Changyong Zhao ,&nbsp;Runcang Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaofei Yang ,&nbsp;Xuejie Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.11.023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.11.023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) are promising for next-generation energy storage but suffer from lithium dendrite growth and interfacial instability. To tackle these issues, we developed the novel solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) by incorporating lithium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC@Li) into a polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether (PEGDME) matrix (CMC@Li-PEGDME). The ether-oxygen groups in PEGDME act as Lewis bases, dynamically coordinating with Li⁺ (Lewis acid) from CMC@Li to form a solvation structure that enhances Li⁺ transport and stabilizes the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) confirmed the formation of a stable LiF-rich/Li₃N SEI layer. As a result, Li-Li symmetric batteries assembled with designed SSEs achieved stable cycling for over 7200 h with a low overpotential of 125  mV (0.1 mA cm⁻², 0.1 mAh cm⁻²). Even at a higher areal capacity of 1 mAh cm⁻², it still cycled stably for more than 3500 h with a low overpotential of around 153  mV. Moreover, in Li-LFP pouch cells, it delivered 159.9 mAh g⁻¹ initial capacity at 0.2C with 98.21 % average Coulombic efficiency over 100 cycles. This work introduces a Lewis acid-base coordination strategy incorporating a renewable, bio-derived component that simultaneously improves Li⁺ kinetics and interfacial stability, providing a viable path toward high-performance SSLMBs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 61-70"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015749","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":"Energy-resolved color X-ray imaging via stacked ultra-narrowband scintillators for material discrimination","authors":"Pingping Fan ,&nbsp;Mingxing Li ,&nbsp;Xu Zhao ,&nbsp;Wenwu You ,&nbsp;Shuanglai Liu ,&nbsp;Sidan Wang ,&nbsp;Jiacai Li ,&nbsp;Huimin Zhang ,&nbsp;Huafang Zhang ,&nbsp;Gencai Pan ,&nbsp;Yanli Mao","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conventional X-ray imaging, limited to a single grayscale contrast, fails to distinguish materials of similar density. Here, we overcome this fundamental limitation by realizing energy-resolved, color X-ray imaging using a rationally designed stacked scintillator architecture. Our custom-synthesized LuYO₃:RE³⁺ (RE³⁺ = Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺, etc.) phosphors exhibit a record-small emission linewidth and a large Stokes shift, which together effectively suppress interlayer crosstalk and reabsorption—the primary bottleneck in previous scintillator stacking methods. The core of our strategy lies in a bilayer film where the top LuYO₃:Eu³⁺ (red-emitting) layer is engineered to predominantly absorb and convert low-energy X-rays, while the bottom LuYO₃:Tb³⁺ (green-emitting) layer is primarily responsive to high-energy X-rays that penetrate the top layer. This energy-dependent spatial separation of the scintillation process enables a direct mapping of X-ray energy to visible color. In a prototype device, as the incident X-ray energy is varied from 13 to 70 kV, we generate a continuous, perceptible color gradient from red to green. With this device, we demonstrate the ability to unambiguously identify A4 paper, aluminum, and iron sheets in a single exposure. This work establishes powerful platform for material-discriminative radiography, with transformative potential for medical diagnostics, security screening, and industrial inspection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 339-346"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146016573","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":"Quantum-capacitive activation of diazonium-functionalized graphene edges for reversible biosensing","authors":"Jianwei Gao ,&nbsp;Yujia Huang ,&nbsp;Lei Bao ,&nbsp;Andy Jiao ,&nbsp;Yi Li ,&nbsp;Shen Ao ,&nbsp;Honglei Xue ,&nbsp;Xiaofang Kang ,&nbsp;Guangya Jiang ,&nbsp;Wanshuo Gao ,&nbsp;Zhenyu Wang ,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhu ,&nbsp;Jiatong Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunlei Wan ,&nbsp;Grégory F. Schneider ,&nbsp;Wangyang Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Technologies capable of quantitatively detecting various molecules at trace concentrations without the need for external labels or amplification are crucial for early identification of disease biomarkers in medical diagnostics. In this context, label-free field-effect transistor biosensors based on two-dimensional (2D) materials are highly desired for their exceptional sensitivity. However, the instability of non-covalent interface engineering and variations in device performance lead to poor reproducibility, limiting their use in quantitative analysis. To address these challenges, we functionalize only the edges of graphene by protecting its basal plane with a ceramic material and reversibly modifying the edges using diazonium chemistry. Remarkably, the resulting edge-enhanced graphene quantum capacitor (eGQC) exhibits reusability for up to 100 cycles with reproducible working curves. This achievement enables the robust detection of miRNA-21 molecules, a promising biomarker for early cancer diagnosis, at femtomolar concentrations. The sensing response exhibits a standard deviation of only 41% over 100 continuous miRNA detections, significantly outperforming current state-of-the-art graphene biosensor arrays.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 387-395"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146016577","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":"Epitaxial growth of highly stacked SiGe(:B)/Si multilayers without strain relaxation for vertically stacked device applications","authors":"Dongmin Yoon,&nbsp;Seonwoong Jung,&nbsp;Hyerin Shin,&nbsp;Seokmin Oh,&nbsp;Jungwoo Kim,&nbsp;Dae-Hong Ko","doi":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.030","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mattod.2025.12.030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing demand for vertically stacked semiconductor devices has necessitated the fabrication of highly stacked epitaxial multilayers of SiGe/Si without crystalline defects. We propose a scheme that incorporates boron atoms into SiGe layers, yielding SiGe/Si multilayers with misfit-dislocation-free structures and no strain relaxation. The boron atoms are introduced in situ using ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition, obtaining epitaxial multilayers consisting of boron-doped SiGe layers and undoped Si layers. The microstructures and strain states of the multilayers are observed using X-ray diffractometry, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The relaxation thresholds increased with increasing incorporation of boron in both the single layers and multilayers. Incorporation of 0.6 % boron into the Si_0.8Ge_0.2 layers realizes a fully strained 110-period multilayer with a total thickness of 10.6 μm. Based on the kinetically limited critical thickness derived from the single-layer results, we successfully interpret the observed metastability limit in multilayer structures. This physical interpretation explains the substantially higher metastability of boron-doped SiGe/Si multilayers than of their undoped counterparts. This study demonstrates that boron-doping approach clearly enhances the strain retention in high-period multilayers, highlighting its potential in vertically stacked device applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":387,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today","volume":"92 ","pages":"Pages 425-435"},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146016581","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}