{"title":"Investigation on characteristics of the graphene film on various crystal planes of polycrystalline aluminum nitride","authors":"Jiahao Wang, Lipiao Bao, Jianxun Xu, Xing Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0747-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0747-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Graphene has attracted significant attention for its excellent electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, its quality is strongly influenced by substrate crystal structure. Preparing graphene on non-metallic substrates, especially polycrystalline ones, remains challenging due to limited understanding of growth mechanisms and crystal face effects. This work reported the efficient growth of graphene films on polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates using the scanning electromagnetic induction (SEMI) technology and further investigated structural characteristics of graphene on different crystal planes of the substrate. Large-area and high-coverage graphene films were directly grown on c- and m-planes of AlN. Confocal SEM–Raman analysis revealed the crystal plane-related interface coupling phenomenon: the 2D peak of graphene grown on the c-plane showed an obvious red shift to approximately 2684 cm<sup>−1</sup>, indicating stronger coupling and greater compressive strain at the interface between the c-plane AlN and graphene. This work provides a reliable method to <i>in-situ</i> investigate behaviors of graphene on various crystal facets. The results reveal characteristics of graphene on different AlN crystal planes, which is believed to provide important information for applications on graphene–AlN devices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145730254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fabrication and characterization of photochromic microencapsulated phase change materials with highly cross-linked polyurethane shell coated by nano-TiO2","authors":"Hang Zhang, Shuhui Liu, Xingxiang Zhang, Wei Li","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0743-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0743-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A new method of incorporating nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>) particles onto the shell of photochromic microencapsulated phase change materials was introduced, in order to address issues of easy degradation of photochromic dyes’ core components caused by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and residual organic emulsifiers. Using nano-TiO<sub>2</sub> as the Pickering emulsion stabilizer and cross-linked polyurethane as the shell material, a composite protective structure was constructed to encapsulate core materials with phase-change and photochromic properties, thereby forming photochromic phase change microcapsules (TPT-MPCMs) with UV protection and thermal insulation. Characterization results show that the core–shell structured TPT-MPCMs possessed high light transmittance, with a particle size of 5–15 µm and a latent heat of 116.2 J·g<sup>−1</sup>. The highly cross-linked shell formed by xylitol and isophorone diisocyanate effectively protected the core from thermal degradation up to 180 °C, while the nano-TiO<sub>2</sub> shell surface allowed maintaining the UV responsiveness of microcapsules after exposure to intense UV irradiation for 5 h. This strategy significantly improves the long-term stability and service life of photochromic microcapsules under harsh environments, opening up broad prospects for their applications in fields such as outdoor anti-counterfeiting labels, intelligent temperature-controlled coatings, and multifunctional smart textiles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145675448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ilya L. Mallphanov, Ivan S. Proskurkin, Alexander V. Sychev, Anastasia I. Lavrova
{"title":"Chemomechanical self-oscillating gels driven by redox oscillations of terpyridine-based iron complexes as materials for soft actuators","authors":"Ilya L. Mallphanov, Ivan S. Proskurkin, Alexander V. Sychev, Anastasia I. Lavrova","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0748-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0748-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Self-oscillating chemomechanical redox-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels containing terpyridine-iron complexes were developed. Two types of gels containing the complexes as pendant groups or as cross-linking agents were designed and prepared. All the obtained gels exhibited pronounced chemomechanical oscillations resulting from the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction within their structure. They periodically swelled and contracted upon oxidation and reduction of the terpyridine–iron complex under mild conditions and at low mineral acid concentrations. The periodic changes in linear dimensions of the gels reached 17%. It was found that the propagating chemical wave moved along the cylindrical gel causing autonomous peristaltic motion due to local swelling. Based on the obtained gel, a lever-type actuator was created demonstrating periodic lifting of the lever. The gels were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, and the dependence of their structure and chemomechanical properties on the catalyst concentration was investigated. These gels hold great promise for creating soft and self-moving muscle-like actuators, devices capable of transmitting and interpreting signals through traveling chemical waves, and sensor systems that respond to changes in oxidation-reduction states.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145675449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wenyue Jiang, Xue Yang, M. D. Mahbubur Rahman, Tong Weng
{"title":"Preparation and synthesis mechanism of highly efficient thermal insulation SiO2 aerogels","authors":"Wenyue Jiang, Xue Yang, M. D. Mahbubur Rahman, Tong Weng","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0746-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0746-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Silica (SiO<sub>2</sub>) aerogels have excellent physical and thermal properties with high-performance and broad application prospects. In order to obtain SiO<sub>2</sub> aerogels with high thermal insulation performance and explore key process parameters of their preparation, SiO<sub>2</sub> aerogels were prepared via combining sol–gel and freeze-drying processes using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the precursor. Effects of the pH value and the content of deionized water (DIW) on the microstructures and thermal properties of the SiO<sub>2</sub> aerogel were systematically investigated. Results showed that when the pH was 8.0 and the molar ratio of TEOS to DIW was 1:7, the SiO<sub>2</sub> aerogel had the best structure and the lowest thermal conductivity, exhibiting the best thermal insulation effect. In addition, the synthesis mechanism of such sol–gel freeze-dried SiO<sub>2</sub> aerogels was analyzed in depth, and the structural evolution process was also described. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the controllable preparation and process design of SiO<sub>2</sub> aerogels in the future, and has certain guiding significance for promoting their application in the field of efficient thermal insulation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145675032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Silver ion-catalysis synthesized protein imprinted polyacrylamide/calcium alginate hydrogel film with high adsorption, recognition, and antibacterial properties","authors":"Yixin Li, Yuansheng Lin, Zhihui Han, Minglin Wang, Xianmei Ma, Congcong Liu, Zhilong Guo, Kongyin Zhao, Bohong Kan","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0744-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0744-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To address critical challenges of protein template denaturation caused by intense exothermicity and prolonged reaction time when using the traditional protein molecular imprinting technology, a novel imprinting strategy was proposed. This study successfully achieved the rapid and controllable <i>in-situ</i> synthesis of polyacrylamide/calcium alginate (PAM/CaAlg) hydrogel films under near-ambient temperature conditions, employing a silver ions (Ag<sup>+</sup>)-catalyzed ammonium persulfate–sodium bisulfite redox system with acrylamide (AM) as the monomer, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the crosslinker, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the template. The optimized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) films demonstrated substantial enhancement of the BSA adsorption capacity following the removal of templates, reaching a maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity (<i>Q</i><sub>e</sub>) of 50.4 mg·g<sup>−1</sup> while maintaining a stable imprinting efficiency (IE) of 2.7. Competitive adsorption experiments verified the exceptional selectivity of MIP films towards the BSA recognition. Additionally, the incorporation of Ag<sup>+</sup> ions endowed both MIP and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) films with remarkable antibacterial properties. This work establishes a straightforward and effective methodology for developing advanced protein-imprinted hydrogels that simultaneously exhibit high adsorption capacity, superior selectivity, and significant antibacterial activity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145675488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Overcoming the trade-off between curing temperature and conductivity for high-performance conductive silver pastes","authors":"Daqian Li, Jingyan Yuan, Liangyong Chu, Liming Shen, Zhen Huang, Lingjie Zhang, Ningzhong Bao","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0733-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0733-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The demand for low-temperature cured conductive silver pastes increases rapidly due to the development of advanced electronic fields, such as flexible electronics. Lowering curing temperatures of conductive silver pastes is generally realized using low-boiling-point solvents. However, such solvents have a low viscosity, leading to the sedimentation of the conductive phase. Increasing the content of the highly viscous binder phase helps solve this issue, but it will lower the electric conductivity. Herein, the trade-off between curing temperature and conductivity of conductive silver pastes was overcome by applying nano-silver particles as the sedimentation inhibitor while bifunctional epoxidized cardol (E-Cardol), with flexible C<sub>15</sub> side chains that can significantly enhance the toughness, as the binder. Experiments were performed to determine chemical compositions, reveal morphologies, and measure conductive resistivity values. Conductive silver pastes with a curing temperature of 140 °C and a silver content of 65 wt.% were fabricated, exhibiting a resistivity of 3.10 × 10<sup>−5</sup> Ω·cm, comparable to that of conventional low-temperature cured silver pastes with the silver content of 80 wt.%. Moreover, this silver paste also exhibited excellent adhesion performance and enhanced anti-folding property.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145456260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sai Che, Na Ta, Jiahao Yang, Fan Yang, Yongfeng Li
{"title":"Dual metal selenides CoSe/MoSe2 heterojunction enwrapped in single-atomic-Co doped carbon for electrocatalytic water splitting","authors":"Sai Che, Na Ta, Jiahao Yang, Fan Yang, Yongfeng Li","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0741-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0741-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A novel bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting was constructed with the CoSe/MoSe<sub>2</sub> heterojunction encapsulated within a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (Co<sub>1</sub>Mo<sub>2</sub>Se/Co-N-C). This catalyst was synthesized via a facile one-step high-temperature calcination process. By optimizing the molar ratio of <i>n</i>(Co)/<i>n</i>(Mo) and the calcination temperature, a unique architecture was achieved featuring uniformly dispersed nanoparticles, well-defined heterointerfaces, and isolated Co atoms embedded in the carbon layer. Such structural features facilitated efficient transfer of electrons and maximized exposure of active sites. Electrochemical evaluations in 1.0 mol·L<sup>−1</sup> KOH demonstrated that Co<sub>1</sub>Mo<sub>2</sub>Se/Co-N-C exhibited excellent hydrogen evolution reaction performance, requiring an overpotential of only 63 mV to reach 10 mA·cm<sup>−2</sup> with a Tafel slope of 60 mV·dec<sup>−1</sup>, comparable to that of commercial Pt/C. For oxygen evolution reaction, the catalyst achieved an overpotential of 328 mV at 10 mA·cm<sup>−2</sup> and a Tafel slope of 97 mV·dec<sup>−1</sup>. Furthermore, a full water splitting cell based on this catalyst reached 10 mA·cm<sup>−2</sup> at an applied voltage of 1.623 V. These results highlight synergistic effects of the heterojunction and the nitrogen-doped carbon matrix, offering a promising strategy for the sustainable hydrogen production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145352896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Perovskite oxide exsolution process and structure regulation strategy: a review","authors":"Danyang Liu, Dan Lin, Wenwen Yu, Juntao Liu, Hexuan Zhou, Ziyu Zhou, Meixia Lan, Zhimeng Li, Jingang Qi, Lidan Tang, Bing Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0739-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0739-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Traditional surface modification methods such as physical or chemical vapor deposition and impregnation have been widely used to modify perovskite surfaces. However, there is weak interaction between metal nanoparticles (NPs) loaded via these methods and the perovskite oxide support, which may lead to issues such as deactivation during application owing to poor stability, easy agglomeration, and carbon deposition. Exsolution refers to the <i>in-situ</i> growth of NPs on the surface of parent oxides. The presence of NPs increases the number of active sites for the reaction, and NPs exhibit strong interaction with the matrix, showing excellent catalytic performance and high stability. Therefore, in recent years, the field of <i>in-situ</i> exsolution has received extensive attention. Based on this, this paper starts from exsolution phenomena of perovskite oxides, reviews existing exsolution methods, sorts out structurally regulated exsolution strategies of perovskite oxides in terms of A-site defects, B-site cation dopants, and phase transformation, introduces application fields of the <i>in-situ</i> exsolution, and provides prospect.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145078968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jingrui Chang, Xinyu Wang, Yunhan Huang, Wu Gu, Xuejiao Ma, Bo Lu
{"title":"Recent advances in crosslinking strategies for designing self-healing hydrogels in biomedical applications: a review","authors":"Jingrui Chang, Xinyu Wang, Yunhan Huang, Wu Gu, Xuejiao Ma, Bo Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0740-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0740-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conventional hydrogels exhibit good performance in various biomedical applications. They consist of a three-dimensional network with porous structures that are constructed from synthetic or natural polymers through physical or chemical cross-linking. However, a critical challenge lies in their vulnerability to mechanical damage, as conventional hydrogels often fail to maintain structural integrity under minor trauma. In response to this issue, self-healing hydrogels can autonomously repair themselves after damage, restoring their original functionality without needing external intervention. This remarkable capability significantly extends the lifespan of critical products, including wound dressings, biosensors, drug delivery and tissue engineering scaffolds. This review summarizes the synthesis mechanisms while emphasizing the latest application research advancements. By highlighting the distinct benefits of self-healing hydrogels, we systematically review recent progress in synthesis methods. Our goal is to provide valuable insights that will help researchers in designing and developing more efficient self-healing hydrogels, paving the way for enhanced biomedical solutions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145078969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Manufacturing methods, bonding mechanisms, and mechanical properties of titanium/steel clad plates","authors":"Qianqian Luan, Jinhua Liu, Xiangsheng Xia, Qiang Chen, Weijun He, Zejun Chen","doi":"10.1007/s11706-025-0723-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11706-025-0723-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Titanium (Ti)/steel clad plates, combining corrosion resistance of titanium with high strength of steel, are critical for applications in petroleum, aerospace, and pressure vessels. This paper comprehensively reviews four manufacturing methods: explosive bonding, roll bonding, explosive-roll bonding, and diffusion bonding detailing their advantages, limitations, and mechanisms. Explosive bonding forms a wavy interface with high strength but faces challenges in process control. Roll bonding ensures dimensional precision but suffers from weakened interfaces due to brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Explosive-roll bonding balances efficiency and quality, yet risks IMCs regrowth during reheating. Diffusion bonding minimizes deformation but requires prolonged processing. Analysis of elemental diffusion and compound formation reveals that coexisting TiC and Fe–Ti IMCs degrade interfacial strength, while interlayers effectively suppress brittle phases. Experimental results highlight that rolling temperatures and interlayer selection critically influence shear strength and tensile properties. The corrugated-flat rolling (CFR) technique enhances mechanical interlocking and diffusion, achieving superior interface bonding strength. Future research should prioritize optimizing process parameters to control IMCs, developing eco-friendly methods, and revealing dynamic interface evolution to research high-performance and large-scale titanium/steel clad plates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":572,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Materials Science","volume":"19 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145078967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}