Opto-Electronic Advances (光电进展)•2026•DOI: 10.29026/oea.2026.250177
Planar optics offers a compact and versatile platform for manipulating multiple dimensions of light parameters and thus has attracted tremendous interest in high-density data storage, high-security information encryption, and holographic displays. It is still challenging to achieve active functionalities via dynamically operating light-matter interactions inside these planar optics. Here, a polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) is adopted as a tunable one-dimensional chiral superstructure. The bandgap tends to change from a periodic helix to a gradient-pitch configuration under direct current (DC) voltage, and the reflection bandwidth varies from a narrow band of 40 nm to a broad band of 180 nm. Off-axis phase-only holograms of three primary colors are properly k-space engineered via a modified Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm, and recorded into the initial alignments of the CLC by photopatterning. By altering the applied DC voltage, the generated holography actively switches between a monochromatic and polychromatic image. Moreover, spin-selective Bragg-Berry phase encoding in photopatterned superstructures with opposite helicity allows distinct holograms (e.g., "weather sign" and "chameleon") to be independently generated and modulated. This work takes full advantage of soft chiral superstructures for on-demand light control and has great potential in dynamic holography, information encryption, and data storage.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2026•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2026.01.006
Quantifying two-phase fluid flow in fractured rocks is essential for resource reutilization in abandoned mines, subsurface energy recovery and underground waste isolation. This study develops a mathematical framework for predicting the permeability of rough fracture networks by integrating fractal geometry with single-phase and two-phase seepage theory. A permeability model for rough fracture networks is first established, and its sensitivity to key geometric parameters is analyzed. A second model is then formulated to relate water-phase saturation to measurable variables, enabling the estimation of two-phase permeability from Reynolds number and aperture. Model predictions show deviations of less than 10% from numerical simulations for both single-phase and two-phase flow, demonstrating the accuracy and robustness of the proposed approach. The results highlight the dominant roles of fracture number, tortuosity and aperture in controlling permeability, as well as the influence of flow regimes on relative permeability. The proposed framework provides a practical and physically based method for analyzing multiphase seepage in fractured rock and offers a foundation for further applications to field-scale fractured systems.
Nano-Micro Letters•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01990-z
Lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) battery is favored among “beyond lithium-ion” technologies for sustainability because of its exceptional energy density. Major impediments are the poor cycle stability and grievous capacity degradation at high current densities. We address these issues by a “killing two birds with one stone” O2-pressure protocol. It first resolves efficient O2 mass transport at high rates. The accelerated reaction kinetics optimizes the composition and growth pathway of discharge products. This protocol secondly achieves protection of Li anodes via densifying corrosion layers on them. Consequently, the battery delivers both ultrahigh discharge capacity (> 9,000 mAh g−1) at 3,000 mA g−1 and excellent cycling stability. Under a dual-strategy effect of high-pressure O2 and artificial protection layers, the battery actualizes over 11-fold increase in cycle life of 5,170 h (2,585 cycles). The strategy opens avenues for advancing Li-O2 batteries towards practical application and confers the extension to other gas-based batteries.
Nano-Micro Letters•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01978-9
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are among the most cutting-edge catalysts in the multiphase catalysis track due to their unique geometrical and electronic properties, the highest atom utilization efficiency, and uniform active sites. SACs have been facing an unresolved problem in practical applications: the opposing contradiction of activity-stability. The successful development of single-atom nano-islands (SANIs) cleverly combines the ultra-high atom utilization efficiency of SACs with the confinement effect and structural stability of nano-island structures, realizing the “moving but not aggregation” of SACs, which fundamentally solves this inherent contradiction. Although research on the precise loading of single atoms on nano-islands continues to advance, existing reviews have not yet established a closed-loop cognitive framework encompassing “models-synthesis-high stability mechanisms-high activity essence-applications.” This work fills this critical gap by systematically integrating the basic conceptual models and cutting-edge synthesis strategies of SANIs, focusing on revealing the underlying mechanisms by which SANIs overcome the stability bottleneck of SACs, elucidating the role of nano-islands and their synergistic mechanisms to clarify the high activity essence, and establishing the structure–activity relationship between atomic confinement effects and macroscopic performance, ultimately achieving breakthrough validation across catalytic systems. This review aims to open new perspectives, drive a paradigm shift in understanding the multi-dimensional advantages of SANIs, and thereby spur breakthrough progress in this frontier field.
Journal of Central South University•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-026-6201-x
Due to the unique geological structure in the Guizhou region, issues such as stress concentration and inefficient resource utilization efficiency arise during repeated mining of close-distance coal seam. This study focuses on the Longfeng Coal Mine in Guizhou, investigating the evolution of stress arches and abutment pressure distribution under repeated mining conditions through similarity simulations, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis. The study introduces a novel composite stress arch model, which more accurately represents stress evolution under complex mining conditions compared to traditional single arch theories. The model highlights the gradual transformation of a single stress arch into a composite structure, accounting for the increasing complexity of the stress distribution. Based on these evolution characteristics, a mechanical model of composite arches under nonlinear loading was developed. The calculation results and field monitoring data show that after repeated mining, the stop-mining coal pillar width should be optimized between 65 and 70 m. The research reveals the coupling relationship between the evolution of composite arches and the distribution of abutment pressure, which aids in optimizing coal pillar design, enhancing resource recovery rates, and ensuring the stability of roadways and stopes.
Nano-Micro Letters•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01949-0
TiNb2O7 represents an up-and-coming anode material for fast-charging lithium-ion batteries, but its practicalities are severely impeded by slow transfer rates of ionic and electronic especially at the low-temperature conditions. Herein, we introduce crystallographic engineering to enhance structure stability and promote Li+ diffusion kinetics of TiNb2O7 (TNO). The density functional theory computation reveals that Ti4+ is replaced by Sb5+ and Nb5+ in crystal lattices, which can reduce the Li+ diffusion impediment and improve electronic conductivity. Synchrotron radiation X-ray 3D nano-computed tomography and in situ X-ray diffraction measurement confirm the introduction of Sb/Nb alleviates volume expansion during lithiation and delithiation processes, contributing to enhancing structure stability. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra results verify that crystallographic engineering also increases short Nb-O bond length in TNO-Sb/Nb. Accordingly, the TNO-Sb/Nb anode delivers an outstanding capacity retention rate of 89.8% at 10 C after 700 cycles and excellent rate performance (140.4 mAh g−1 at 20 C). Even at −30 °C, TNO-Sb/Nb anode delivers a capacity of 102.6 mAh g−1 with little capacity degeneration for 500 cycles. This work provides guidance for the design of fast-charging batteries at low-temperature condition.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01734-z
As environmental pollutants pose a serious threat to socioeconomic and environmental health, the development of simple, efficient, accurate and cost-effective methods for pollution monitoring and control remains a major challenge, but it is an unavoidable issue. In the past decade, the artificial nanozymes have been widely used for environmental pollutant monitoring and control, because of their low cost, high stability, easy mass production, etc. However, the conventional nanozyme technology faces significant challenges in terms of difficulty in regulating the exposed crystal surface, complex composition, low catalytic activity, etc. In contrast, the emerging single-atom nanozymes (SANs) have attracted much attention in the field of environmental monitoring and control, due to their multiple advantages of atomically dispersed active sites, high atom utilization efficiency, tunable coordination environment, etc. To date, the insufficient efforts have been made to comprehensively characterize the applications of SANs in the monitoring and control of environmental pollutants. Building on the recent advances in the field, this review systematically summarizes the main synthesis methods of SANs and highlights their advances in the monitoring and control of environmental pollutants. Finally, we critically evaluate the limitations and challenges of SANs, and provide the insights into their future prospects for the monitoring and control of environmental pollutants.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01719-y
Urgent requirements of the renewable energy boost the development of stable and clean hydrogen, which could effectively displace fossil fuels in mitigating climate changes. The efficient interconversion of hydrogen and electronic is highly based on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and water electrolysis (PEMWEs). However, the high cost continues to impede large-scale commercialization of both PEMFC and PEMWE technologies, with the expense primarily attributed to noble catalysts serving as a major bottleneck. The reduction of Pt loading in PEMFCs is essential but limited by the oxygen transport resistance in the cathode catalyst layers (CCLs), while the oxygen transport in anode catalyst layers (ACLs) in PEMWEs also being focused as the Ir/IrOx catalyst reduced. The pore structure and the catalyst–ionomer agglomerates play important roles in the oxygen transport process of both PEMFCs and PEMWEs due to the similarity of membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Herein, the oxygen transport mechanism of PEMFCs in pore structure and ionomer thin films in CCLs is systematically reviewed, while state-of-the-art strategies are presented for enhancing oxygen transport and performance through materials and structural design. The deeply research opens avenues for exploring similar key scientific problems in oxygen transport process of PEMWEs and their further development.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01746-9
Diamond, an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor material, is promising for solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors in extreme environments. However, when exposed to high-temperature conditions, diamond photodetector surfaces are unavoidably terminated with oxygen, leading to low photoresponsivity. To address this limitation, single-crystalline diamond nanowires (DNWs) embedded with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were developed using Pt film deposition followed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) homoepitaxial growth. During the CVD, Pt nanoparticles (approximately 20 nm in diameter) undergo dewetting and become uniformly embedded within the single-crystalline DNWs. Photodetectors fabricated with these Pt nanoparticles-embedded DNWs achieve a responsivity of 68.5 A W−1 under 220 nm illumination at room temperature, representing an improvement of approximately 2000 times compared to oxygen-terminated bulk diamond devices. Notably, the responsivity further increases with temperature, reaching an exceptional value of 3098.7 A W−1 at 275 °C. This outstanding performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of the one-dimensional nanowire structure, deep-level defects, the localized surface plasmon resonance effects induced by embedded Pt nanoparticles, and localized Schottky junctions at the Pt/diamond interface, which enhance optical absorption, carrier generation, and separation efficiency. These results highlight the significant potential of Pt nanoparticles-embedded DNWs for advanced deep ultraviolet detection in harsh environments, including aerospace, industrial monitoring, and other applications.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01701-8
Silicon stands as a key anode material in lithium-ion battery ascribing to its high energy density. Nevertheless, the poor rate performance and limited cycling life remain unresolved through conventional approaches that involve carbon composites or nanostructures, primarily due to the un-controllable effects arising from the substantial formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during the cycling. Here, an ultra-thin and homogeneous Ti doping alumina oxide catalytic interface is meticulously applied on the porous Si through a synergistic etching and hydrolysis process. This defect-rich oxide interface promotes a selective adsorption of fluoroethylene carbonate, leading to a catalytic reaction that can be aptly described as “molecular concentration-in situ conversion”. The resultant inorganic-rich SEI layer is electrochemical stable and favors ion-transport, particularly at high-rate cycling and high temperature. The robustly shielded porous Si, with a large surface area, achieves a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 84.7% and delivers exceptional high-rate performance at 25 A g−1 (692 mAh g−1) and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 1000 cycles. The robust SEI constructed through a precious catalytic layer promises significant advantages for the fast development of silicon-based anode in fast-charging batteries.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01704-5
The development of flexible zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) faces a three-way trade-off among the ionic conductivity, Zn2+ mobility, and the electrochemical stability of hydrogel electrolytes. To address this challenge, we designed a cationic hydrogel named PAPTMA to holistically improve the reversibility of ZIBs. The long cationic branch chains in the polymeric matrix construct express pathways for rapid Zn2+ transport through an ionic repulsion mechanism, achieving simultaneously high Zn2+ transference number (0.79) and high ionic conductivity (28.7 mS cm−1). Additionally, the reactivity of water in the PAPTMA hydrogels is significantly inhibited, thus possessing a strong resistance to parasitic reactions. Mechanical characterization further reveals the superior tensile and adhesion strength of PAPTMA. Leveraging these properties, symmetric batteries employing PAPTMA hydrogel deliver exceeding 6000 h of reversible cycling at 1 mA cm−2 and maintain stable operation for 1000 h with a discharge of depth of 71%. When applied in 4 × 4 cm2 pouch cells with MnO2 as the cathode material, the device demonstrates remarkable operational stability and mechanical robustness through 150 cycles. This work presents an eclectic strategy for designing advanced hydrogels that combine high ionic conductivity, enhanced Zn2+ mobility, and strong resistance to parasitic reactions, paving the way for long-lasting flexible ZIBs.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01678-4
Engineering nanomaterials at single-atomic sites could enable unprecedented catalytic properties for broad applications, yet it remains challenging to do so on the surface of multimetallic nanocrystals. Herein, we present the multifactorial engineering (size, shape, phase, and composition) of the fully ordered PtBi nanoplates at atomic level, achieving a unique catalyst surface where the face-centered cubic (fcc) Pt edges are modified by the isolated Pd atoms and BiOx adatoms. This Pd1/Pt-BiOx electrocatalyst exhibits an ultrahigh mass activity of 16.01 A mg−1 Pt+Pd toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline electrolyte and enables a direct ethanol fuel cell of peak power density of 56.7 mW cm−2. The surrounding BiOx adatoms are critical for mitigating CO-poisoning on the Pt surface, and the Pd1/Pt single-atom alloy further facilitates the electrooxidation of CH3CH2OH. This work offers new insights into the rational design and construction of sophisticated catalyst surface at single-atomic sites for highly efficient electrocatalysis.
International Journal of Mining Science and Technology•2025•DOI: 10.1038/sino-451943
Northern China's steel heartland—Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia—produces over 600 million metric tons of crude steel annually, nearly 60% of global output, with an average CO2 intensity of 1.8 tCO2/tsteel from BF-BOF routes. The region faces a dual imperative: comply with China's 2030 carbon peak and preempt the EU CBAM, which imposes a $90/tCO2 levy on steel imports by 2026. This report dissects the technical and economic viability of two interlocking decarbonization levers: hydrogen-enriched direct reduced iron (H2-DRI) using vertical shaft furnaces and underground coal gasification (UCG) with CCUS. Pilot data from HBIS Xuansteel's 1.2 Mtpa H2-DRI plant—the world's largest—reveals that hydrogen injection above 60% triggers severe sticking of iron ore pellets, causing pressure drops and scaffold formation, while endothermic reduction kinetics demand supplemental electrical heating, raising energy costs by 15-20%. UCG syngas, with a levelized cost of $0.35/Nm3, offers a bridge feedstock, but its carbon footprint (0.6 tCO2/tsteel pre-CCUS) requires 90% capture to meet CBAM thresholds. The economic table shows that 100% green H2-DRI, at an LCOH of $1.80/kg, yields a production cost of $420/tsteel, versus $380/tsteel for syngas-UCG DRI with CCUS, but the former avoids CBAM penalties entirely. Capital replacement cycles for BF-BOF (20-25 years) versus H2-DRI (15-20 years) force a strategic reckoning: retrofitting existing assets versus greenfield investments. The report concludes that no single pathway dominates; a portfolio approach, leveraging UCG syngas as a transitional feedstock and scaling green hydrogen as costs decline, is the only pragmatic route for the region's industrial clusters.
International Journal of Mining Science and Technology•2025•DOI: 10.1038/sino-451823
China's aerospace propulsion sector is aggressively scaling Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) for nickel-based superalloys, targeting hot-section components that traditionally require equiaxed or directionally solidified castings. This report dissects the metallurgical and process engineering challenges, focusing on Inconel 718, GH4169 (domestic equivalent), and non-weldable gamma-prime hardened alloys like CM247LC and IN738LC. The central technical hurdles are anisotropic columnar grain growth and solidification cracking, mitigated via build platform preheating up to 800°C. Post-processing via multi-stage Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) at 1,180°C–1,220°C and 150–175 MPa, followed by rapid argon quenching, is critical to close micro-porosity and tailor gamma-prime (Ni3(Al,Ti)) precipitate morphology. Empirical data from Chinese R&D institutions (e.g., AVIC Manufacturing Technology Institute, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute) reveal that optimized LPBF+HIP achieves 95% of cast-wrought tensile yield strength and 80% of creep-rupture life at 950°C/150 MPa, with elongation exceeding 15%—a threshold for flight qualification. However, the economic and metallurgical trade-offs remain stark: HIP cycles add 30–40% cost and 2–3 weeks lead time. This report provides a comparative table of tensile and creep properties across As-Built, Standard Heat Treated, and Optimized LPBF+HIP specimens, and outlines the remaining barriers to full certification in high-pressure turbine blades.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.09.009
Low-angle submarine landslides pose a greater threat to offshore infrastructure compared to those with steep sliding angles. Understanding the preparation and triggering mechanism of these low-angle submarine landslides remains a significant challenge. This study focuses on a deformed low-angle submarine landslide in the shelf-slope break of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea, integrating sedimentology, geophysics, and geotechnology to investigate potential failure mechanisms. The architecture and deformation characteristics of the submarine landslide were elucidated by analyzing multibeam and seismic data. Within the context of the regional geological history and tectonic framework, this study focuses on the factors (e.g., rapid sedimentation, fluid activity, and earthquakes) that potentially contributed to the submarine slope failure. Furthermore, a series of stability evaluations considering the effects of rapid sedimentation and earthquakes was conducted. Our findings indicate that the most probable triggering mechanism involves the combined effects of sedimentation controlled by sea-level fluctuations, high-pressure gas activity, and seismic events. The high-pressure gas, which acts as a long-term preconditioning factor by elevating pore pressures and reducing shear resistance within the sediment, accumulated beneath the upper and middle sections of the low-permeability stratum that was formed during sea-level rise and ultimately evolved into the sliding mass. The overpressure generated by gas accumulation predisposed the submarine slope to instability, and a frequent or moderate earthquake ultimately initiated local failure. This study enhances the mechanistic understanding of low-angle slope failures in the shelf-slope break zone and provides critical insights for assessing marine hazard risks.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2025-6-2)
Because of their excellent low-temperature (−15 to −40 °C) tolerance, sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a complement to lithium-ion batteries for use in extremely cold environments (e.g. high-latitude areas). Hard carbon has a high low-voltage sodium storage capacity and a good initial efficiency, making it one of the most promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. It has a complex structure, featuring closed pores, nano graphitic domains, and surface functional groups. The sodium storage sites in hard carbon are reviewed as are the widely accepted sodium storage mechanisms. The main factors contributing to the degradation of the good low-temperature performance in hard carbon anodes are considered, including sodium dendrite formation, low ion diffusion rates, and surface-side reactions. Finally, strategies to increase the low-temperature sodium storage performance of hard carbon anodes are summarized, including bulk structure design, and improvements in interfaces and cut-off voltage. Guidance is provided for improving the low-temperature performance of hard carbon anodes to accelerate the development of these batteries.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2024-39-06-03)
Petroleum asphalt, an important by-product of the petrochemical industry, has diverse applications but often suffers from low industrial added value. Because of its low cost, high carbon content, and high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content, appropriate modification can increase its value and expand its energy storage applications. Current research progress on the common preparation methods of petroleum asphalt-based carbon materials, including template-assisted pyrolysis, molten salt treatment, activation, heteroatom doping, and pre-oxidation is reviewed, and its use in supercapacitors and alkali metal ion batteries, is also elaborated. Feasible solutions for the current problems with petroleum asphalt are proposed, with the aim of providing insights into its high value-added utilization.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2024-39-03-05)
Dense graphene assemblies, composed of tightly stacked graphene sheets, have outstanding chemical stability and excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. They also do not have the problems of low density, low mechanical strength, poor electrical conductivity, or poor thermal conductivity found in porous graphene aerogels, making them ideal materials for future portable electronic and smart devices. We summarize work on high-concentration graphene oxide (GO) and graphene dispersions prepared by mechanical dispersion, evaporation concentration, centrifugal concentration, and liquid phase exfoliation, as well as two-dimensional (2D) dense graphene-based films and three-dimensional (3D) dense graphene-based structures prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration, interfacial self-assembly, and press-forming, and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The applications of dense graphene-based assemblies in energy storage, thermal management, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding are summarized. Finally, their challenges and prospects in future research are outlined. This review provides a reference for exploring and developing their large-scale, cost-effective manufacture and use.
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China (中国有色金属学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(25)66926-3
The bending collapse and energy absorption of 7003 aluminum alloy bumper beams under four aging conditions (pre-aging, under-aging, peak-aging, and over-aging) were investigated through three-point bending tests. Microstructural characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Based on the Swift−Hockett−Sherby constitutive model combined with the Gurson−Tvergaard−Needleman damage model, the plastic response and fracture behavior of the 7003 aluminum alloy under uniaxial tension and three-point bending were accurately predicted. The results showed that the peak bending force of the beams was proportional to the strength under different aging states, while stress triaxiality governed the cracking failure. Pre-aged and under-aged beams resisted cracking until reaching 250 mm displacement due to stress transition from tensile to compression on the bottom surface. The under-aged beam exhibited optimal energy absorption (7.86 kJ) and a higher peak force (38.75 kN).
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China (中国有色金属学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(25)67022-1
Based on the application requirements for porous dental implants, four porous structures of gyroid, RD (rhombic dodecahedron), cubic, and CHC (three identical cylinders hollow cubic) for porous titanium implants have been designed and fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) technology. Typically, the unit cell dimensions range from 0.5 to 1.6 mm, with pore diameters between 300 and 900 µm, achieving porosities of 60%−80%. The influence of porous structures with small unit cell on scaffold formability and mechanical properties was investigated through compression, torsion tests as well as finite element simulations. Consequently, gyroid scaffolds exhibit optimal formability with the lowest porosity and pore deviation. With the same porosity, gyroid and RD scaffolds exhibit lower compressive strength than cubic and CHC scaffolds, yet their torsional properties show an inverse relationship. Moreover, gyroid scaffolds possess the highest torque but the lowest compressive strength and elastic modulus. The gyroid scaffold with 60% porosity shows a modulus of 3.96 GPa, matching bone modulus of 0−30 GPa. Its compressive strength reaches 176.3 MPa, exceeding that of bone by 100 MPa. Additionally, the torque for the d4.0 mm implant is 2.22 N·m, approaching the FDA safe torque of 2.3 N·m. Therefore, the gyroid represents the most ideal structure for porous dental implants.
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China (中国有色金属学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(25)66949-4
The evolution of the S' precipitate in Al−Cu−Mg alloy was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF−STEM), molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and other analytical techniques. The precipitation behavior during different aging stages of the supersaturated solid solution formed after rapid cold punching was focused, which induces rapid dissolution of precipitates. The findings reveal that the precipitation sequence is significantly influenced by aging temperature. At higher aging temperatures, which mitigate lattice distortion in the matrix, the precipitation sequence follows the conventional path. Conversely, at lower aging temperatures, where lattice distortion persists, the sequence deviates, suppressing the formation of Guinier−Preston−Bagaryatsky (GPB) zones. MD simulations confirm that the variations in solute atom diffusion rates at different aging temperatures lead to the differences in the S' phase precipitation sequence.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2025•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/25020008
In this study, we present the fabrication of vertical SnO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction diode (HJD) via radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering. The valence and conduction band offsets between β-Ga2O3 and SnO are determined to be 2.65 and 0.75 eV, respectively, through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, showing a type-Ⅱ band alignment. Compared to its Schottky barrier diode (SBD) counterpart, the HJD presents a comparable specific ON-resistances (Ron,sp) of 2.8 mΩ·cm² and lower reverse leakage current (IR), leading to an enhanced reverse blocking characteristics with breakdown voltage (BV) of 1675 V and power figure of merit (PFOM) of 1.0 GW/cm². This demonstrates the high quality of the SnO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction interface. Silvaco TCAD simulation further reveals that electric field crowding at the edge of anode for the SBD was greatly depressed by the introduction of SnO film, revealing the potential application of SnO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction in the future β-Ga2O3-based power devices.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.09.009
Low–angle submarine landslides pose a greater threat to offshore infrastructure compared to those with steep sliding angles. Understanding the preparation and triggering mechanism of these low–angle submarine landslides remains a significant challenge. This study focuses on a deformed low–angle submarine landslide in the shelf–slope break of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea, integrating sedimentology, geophysics, and geotechnology to investigate potential failure mechanisms. The architecture and deformation characteristics of the submarine landslide were elucidated by analyzing multibeam and seismic data. Within the context of the regional geological history and tectonic framework, this study focuses on the factors (e.g., rapid sedimentation, fluid activity, and earthquakes) that potentially contributed to the submarine slope failure. Furthermore, a series of stability evaluations considering the effects of rapid sedimentation and earthquakes was conducted. Our findings indicate that the most probable triggering mechanism involves the combined effects of sedimentation controlled by sea–level fluctuations, high–pressure gas activity, and seismic events. The high–pressure gas, which acts as a long–term preconditioning factor by elevating pore pressures and reducing shear resistance within the sediment, accumulated beneath the upper and middle sections of the low–permeability stratum that was formed during sea–level rise and ultimately evolved into the sliding mass. The overpressure generated by gas accumulation predisposed the submarine slope to instability, and a frequent or moderate earthquake ultimately initiated local failure. This study enhances the mechanistic understanding of low–angle slope failures in the shelf–slope break zone and provides critical insights for assessing marine hazard risks.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.09.007
The linear elastic hydraulic fracture criterion is not applicable to deep reservoirs when nonlinear behavior is present over an extensive zone at the fracture tip. This study aims to develop a criterion for nonlinear hydraulic fracture considering the fracture process zone (FPZ) and seeks to reveal the causes of nonlinearity during fracture propagation in deep reservoirs. A closing stress profile considering the in-situ stress was established by using the cohesive zone model (CZM) to describe the FPZ at the fracture tip. An analytical model for the FPZ length was derived, while the criterion for nonlinear fracture propagation was proposed. The FPZ fully developed and the fracture began to propagate when the apparent stress intensity at the fracture tip reached the apparent fracture toughness or when the in-situ stress intensity reached the in-situ fracture toughness. The proposed criterion can clearly determine the length of the FPZ, accurately predict the breakdown pressure during fracturing operations, and establish a relationship between these two parameters. It addresses the inherent limitations of conventional linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), which often underestimates fracture toughness and neglects the effects of the FPZ. This research is expected to enhance the fracturing design in deep reservoirs.
China Foundry•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s41230-025-3078-5
The hot deformation behavior of 2707 hyper duplex stainless steel (HDSS) was investigated through a hot compression test at 950 °C to 1,250 °C at strain rates of 0.01 s-1 to 10 s-1. Observations from the flow stress curves reveal a balance between work hardening and dynamic recovery at the beginning of the deformation and subsequently demonstrate various softening mechanisms with the increase of strain. At high strain rates, dynamic recovery is the prevailing mechanism, whereas, at medium and low strain rates, dynamic recrystallization becomes dominant. The constitutive equation was constructed, and the deformation activation energy was calculated to be 645.46 kJ·mol-1. The hot processing map was drawn based on the dynamic material model at a strain of 0.8. The results indicate that the hot workability of 2707 HDSS decreases due to its high alloying content. The microstructure evolution of 2707 HDSS at 1,050 °C was identified by means of electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that the ferrite completes dynamic recrystallization at the strain rate of 1 s-1. The softening process of austenite is influenced by ferrite and mainly experiences dynamic recovery. The austenite located at the α/γ phase boundaries tends to undergo dynamic recrystallization.
Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering•2025•DOI: 10.1186/s10033-025-01348-x
The integration of human-robot collaboration (HRC) in manufacturing, particularly within the framework of Human-Cyber-Physical Systems (HCPS) and the emerging paradigm of Industry 5.0, has the potential to significantly enhance productivity, safety, and ergonomics. However, achieving seamless collaboration requires robots to recognize the identity of individual human workers and perform appropriate collaborative operations. This paper presents a novel gait identity recognition method using Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data to enable personalized HRC in manufacturing settings, contributing to the human-centric vision of Industry 5.0. The hardware of the entire system consists of the IMU wearable device as the data source and a collaborative robot as the actuator, reflecting the interconnected nature of HCPS. The proposed method leverages wearable IMU sensors to capture motion data, including 3-axis acceleration, 3-axis angular velocity. The two-tower Transformer architecture is employed to extract and analyze gait features. It consists of Temporal and Channel Modules, multi-head Auto-Correlation mechanism, and multi-scale convolutional neural network (CNN) layers. A series of optimization experiments were conducted to improve the performance of the model. The proposed model is compared with other state-of-the-art studies on two public datasets as well as one self-collected dataset. The experimental results demonstrate the better performance of our method in gait identity recognition. It is experimentally verified in the manufacturing environment involving four workers and one collaborative robot in an HRC assembly task, showcasing the practical applicability of this human-centric approach in the context of Industry 5.0.
Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering•2025•DOI: 10.1186/s10033-025-01256-0
CrN coatings are also employed to protect structural materials in nuclear power plants. It should be noted that the preparation process utilizing physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques inevitably entails certain defects. Such a phenomenon will affect the protective properties of CrN coatings. In this study, low-energy laser shock peening (LE-LSP) with varying energies was employed for the post-treatment of CrN coatings. The effects of different laser energy LE-LSP treatments on the surface morphology, crystal structure and fretting wear properties of CrN coatings were investigated. The results revealed that the surface of the CrN coatings subjected to LE-LSP underwent significant plastic deformation and displayed a regular texture structure. The surface roughness and Vickers hardness of the CrN coatings exhibit a significant increase. Under a laser energy of 150 mJ, the surface hardness exhibits a maximum increase of 2.35 times. The residual stress of CrN coatings diminishes with the augmentation of laser energy due to the formation of surface cracks. Following LE-LSP treatment, the columnar crystal structure of the CrN coating was disrupted and fragmented into fine grains due to the impact force. As the laser energy augments, the fragmented CrN grains undergo further compaction. During fretting wear, all specimens were in the gross slip regime. The wear mechanism of the CrN coating, 120 and 150 mJ specimens are primarily dominated by abrasive wear, and accompanied by oxidative wear. For specimens treated with 30, 60 and 90 mJ, the predominant wear mechanisms are mainly peeling and abrasive wear, and accompanied by oxidative wear. Both the wear area and wear volume initially increase and then decrease as the laser energy increases. The 150 mJ specimen exhibited the smallest wear area and wear volume of all tested specimens. The wear volume was reduced by 76.32% when compared to that of the CrN coating. This study complements the existing research on PVD/LSP composite strengthening techniques. Introduces a novel post-treatment methodology for PVD coatings. Provides certain theoretical support for subsequent PVD/LSP composite strengthening.
Journal of Central South University•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-025-6100-6
In this study, AZ31 Mg alloy sheets were processed by a severe plastic deformation (SPD) technique called forging-bending repeated deformation (FBRD). The effect on the microstructure and microhardness of AZ31 Mg alloy through FBRD was investigated with increasing temperature treatment and a 90° cross route. The results reveal that the effective strain increases with the number of passes. The flow uniformity is effectively enhanced due to alterations in shear deformation direction. After four passes of deformation, the average grain size is refined by 79.3% compared to the initial specimen. The grain refinement mechanism predominantly originates from the synergistic effects of discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX), continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX), and twinning-induced recrystallization (TDRX). The formation of {1012} extension twins (ET) significantly contributes to coarse grain subdivision and plastic deformation coordinated. Furthermore, pyramidal <c+a> slip activation effectively enhances the plasticity of Mg alloys. By post four-pass processing, the alloy exhibits a microhardness of 81.9HV, primarily governed by fine grain strengthening and dislocation strengthening mechanisms.
Journal of Central South University•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-025-6095-z
In this paper, the multi cross-rolling and cryogenic treatment were adopted to process the AZ31 Mg alloy to study the influence of passes and cryogenic treatment on cross-rolled AZ31 Mg alloy. The tensile properties and hardness were tested. The microstructure was characterized using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to elucidate the influencing mechanism. The results indicate that the treatment method can significantly improve the mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy. The 3-pass sample processed by cryogenic treatment shows the highest strength (351 MPa) and has the highest hardness (76.1HV) and best hardness uniformity (standard deviation=0.9HV). The 2-pass sample has the highest ductility among all the samples but poor hardness evenness. The strengthening mechanism of 3-pass sample can be attributed to the fine grains, bimodal structure, high dislocation density, and precipitation strengthening. Due to repeated heat preservation of 4-pass and 5-pass, their comprehensive performances decrease.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-024-3050-1
The development of stretchable conductors with high deformation, conductivity, and thermal conductivity using liquid metal (LM) has sparked widespread interest in the fields of flexible electronics, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and multifunctional materials. However, fabricating desirable shielding materials by directly coating LMs on soft polymer substrates remains a challenge because of the huge surface tension and weak wettability of LMs. In this study, Ga-based composite paste is prepared from a mixture of Ga and diamond nonmetallic particles through ultrasonic fragmentation. At various temperatures, the resulting LM composite putty (LMP) exhibits soft and hard properties and can thus be molded into specific shapes according to application needs. In addition, the composite can be easily coated onto polymer substrates, such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer. The fabricated LMP–TPU exhibits an impressive shape deformation capacity of 1100%, demonstrating exceptional tensile properties and achieving electromagnetic interference–shielding effectiveness of up to 52 dB. Furthermore, it retains an ultrahigh conductivity of 20000 S/m, even under a strain of 600%. This feature further makes it a highly competitive multifunctional material.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01580-5
The ability to unlock the interplay between the activity and stability of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) represents an important endeavor toward creating robust ORR catalysts for efficient fuel cells. Herein, we report an effective strategy to concurrent enhance the activity and stability of ORR catalysts via constructing atomically dispersed Fe–Mn dual-metal sites on N-doped carbon (denoted (FeMn-DA)–N–C) for both anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC) and proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). The (FeMn-DA)–N–C catalysts possess ample dual-metal atoms consisting of adjacent Fe-N4 and Mn-N4 sites on the carbon surface, yielded via a facile doping-adsorption-pyrolysis route. The introduction of Mn carries several advantageous attributes: increasing the number of active sites, effectively anchoring Fe due to effective electron transfer to Mn (revealed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density-functional theory (DFT), thus preventing the aggregation of Fe), and effectively circumventing the occurrence of Fenton reaction, thus reducing the consumption of Fe. The (FeMn-DA)–N–C catalysts showcase half-wave potentials of 0.92 and 0.82 V in 0.1 M KOH and 0.1 M HClO4, respectively, as well as outstanding stability. As manifested by DFT calculations, the introduction of Mn affects the electronic structure of Fe, down-shifts the d-band Fe active center, accelerates the desorption of OH groups, and creates higher limiting potentials. The AEMFC and PEMFC with (FeMn-DA)–N–C as the cathode catalyst display high power densities of 1060 and 746 mW cm−2, respectively, underscoring their promising potential for practical applications. Our study highlights the robustness of designing Fe-containing dual-atom ORR catalysts to promote both activity and stability for energy conversion and storage materials and devices.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01581-4
The intricate hierarchical structure of musculoskeletal tissues, including bone and interface tissues, necessitates the use of complex scaffold designs and material structures to serve as tissue-engineered substitutes. This has led to growing interest in the development of gradient bone scaffolds with hierarchical structures mimicking the extracellular matrix of native tissues to achieve improved therapeutic outcomes. Building on the anatomical characteristics of bone and interfacial tissues, this review provides a summary of current strategies used to design and fabricate biomimetic gradient scaffolds for repairing musculoskeletal tissues, specifically focusing on methods used to construct compositional and structural gradients within the scaffolds. The latest applications of gradient scaffolds for the regeneration of bone, osteochondral, and tendon-to-bone interfaces are presented. Furthermore, the current progress of testing gradient scaffolds in physiologically relevant animal models of skeletal repair is discussed, as well as the challenges and prospects of moving these scaffolds into clinical application for treating musculoskeletal injuries.