Biocompatible TA4 and TC4ELI with excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance via multiple ECAP.

Titanium (Ti), characterized by its exceptional mechanical properties, commendable corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, has emerged as the principal functional materials for implants in biomedical and clinical applications. However, the Ti-6Al-4V (TC4ELI) alloy has cytotoxicity risks, whereas the strength of the existing industrially pure titanium TA4 is marginally inadequate and will significantly limit the scenarios of medical implants. Herein, we prepared ultrafine-grained industrial-grade pure titanium TA4 and titanium alloy TC4ELI via the equal channel angular pressing method, in which the TA4-1 sample has ultrahigh strength of 1.

Electron irradiation enhanced wear resistance and hardness of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

The surface of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bulk materials was modified by irradiation at high temperatures using a 1.2 MeV electron beam. The mass wear rate was decreased from 2.

The Influence of Coherent Oxide Interfaces on the Behaviors of Helium (He) Ion Irradiated ODS W.

Tungsten (W), as a promising plasma-facing material for fusion nuclear reactors, exhibits ductility reduction. Introducing high-density coherent nano-dispersoids into the W matrix is a highly efficient strategy to break the tradeoff of the strength-ductility performance. In this work, we performed helium (He) ion irradiation on coherent oxide-dispersoids strengthened (ODS) W to investigate the effect of coherent nanoparticle interfaces on the behavior of He bubbles.

The Mechanisms of Inhibition Effects on Bubble Growth in He-Irradiated 316L Stainless Steel Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting.

The AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) is considered to have great prospects for applications in nuclear systems. This study investigated the He-irradiation response of SLM 316L, and several possible reasons for the improved He-irradiation resistance of SLM 316L were systematically revealed and evaluated by using TEM and related techniques. The results show that the effects of unique sub-grain boundaries have primary contributions to the decreased bubble diameter in SLM 316L compared to that in the conventional 316L counterpart, while the effects of oxide particles on bubble growth are not the dominant factor in this study.

Robust Thermal Neutron Detection by LiInP Se Bulk Single Crystals.

Direct neutron detection based on semiconductor crystals holds promise to transform current neutron detector technologies and further boosts their widespread applications. It is, however, long impeded by the dearth of suitable materials in the form of sizeable bulk crystals. Here, high-quality centimeter-sized LiInP Se single crystals are developed using the Bridgman method and their structure and property characteristics are systematically investigated.

Multifunctional graphene heterogeneous nanochannel with voltage-tunable ion selectivity.

Ion-selective nanoporous two-dimensional (2D) materials have shown extraordinary potential in energy conversion, ion separation, and nanofluidic devices; however, different applications require diverse nanochannel devices with different ion selectivity, which is limited by sample preparation and experimental techniques. Herein, we develop a heterogeneous graphene-based polyethylene terephthalate nanochannel (GPETNC) with controllable ion sieving to overcome those difficulties. Simply by adjusting the applied voltage, ion selectivity among K, Na, Li, Ca, and Mg of the GPETNC can be immediately tuned.

Superior radiation tolerance via reversible disordering-ordering transition of coherent superlattices.

Materials capable of sustaining high radiation doses at a high temperature are required for next-generation fission and future fusion energy. To date, however, even the most promising structural materials cannot withstand the demanded radiation environment due to irreversible radiation-driven microstructure degradation. Here we report a counterintuitive strategy to achieve exceptionally high radiation tolerance at high temperatures by enabling reversible local disordering-ordering transition of the introduced superlattice nanoprecipitates in metallic materials.

Self-powered electro-tactile system for virtual tactile experiences.

Tactile sensation plays important roles in virtual reality and augmented reality systems. Here, a self-powered, painless, and highly sensitive electro-tactile (ET) system for achieving virtual tactile experiences is proposed on the basis of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and ET interface formed of ball-shaped electrode array. Electrostatic discharge triggered by TENG can induce notable ET stimulation, while controlled distance between the ET electrodes and human skin can regulate the induced discharge current.

Fabrication of CuZnSnS Thin Films from Ball-Milled Nanoparticle inks under Various Annealing Temperatures.

CuZnSnS (CZTS) has been recognized as a promising thin-film absorber material of chalcopyrite-related solar cells. A two-stage method for fabricating CZTS films using CZTS nanoparticles was developed. Nanocrystal inks fabricated by a ball-milling method was utilized to °C deposit CZTS precursors by spin-coating approach.

Growth Mechanisms and the Effects of Deposition Parameters on the Structure and Properties of High Entropy Film by Magnetron Sputtering.

Despite intense research on high entropy films, the mechanism of film growth and the influence of key factors remain incompletely understood. In this study, high entropy films consisting of five elements (FeCoNiCrAl) with columnar and nanometer-scale grains were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The high entropy film growth mechanism, including the formation of the amorphous domain, equiaxial nanocrystalline structure and columnar crystal was clarified by analyzing the microstructure in detail.

Comparison of Vacancy Sink Efficiency of Cu/V and Cu/Nb Interfaces by the Shared Cu Layer.

This paper provides a new method to compare and then reveal the vacancy sink efficiencies quantitively between different hetero-interfaces with a shared Cu layer in one sample, in contrast to previous studies, which have compared the vacancy sink efficiencies of interfaces in different samples. Cu-Nb-Cu-V nanoscale metallic multilayer composites (NMMCs) containing Cu/V and Cu/Nb interfaces periodically were prepared as research samples and bombarded with helium ions to create vacancies which were filled by helium bubbles. A special Cu layer shared by adjoining Cu/V and Cu/Nb interfaces exists, in which the implanted helium concentration reaches its maximum and remains nearly constant with a well-designed incident energy.

In-Depth Characterization of Secondary Phases in CuZnSnS Film and Its Application to Solar Cells.

Secondary phases are common in CuZnSnS (CZTS) thin films, which can be fatal to the performance of solar cell devices fabricated from this material. They are difficult to detect by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) because of the weak peak in spectra compared with the CZTS layer. Herein, it was found that in-depth elemental distribution by a secondary ion mass spectroscopy method illustrated uniform film composition in the bulk with slight fluctuation between different grains.

Fabrication of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) Nanoparticle Inks for Growth of CZTS Films for Solar Cells.

Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) is a promising candidate material for photovoltaic applications; hence, ecofriendly methods are required to fabricate CZTS films. In this work, we fabricated CZTS nanocrystal inks by a wet ball milling method, with the use of only nontoxic solvents, followed by filtration. We performed centrifugation to screen the as-milled CZTS and obtain nanocrystals.

Ion Irradiation-Enhanced Raman Scattering on Nanoporous Copper.

Nanoporous copper (NPC) is the potential affordable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate in practical use, although restricted by a relatively small enhancement factor. In this report, Cu ion irradiation is applied to effectively increase the enhancement factor of NPC. Two levels of surface roughness in NPC after ion irradiation are proposed to account for the improved SERS effect by careful characterization of microstructures.

Highly Dispersed Co-B/N Codoped Carbon Nanospheres on Graphene for Synergistic Effects as Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts.

Oxygen reduction and evolution reactions as two important electrochemical energy conversion processes in metal-air battery devices have aroused widespread concern. However, synthesis of low-cost non-noble metal-based bifunctional high-performance electrocatalysts is still a great challenge. In this work, we report on the design and synthesis of a novel Co-B/N codoped carbon with core-shell-structured nanoparticles aligned on graphene nanosheets (denoted as CoTIB-C/G) derived from cobalt tetrakis(1-imidazolyl)borate (CoTIB) and graphene oxide hybrid template.

High electrocatalytic performance inspired by crystalline/amorphous interface in PtPb nanoplate.

Nanoscale PtPb catalysts with core-shell structure have been actively explored in recent years owing to their outstanding catalytic activity. We report on a new class of PtPb nanoplate (NP) catalyst with a novel structure realized by ion irradiation modification, which contains an interface formed by a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase simultaneously in an annular state. Significantly, the PtPb NP with the new structure shows superior catalytic activity towards the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).

Influences of Au ion radiation on microstructure and surface-enhanced Raman scattering of nanoporous copper.

In this work, effects of Au ion irradiation on microstructure and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance of nanoporous copper (NPC) were investigated. It is found that the microstructure of NPC could be tailored by the ion irradiation dose, i.e.

Defects and Interfaces on PtPb Nanoplates Boost Fuel Cell Electrocatalysis.

Nanostructured Pt is the most efficient single-metal catalyst for fuel cell technology. Great efforts have been devoted to optimizing the Pt-based alloy nanocrystals with desired structure, composition, and shape for boosting the electrocatalytic activity. However, these well-known controls still show the limited ability in maximizing the Pt utilization efficiency for achieving more efficient fuel cell catalysis.

Synthesis of Fe16N2 compound Free-Standing Foils with 20 MGOe Magnetic Energy Product by Nitrogen Ion-Implantation.

Rare-earth-free magnets are highly demanded by clean and renewable energy industries because of the supply constraints and environmental issues. A promising permanent magnet should possess high remanent magnetic flux density (Br), large coercivity (Hc) and hence large maximum magnetic energy product ((BH)max). Fe16N2 has been emerging as one of promising candidates because of the redundancy of Fe and N on the earth, its large magnetocrystalline anisotropy (Ku > 1.

Sink property of metallic glass free surfaces.

When heated to a temperature close to glass transition temperature, metallic glasses (MGs) begin to crystallize. Under deformation or particle irradiation, crystallization occurs at even lower temperatures. Hence, phase instability represents an application limit for MGs.

Two-dimensional V2O5 sheet network as electrode for lithium-ion batteries.

Two-dimensional V2O5 and manganese-doped V2O5 sheet network were synthesized by a one-step polymer-assisted chemical solution method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermal-gravimetric analysis, and galvanostatic discharge-charge analysis. The V2O5 particles were covered with thin carbon layers, which remained after decomposition of the polymer, forming a network-like sheet structure. This V2O5 network exhibits a high capacity of about 300 and 600 mA·h/g at a current density of 100 mA/g when it was used as a cathode and anode, respectively.

Effects of helium implantation on the tensile properties and microstructure of Ni73P27 metallic glass nanostructures.

We report fabrication and nanomechanical tension experiments on as-fabricated and helium-implanted ∼130 nm diameter Ni73P27 metallic glass nanocylinders. The nanocylinders were fabricated by a templated electroplating process and implanted with He(+) at energies of 50, 100, 150, and 200 keV to create a uniform helium concentration of ∼3 atom % throughout the nanocylinders. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and through-focus analysis reveal that the specimens contained ∼2 nm helium bubbles distributed uniformly throughout the nanocylinder volume.

Bismuth Oxide: A New Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

Bismuth oxide directly grown on nickel foam (p-BiO/Ni) was prepared by a facile polymer-assisted solution approach and was used directly as a lithium-ion battery anode for the first time. The BiO particles were covered with thin carbon layers, forming network-like sheets on the surface of the Ni foam. The binder-free p-BiO/Ni shows superior electrochemical properties with a capacity of 668 mAh/g at a current density of 800 mA/g, which is much higher than that of commercial BiO powder (c-BiO) and BiO powder prepared by the polymer-assisted solution method (p-BiO).