A Deep Learning Approach to Uncover Voltage-Gated Ion Channels' Intermediate States.

Owing to recent advancements in cryo-electron microscopy, voltage-gated ion channels have gained a greater comprehension of their structural characteristics. However, a significant enigma remains unsolved for a large majority of these channels: their gating mechanism. This mechanism, which encompasses the conformational changes between open and closed states, is pivotal to their proper functioning.

Generational assessment of EBSD detectors for cross-correlation-based analysis: From scintillators to direct detection.

Introduced over ten years ago, cross-correlation-based electron backscatter diffraction has enabled high precision measurements of crystallographic rotations and elastic strain gradients at high spatial resolution. Since that time, there have been remarkable improvements in electron detector technology, including the advent of ultra-high speed detectors and the commercialization of direct detectors. In this study, we assess the efficacy of multiple generations of electron detectors for cross-correlation-based analysis using a single crystal Si sample as a reference.

Direct Observation of Grain-Boundary-Migration-Assisted Radiation Damage Healing in Ultrafine Grained Gold under Mechanical Stress.

Nanostructured metals are a promising class of radiation-tolerant materials. A large volume fraction of grain boundaries (GBs) can provide plenty of sinks for radiation damage, and understanding the underlying healing mechanisms is key to developing more effective radiation tolerant materials. Here, we observe radiation damage absorption by stress-assisted GB migration in ultrafine-grained Au thin films using a quantitative transmission electron microscopy nanomechanical testing technique.

Ferrielectricity in the Archetypal Antiferroelectric, PbZrO.

Antiferroelectric materials, where the transition between antipolar and polar phase is controlled by external electric fields, offer exceptional energy storage capacity with high efficiencies, giant electrocaloric effect, and superb electromechanical response. PbZrO is the first discovered and the archetypal antiferroelectric material. Nonetheless, substantial challenges in processing phase pure PbZrO have limited studies of the undoped composition, hindering understanding of the phase transitions in this material or unraveling the controversial origins of a low-field ferroelectric phase observed in lead zirconate thin films.