Cross-diffusion waves by cellular automata modeling: Pattern formation in porous media.

Porous earth materials exhibit large-scale deformation patterns, such as deformation bands, which emerge from complex small-scale interactions. This paper introduces a cross-diffusion framework designed to capture these multiscale, multiphysics phenomena, inspired by the study of multi-species chemical systems. A microphysics-enriched continuum approach is developed to accurately predict the formation and evolution of these patterns.

Rational Design of Earth-Abundant Catalysts toward Sustainability.

Catalysis is crucial for clean energy, green chemistry, and environmental remediation, but traditional methods rely on expensive and scarce precious metals. This review addresses this challenge by highlighting the promise of earth-abundant catalysts and the recent advancements in their rational design. Innovative strategies such as physics-inspired descriptors, high-throughput computational techniques, and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted design with machine learning (ML) are explored, moving beyond time-consuming trial-and-error approaches.

Deciphering immunodiffusion: In silico optimization for faster protein diagnostics.

Immunodiffusion tests offer a simple yet powerful method for detecting protein antigens, but their long assay times hinder clinical utility. We unveil the complex interplay of parameters governing this process using finite element simulations. By meticulously validating our model against real-world data, we elucidate how initial concentrations and diffusivities of antigen and antibody shape the intensity, size, and formation time of the precipitin ring.

Emergence of precursor instabilities in geo-processes: Insights from dense active matter.

We present the hypothesis that investigation of precursor mechanisms to large scale instabilities, that have so far been overlooked in geo-processes, is possible. These precursor processes are evident in multicomponent materials, such as granular matter, when driven far from equilibrium on its microscale. The material is then classified as "dense active matter" with unexpected behaviour by non-local dissipation of internal energy releasing its dynamic incompatibility with the macroscopic gradients as self-excitation waves under external forcing.