Despite decades of studies of the charge density wave (CDW) of 2H-NbSe_{2}, the origin of its incommensurate CDW ground state has not been understood. We discover that the CDW of 2H-NbSe_{2} is composed of two different, energetically competing, structures. The lateral heterostructures of two CDWs are entangled as topological excitations, which give rise to a CDW phase shift and the incommensuration without a conventional domain wall. A partially melted network of topological excitations and their vertices explain an unusual landscape of domains. The unconventional topological role of competing phases disclosed here can be widely applied to various incommensuration or phase coexistence phenomena in materials.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.016403 | DOI Listing |
J Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, China.
High mobility emissive organic semiconductors (HMEOSCs) are a kind of unique semiconducting material that simultaneously integrates high charge carrier mobility and strong emission features, which are not only crucial for overcoming the performance bottlenecks of current organic optoelectronic devices but also important for constructing high-density integrated devices/circuits for potential smart display technologies and electrically pumped organic lasers. However, the development of HMEOSCs is facing great challenges due to the mutually exclusive requirements of molecular structures and packing modes between high charge carrier mobility and strong solid-state emission. Encouragingly, considerable advances on HMEOSCs have been made with continuous efforts, and the successful integration of these two properties within individual organic semiconductors currently presents a promising research direction in organic electronics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Center of Nanomaterials for Renewable Energy (CNRE), State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, P. R. China.
The Fe-N-C catalyst, featuring a single-atom Fe-N configuration, is regarded as one of the most promising catalytic materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the significant activity difference under acidic and alkaline conditions of Fe-N-C remains a long-standing puzzle. In this work, using extensive ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, we revealed that pH conditions influence ORR activity by tuning the surface charge density of the Fe-N-C surface, rather than through the direct involvement of HO or OH ions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China.
Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) has been a cornerstone of modern computing, but it faces challenges as technology scales down, particularly due to the mismatch between reduced storage capacitance and increasing OFF current. The capacitorless 2T0C DRAM architecture is recognized for its potential to offer superior area efficiency and reduced refresh rate requirements by eliminating the traditional capacitor. The exploration of two-dimensional (2D) materials further enhances scaling possibilities, though the absence of dangling bonds complicates the deposition of high-quality dielectrics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanomaterials (Basel)
December 2024
School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215137, China.
Composite coatings reinforced with varying mass fractions of SiC particles were successfully fabricated on 316 stainless steel substrates via laser cladding. The phase compositions, elemental distribution, microstructural characteristics, hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the composite coatings were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Vickers hardness testing, friction-wear testing and electrochemical methods. The coatings have no obvious pores, cracks or other defects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Commun (Camb)
January 2025
Functional Materials and Electrochemistry Lab, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, West Bengal, India.
Electrically rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are emerging as promising energy storage devices in the post-lithium era, leveraging the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the air cathodes. Efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts, capable of catalyzing both the ORR and OER, are essential for the operation of rechargeable ZABs. Traditional Pt- and RuO/IrO-based catalysts are not ideal, as they lack sufficient bifunctional ORR and OER activity, exhibit limited long-term durability, require high overpotentials and are expensive.
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