Related papers: Persistent incommensurate amorphous/crystalline me…
A plethora of two-dimensional (2D) materials entered the physics and engineering scene in the last two decades. Their robust, membrane-like sheet permit -- mostly require -- deposition, giving rise to solid-solid dry interfaces whose bodily…
Colloidal probe Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows to explore sliding friction phenomena in graphite contacts of nominal lateral size up to hundreds of nanometers. It is known that contact formation involves tribo-induced material…
In condensed-matter physics, long-range correlations introduce quantum states of matter that challenge intuition. For instance, supersolids combine symmetry-breaking crystalline structure, i.e. density order, and frictionless superfluid…
Nanomechanical devices can operate at much higher speeds than their macroscopic analogues, due to low inertia. For example, peak speeds >100m/s have been predicted for carbon nanotube devices. This stimulates our interest in the…
Finding new collective electronic states in materials is one of the fundamental goals of condensed matter physics. Atomic-scale superlattices formed from transition metal oxides are a particularly appealing hunting ground for new physics.…
Large scale two-dimensional (2D) moir\'e superlattices are driving a revolution in designer quantum materials. The electronic interactions in these superlattices, strongly dependent on the periodicity and symmetry of the moir\'e pattern,…
Forming a hetero-interface is a materials-design strategy that can access an astronomically large phase space. However, the immense phase space necessitates a high-throughput approach for optimal interface design. Here we introduce a…
Structural colours have drawn wide attention for their potential as a future printing technology for various applications, ranging from biomimetic tissues to adaptive camouflage materials. However, an efficient approach to realise robust…
This paper investigates the influence of interfaces on the performance of finite-sized mechanical metamaterial structures for vibration damping applications. The metamaterial structures are designed in a sandwich configuration in which two…
Molecular dynamics simulations of frictional sliding in an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) show a clear dependence of superlubricity between incommensurate surfaces on tip compliance and applied normal force. While the kinetic friction…
Complex fluid-fluid interfaces featuring mesoscale structures with adsorbed particles are key components of newly designed materials which are continuously enriching the field of soft matter. Simulation tools which are able to cope with the…
Metasurfaces consisting of hybrid metal/dielectric nanostructures carry advantages of both material platforms. The hybrid structures can not only tightly confine subwavelength electromagnetic fields but also lower the absorption losses.…
Half-Heusler alloys such as the (Zr,Hf)NiSn intermetallic compounds are important thermoelectric materials for converting waste heat into electricity. Reduced electrical resistivity at the hot interface between the half-Heusler material and…
Achieving reliable joining between transparent materials and metals under non-optical-contact conditions remains challenging due to limited energy coupling and uncontrolled interfacial reaction across $\mu$m-scale gaps. Burst-mode ultrafast…
Metallenes are atomically thin, nonlayered two-dimensional materials. While they have appealing properties, their isotropic metallic bonding makes their stabilization difficult and presents considerable challenges to their synthesis and…
We design, fabricate and test heterogeneous architected polycrystals, composed of hard plastomers and soft elastomers, which thus show outstanding mechanical resilience and energy dissipation simultaneously. Grain boundaries that separate…
Electrically interfacing atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors (TMDSCs) with metal leads is challenging because of undesired interface barriers, which have drastically constrained the electrical performance of TMDSC…
The damping of built-up structures stems largely from the microscopic dry frictional interactions in the contact interfaces. The accurate prediction of friction damping has been an important scientific aim of the past several decades.…
Black TiO2 nanoparticles with a crystalline-core and amorphous-shell structure exhibit superior optoelectronic properties in comparison with pristine TiO2. The fundamental mechanisms underlying these enhancements, however, remain unclear,…
Natural ceramic composites present complex microstructures that lead to tortuous crack paths and confer them high toughness. Current microreinforced composites do not yet reach the same level of complexity in their microstructures,…