Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Z. Chen, Y. Xie, A. Datye, J. Thornton, J. Schroers, J. J. Cha, U. D. Schwarz
Summary: Replication of single-crystalline strontium titanate (STO) surfaces through thermoplastic forming with an alloy results in a perfect angstrom-scale replication, while a partially amorphous surface layer is retained even after heating above typical bulk crystallization temperatures. This layer not only helps improve the mechanical and chemical properties of parts, but also provides stability at high temperatures.
MATERIALS TODAY NANO
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Cheng Zhang, Di Ouyang, Simon Pauly, Lin Liu
Summary: Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) as metallic materials without long-range order have attracted significant attention from academia and industry in the past three decades. The emerging 3D printing technology provides a viable route to overcome the challenges inherent in conventional processing routes and expand the applications of BMGs.
MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING R-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Yugan Chen, Pingjun Tao, Weijian Zhang, Zhenghua Huang, Fuhai Li, Yuanzheng Yang
Summary: The effects of nitrogen on friction and wear properties of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses were experimentally investigated. The introduction of nitrogen improves the hardness and wear resistance of the metallic glass, achieving better friction and wear properties.
JOURNAL OF TRIBOLOGY-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
H. Zhang, Z. Wang, H. J. Yang, X. H. Shi, P. K. Liaw, J. W. Qiao
Summary: Based on microscopic mechanisms, a constitutive equation for crack-like propagation velocity and a flow model for bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are derived. The model explains the fundamental deformation of BMGs and accurately predicts the transition between serrated and non-serrated flows. The results are consistent with experimental data, providing a theoretical basis for plastically processing BMGs.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Limin Lai, Tianhao Liu, Xinghong Cai, Min Wang, Shengbiao Zhang, Wen Chen, Shengfeng Guo
Summary: The study introduces a series of low-cost refractory Mo-Co-B BMGs with enhanced GFA and high thermal stability, exhibiting exceptional hardness and Young's modulus.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tianding Xu, Xiao-Dong Wang, Eric M. Dufresne, Yang Ren, Qingping Cao, Dongxian Zhang, Jian-Zhong Jiang
Summary: Anomalous fast atomic dynamics were discovered in a metallic glass with good glass forming ability, mainly attributed to the increased mobility of Cu atoms by Ag addition, leading to the formation of structural heterogeneity at the atomic level.
MATERIALS TODAY PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Wei-Hui Lin, Chong-Min She, Chun-Yu Zhang, Paulo S. Branicio, Zhen - Dong Sha
Summary: The mechanical properties of cellular metallic glasses are influenced by the shape of their cellular structures. Random structures with uniform porosity show higher yield strength and Young's modulus compared to microlattice structures. The chiral structure displays the highest Young's modulus, while stochastic cellular structures exhibit higher energy absorption capacity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLASTICITY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Birte Riechers, Catherine Ott, Saurabh Mohan Das, Christian H. Liebscher, Konrad Samwer, Peter M. Derlet, Robert Maass
Summary: Using spatially resolved elastic property mapping, this study demonstrates the existence of a 100 nm elastic decorrelation length in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass. The long-range elastic modulations are believed to result from structural variations during solidification, rather than chemical phase separation. This research is important for understanding the microstructure of metallic glasses.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Y. S. Luo, J. J. Li, Z. Wang, M. Zhang, J. W. Qiao
Summary: Based on a simple mean-field model, two distinct types of slip avalanches in serrated plastic flows of bulk metallic glasses were identified to differentiate the slipping modes of shear bands under various strain rates. Small avalanches propagate progressively, while large avalanches follow a simultaneous propagation. By defining a weakening parameter and critical size, researchers were able to characterize the completely disparate shearing modes, with larger weakening and lower critical sizes indicating more activated shear transformation zones, offering a new method to explore plasticity in bulk metallic glasses.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fucheng Li, Mingxing Li, Liwei Hu, Jiashu Cao, Chao Wang, Yitao Sun, Weihua Wang, Yanhui Liu
Summary: A discovery of Ta-rich metallic glasses with diamond-like wear properties is reported in this work. The discovered metallic glasses exhibit high hardness, high temperature stability, improved plasticity, and crack resistance. By employing deep indentation loading, the alloys with better plasticity and crack resistance can be efficiently identified. These findings suggest the potential of metallic glasses to substantially reduce friction and wear of metals in tribological applications.
Review
Materials Science, Ceramics
Zeinab Savaedi, Reza Motallebi, Hamed Mirzadeh, Mehdi Malekan
Summary: Thermoforming in the supercooled liquid region can achieve high strain-rate-sensitivity and superplastic ductility. Incipient deformation-induced crystallization and stress-assisted free volume change lead to a transition from Newtonian to non-Newtonian flow. Factors such as heating rate, processing time, and the extent of the supercooled liquid region significantly affect the structural stability. Increasing the deformation temperature enhances superplastic behavior, but high temperatures may promote crystallization and loss of superplastic ductility. Future research directions include optimizing the structure and preparation methods of metal glass-based composites and improving thermoplastic formability.
JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhiyuan Huang, Jianan Fu, Xin Li, Wenxin Wen, Hongji Lin, Yan Lou, Feng Luo, Zhenxuan Zhang, Xiong Liang, Jiang Ma
Summary: This study presents a method of ultrasonic-assisted rapid cold welding of metallic glasses without using any additives, achieving stable bonding of MG interface under high-frequency ultrasonic vibration, low temperature and low stress conditions. The ultrasonic technology accelerates atomic diffusion process, enabling rapid bonding of different compositions of MGs and potential for tuning new materials with new performance.
SCIENCE CHINA-MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Wanfu Dong, Jianping Lai, Jiaxin Yu, Udo D. Schwarz, Yifan Zhang, Kun Zhu, Amit Datye
Summary: Understanding the structure-property relationship is essential for designing metallic glasses with advanced properties. In this study, nanoscratching experiments were conducted to establish a correlation between the structure and nano-tribological behavior of Zr-based metallic glasses. The results showed that the scratching depth and residual depth of the scratch track increased with an increase in the material's fictive temperature. Additionally, the effect of the fictive temperature on the friction coefficient varied with the applied load, with adhesion-induced friction dominating at low loads and plowing dominating at high loads. The study also revealed the occurrence of scratch-induced yielding and suggested the possibility of using ramping load scratching to characterize the ductile-to-brittle transition of metallic glasses as an alternative to time-consuming fracture tests.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
A. Khmich, A. Hassani, K. Sbiaai, A. Hasnaoui
Summary: Metallic glasses exhibit high mechanical performance but are usually brittle. Reinforcement of the metallic glass matrix to form composite materials is necessary for improved ductility and toughness. Molecular dynamics simulations can provide insights into the effects of adding Ta and W monocrystalline fibers on the mechanical properties of metallic glasses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Weiping Zeng, Yanhua Chen, Qiang Li, He Li, Baoxia Mu, Jiankang Ye, Chuntao Chang
Summary: The effects of Co content on the properties of Ni-based bulk metallic glasses were systematically investigated. It was found that increasing Co content improves glass forming ability, plastic strain, and corrosion resistance. These Ni-based bulk metallic glasses have excellent comprehensive performance and great potential for industrial applications.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Weidong Yan, Wengen Ouyang, Ze Liu
Summary: Structural superlubricity based on twisted layered materials has attracted significant research interest. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal a strong correlation between the size scaling of friction and Moire '-level oscillations in circular twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG). By proposing a theoretical formula and deriving an analytic expression, we successfully explain the observed abnormal scaling and provide a rational explanation for the measured scattered power scaling law in various experiments. Additionally, we demonstrate that the origin of the scaling law is related to the Moire ' boundary, highlighting its importance in the thermodynamic models of layered materials.
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF SOLIDS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yongping Kang, Yupeng Wu, Yangyang Pan, Qi Peng, Ze Liu
Summary: This paper investigates the mold filling dynamics of BMGs in the supercooled liquid region through finite element simulations and experiments. The phase diagram predicting the reliable replication range of mold geometric parameters is determined. It is found that improperly designed molds can lead to complex filling dynamics and replication failure. This study provides new insights into the mold filling dynamics of highly viscous fluids and offers a guideline for thermoplastic molding of BMGs.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Bozhao Wu, Yupeng Wu, Yangyang Pan, Ze Liu
Summary: In this study, experiments and molecular dynamic simulations were conducted to understand the atomic physical process and deformation mechanism in the nanoscale deformation of crystalline metals. The flow of metals into nanocavities was quantified by the aspect ratio of molded micro-/nanorods. It was found that the critical forming pressure is determined by the entering barrier, and the molding efficiency increases with decreasing cavity size.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLASTICITY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fangqi Chen, Jiacheng Yao, Xujie Wang, Shuangshuang Wang, Ze Liu, Tao Ding
Summary: Nonvolatile phase change materials have great potential in nanophotonic switches and memory devices. However, their performances deteriorate at thicknesses below 10 nm due to local deformation. In this study, we addressed this issue by photothermally modulating the refractive index of germanium antimony telluride (GST) in plasmonic nanogaps, achieving highly reversible optical switching at a rate of up to hundreds of kHz. We also demonstrated the modulation of waveguiding efficiency using GST-based photothermal modulation, providing a promising approach for integrated nanophotonic chips.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
You Li, Zhongcheng Lei, Yong He, Ze Liu
Summary: This work presents a comprehensive virtual experiment method for detecting material deformation and failure. By integrating commonly used equipment into a web-based system, users can experience an immersive and interactive learning environment. The system provides clear guidance for the experiment, highlighting the equipment/specimen to be used and marking the pathway. It also offers interactive and visualized experiments for users at different levels.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fangfang Deng, Juntao Chen, Junxiang Xiang, Yong Li, Yan Qiao, Ze Liu, Tao Ding
Summary: Researchers have successfully achieved light-programmed control of bistate colloidal actuation using photothermal active plasmonic substrate, which helps to mimic and understand natural complex systems.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jing Li, Bintong Huang, Yuanhao Wang, Aijia Li, Yong Wang, Yangyang Pan, Jia Chai, Ze Liu, Yueming Zhai
Summary: The single-molecule technique for investigating unlabeled proteins in solution is challenging, but nanopore sensing offers a label-free tool for collecting structural information. This study developed a reliable method to convert a silicon nitride nanopore into a stable nanonet platform for single-entity sensing. The nanonet provides more structural information and captures the UV-light-induced structural-change process of individual proteins.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jing-Yu Xu, Peng-Cheng Zhang, Rong Guo, Li-Xue Liu, Yong-Ping Kang, Ze Liu, Cheng Zhang, Lin Liu
Summary: This study investigates the effect of structural heterogeneity derived from additive manufacturing process on the mechanical properties of Al alloys. Elaborately designed Al-Fe-Cu-xZr alloys were subjected to laser powder bed fusion. It is found that the alloys exhibit heterogeneous structures with two distinct zones, and the Al-Fe-Cu-0.8Zr alloy shows the best combination of high yield strength, plasticity, and resistance to crack propagation. The enhanced fracture toughness is attributed to the difference in local hardness at the interfaces between the two zones. This work provides a promising strategy for toughening additively manufactured Al alloys.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Peng Li, Yuanpeng Yao, Wengen Ouyang, Ze Liu, Huayi Yin, Dihua Wang
Summary: In this study, a FeCoNiMnMo high entropy alloy (HEA) electrode was prepared for stabilizing oxygen evolution in chlorine-containing electrolytes without corrosion inhibitors. The electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability, with the protective layer containing K2MoO4 playing a crucial role in chlorine resistance. Additionally, the high-entropy effect of the HEA reduced alloy dissolution.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhicheng Feng, Yuanpeng Yao, Jianxin Liu, Bozhao Wu, Ze Liu, Wengen Ouyang
Summary: An anisotropic interlayer potential is developed to accurately describe the van der Waals interaction between water and graphene. The force field is benchmarked against density functional theory and shows good agreement with reference data sets, indicating improved empirical description of water-graphene interfacial interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations based on this force field predict water contact angles that are close to experimental measurements, demonstrating the hydrophilic nature of graphene. This theoretical approach can be extended to study the wetting properties of heterointerfaces formed with water and other two-dimensional materials.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guanghui Cao, Jingjing Liang, Zenglong Guo, Kena Yang, Gang Wang, Huiliu Wang, Xuhao Wan, Zeyuan Li, Yijia Bai, Yile Zhang, Junlin Liu, Yanpeng Feng, Zhenying Zheng, Cai Lu, Guangzhi He, Zeyou Xiong, Ze Liu, Shengli Chen, Yuzheng Guo, Mengqi Zeng, Junhao Lin, Lei Fu
Summary: High-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs) with different metal elements were synthesized using liquid metal with negative mixing enthalpy as a dynamic mixing reservoir, enabling the exploration and optimization of their properties for various applications. The versatile elements used have a wide range of atomic radii and melting points. The real-time conversion process from liquid metal to crystalline HEA-NPs was captured in situ, confirming a dynamic fission-fusion behavior during alloying.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiacheng Yao, Hui Fang, Yong Li, Ze Liu, Hongxing Xu, Tao Ding
Summary: In this study, single-crystalline aluminum nanowires with high stability were fabricated using a superplastic nanomolding technique. These nanowires exhibit multimode waveguiding, efficient beam splitting based on polarization, and durable thermal optical modulation, making them suitable for nanophotonic routers, splitters, and information encryptors. This technique can also be extended to other metals, enhancing the development of functional nanophotonic devices and integrated optical chips.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jianxin Liu, Xiaoqi Yang, Hui Fang, Weidong Yan, Wengen Ouyang, Ze Liu
Summary: This article reviews the latest advances in in situ twistronics, discussing the underlying superlubricity mechanism and showcasing real-time twistronic testing under a scanning electron microscope. The study shows that the real-time testing technique allows for visualizing and monitoring the interface status. By leveraging the tribological properties of van der Waals layered materials, this novel platform not only improves the fabrication of twistronic devices but also enhances the understanding of interface phenomena. Moreover, this platform holds promising opportunities for integrating twistronics into various mechanical frameworks.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun-Xiang Xiang, Ze Liu
Summary: Understanding and controlling the flow of materials in confined channels is important in science and engineering. The no-slip boundary condition makes it more challenging to drive flow at the nanoscale, especially for highly viscous liquids. This study reports the observation of a large boundary slip in the nanoscale flow of highly viscous supercooled liquid metals, enabled by hydrophobic treatment of smooth nanochannels. The slip length depends on the pressure, which can be explained by shear-dependent viscosity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xianglin Liu, Yuanpeng Yao, Wenting Li, Yu Zhang, Ze Liu, Huayi Yin, Dihua Wang
Summary: In this work, Co2B/MoB2 heterostructured nanoclusters were prepared and used as highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts. The optimized Co2B/MoB2 catalyst exhibited low overpotentials and long-term catalytic stability in both acidic and alkaline environments. The modified electronic structure at the Co2B/MoB2 heterointerface played a crucial role in enhancing the HER activity. Density functional theory calculations supported the experimental results and provided insights into the catalytic mechanism.
