Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaoxue Chang, Chunhao Sun, Leguan Ran, Ran Cai, Ruiwen Shao
Summary: This study used transmission electron microscopy to observe the growth pathway of Pb nanodroplets during the early stage of nucleation, revealing the dynamic process of nanostructure formation. The results are of significant importance for thin-film growth and advanced nanomanufacturing.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaodong He, Jing Li, Yongxiang Guan, Zhiyang Wang
Summary: In this study, the effects of substrate characteristics and lubricant thickness on the cloaking state, wetting state, and diffusion diameter of nanodroplets were investigated through molecular dynamics simulation. The results showed that the presence of a thicker lubricant layer on silicon nanopillar substrates increased the coating film of nanodroplets, while nanodroplets on copper nanopillar substrates remained in a non-cloaking state, even with a thicker lubricant layer. Additionally, the electrowetting behaviors of nanodroplets under external electric fields were examined, and the results demonstrated a transition from Cassie state to partial Wenzel state on both substrates. Moreover, the impact of lubricant layer thickness on nanodroplet electrowetting was analyzed, revealing that the reduction of apparent contact angle increased with lubricant layer thickness under a parallel electric field, and had a maximum value for a moderate lubricant thickness under a perpendicular upward or downward electric field.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ryutaro Souda, Takashi Aizawa, Tadaaki Nagao
Summary: This study demonstrates that the addition of methanol and 1-propanol to ASW films can induce heterogeneous nucleation and epitaxial ice growth. Methanol enhances the interaction with the Pt substrate, resulting in heterogeneous nucleation at a lower temperature, while 1-propanol does not have such an effect. This phenomenon is related to the hydrophobic hydration of the alcohols and their adsorption behavior at the surface region.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Senjiang Yu, Jiahui Zhang, Huihua Li, Lingwei Li, Yong Ni
Summary: This study investigates the controllable buckle-delaminations in periodic thickness-gradient metal films on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates through uniaxial mechanical compression. It is found that the thickness gradient in the film leads to the concentration of mechanical strain in thinner regions, restricting the growth of buckle-delaminations. The geometric features, evolutional behaviors, and physical mechanisms of such buckle-delaminations are analyzed and discussed using buckling model and finite element simulations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Benjamin A. Legg, Kislon Voitchovsky, James J. De Yoreo
Summary: In this study, the growth process of an aluminum hydroxide film from an aqueous solution was directly observed using high-speed atomic force microscopy. The results showed that the dynamically fluctuating nanostructures preceding the formation of the film exhibited similar characteristics to those predicted by classical nucleation theory. However, the cluster energy landscape deviated from classical expectations. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations revealed that these deviations were caused by electrostatic interactions between the clusters and the underlying substrate, resulting in microphase separation and the formation of a nanostructured surface phase.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bin Wu, Jian-Zhong Fan, Jing-Yu Han, Yang Su, Ming-Peng Zhuo, Ji-Hao Sun, Yang Gao, Song Chen, Jun-Jie Wu, Zuo-Shan Wang, Xue-Dong Wang
Summary: A dynamic epitaxial-growth approach is developed to create diverse OLDHs with hierarchical architectures by controlling the crystallization time and direction. These OLDHs realize the rationally polarized exciton conversion through exciton conversion and photon propagation, providing possibilities for integrated optoelectronics.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Omar Y. Gowayed, Tahany Moosa, Angelica M. Moratos, Tianyi Hua, Stephen Arnold, Bruce A. Garetz
Summary: Focusing a near-infrared laser beam at the air/solution interface can form crystals through gradient-force laser-induced nucleation or optical-tweezer laser-induced nucleation. A competing theory exists regarding the nature of highly concentrated LIPS droplets formed at the glass/solution interface. Dynamic light scattering was used to detect nanodroplets in motion within the LIPS droplet.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yong Han, Ann Lii-Rosales, Michael C. Tringides, James W. Evans
Summary: This study reveals the process of intercalated metal nanoclusters formation under the surface of graphite, and analyzes the mechanism and competition of intercalated structure formation under high temperature conditions through models and simulations.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Q. Liebgott, A. Borroto, Z. Fernandez-Gutierrez, S. Bruyere, F. Muecklich, D. Horwat
Summary: Recently, it has been reported that dual-phase Zr-based thin films synthesized by magnetron co-sputtering exhibit competitive growth between amorphous and crystalline phases. The amorphous phase grows in columnar structures, while the crystalline phase forms separate cone-shaped regions composed of smaller crystallites. In this paper, the authors use X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to investigate this phenomenon in Zr-Cr and Zr-V thin films. The study evaluates the stability and geometrical characteristics of this self-separation phenomenon under different film compositions and deposition rates, as well as compares the nucleation and growth kinetics of Zr-Cr, Zr-V, Zr-Mo, and Zr-W dual-phase thin films.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lingjuan Hu, Qin Li, Yunjun Luo, Bixin Jin, Shumeng Chi, Xiaoyu Li
Summary: A one-step method was used to assemble cylindrical micelles with highly controllable lengths from a single liquid crystalline block copolymer. The lengths of the micelles can be controlled by adjusting the assembly conditions, with the solvent quality being a key factor. This strategy allows for the production of uniform micelles on a decent scale and demonstrates a significant toughening effect for glassy thermoplastics.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonal Shree, Sabyasachi Sutradhar, Olivier Trottier, Yuhai Tu, Xin Liang, Jonathon Howard
Summary: This study discovers the dynamic instability of neuronal dendrites and its impact on morphology, and demonstrates through a computational model that this instability leads to the complex and variable dendritic morphology. These principles may apply to branching in other cell types and at different levels.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Leonard Jacques, Veronika Kovacova, Jung In Yang, Susan Trolier-McKinstry
Summary: This study investigates the activation energies for KNN thin films with manganese doping, revealing that crystallization is nucleation-limited and can be reduced by using a seed layer.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ce Mi, Yufei Dong, Shaojuan Wang, Huihui Li, Lei Zhu, Xiaoli Sun, Shouke Yan
Summary: A simple heating-cooling procedure is used to fabricate pure polar gamma-PVDF thin films. The pure gamma crystals are induced by controlling the relaxation state of the crystals, through self-seeding and self-nucleation mechanisms within 30 minutes. This methodology provides a new pathway for the application of PVDF homopolymers in flexible ferroelectric devices.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huanyu Ye, Feng Yang, Yinghui Sun, Rongming Wang
Summary: This study visually recorded the complete evolution process of solid-phase chloroplatinic acid during the electron beam irradiation triggered reduction and nucleation of platinum nanocrystals using aberration-corrected environmental transmission electron microscopy. The research found that there is a critical size of approximately 2.0 nm, representing the start of crystallization, during the formation of nanocrystals.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Haimei Zheng
Summary: The development of liquid cells for transmission electron microscopy has revolutionized the ability to track nanoscale structural, morphological, or chemical changes during materials growth and applications. This advancement allows for capturing nanoscale dynamic processes of materials and is expected to accelerate the discovery of novel materials for various applications in energy storage, catalysis, sensors, and other functional devices.
