Assessing and tackling the barocaloric fatigue for applicable solid-state refrigeration

Xue, J.*; Huang, D.*; Hattori, Takanori; Li, L.*; Feng, Y.*; Wang, H.*; Fan, X.*; Yao, J.*; Wang, Y.*; Liu, Z.*; et al.

Applied Physics Letters, 128(20), p.201903_1 - 201903_8, 2026/05

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0333322

The cycling fatigue and barocaloric response of NHI is directly assessed under loading--unloading cycles with stress up to 100,MPa, with the adiabatic temperature change () decaying from 15,K to approximately 0.8,K after 100 cycles. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and neutron diffraction concertedly reveal the existence of the residual high-pressure phase even after the first unloading, whose fraction is rapidly increased to 90% at the 100th cycle. A phenomenological model is developed to elucidate this fatigue behavior, and an excellent agreement with experimental data has been achieved. To relieve the intergranular stress and enhance the mobility of grains, we encapsulate the composite of NHI particles and silicone oil into a 3D-printed polymer shell. Such an architectural tailoring has markedly improved the cyclic stability of the barocaloric effect with rising to c.a. 4.6,K after 100 cycles. Our results establish a fundamental understanding of the barocaloric fatigue behavior and pave a feasible route to applicable barocaloric cooling technology.

Shape evolution in neutron-rich Rh isotopes; First measurement of negative-parity isomers in Rh

Zhang, J. Z.*; Chen, Z. Q.*; Qu, T.*; Wang, Y. K.*; Li, Z. H.*; Orlandi, R.; 62 of others*

Physics Letters B, 873, p.140144_1 - 140144_9, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2025.140144

Development of a temperature-dependent chemical simulation code based on PHITS for water radiolysis from 0 to 350C

Matsuya, Yusuke; Yoshii, Yuji*; Kusumoto, Tamon*; Wang, Y.*; Ogawa, Tatsuhiko; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Kai, Takeshi

Scientific Reports (Internet), 24 Pages, 2026/00

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-52128-z

Water radiolysis plays an important role in radiation effects on materials, such as DNA damage in the human body and corrosion processes in nuclear reactors. Conventional chemical simulation codes are generally limited to around room temperature, which differs significantly from the temperature conditions encountered in reactor environments. In this study, we developed a chemical simulation code (PHITS-Chem) based on the general-purpose Monte Carlo code, the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS), applicable over a temperature range 0 to 350C. The code explicitly considers the temperature dependence of diffusion coefficients and reaction rate constants, and its performance was validated by comparing the calculated G-values with previously reported experimental and theoretical data for low-LET (0.2 keV/m), medium-LET (11.9 keV/m), and high-LET (63.4 keV/m) radiation. The developed code enables high-precision evaluation of the reaction kinetics of radiolytic species over a wide temperature range and is expected to be useful for assessing in-core material degradation and for studies related to severe accident mitigation in nuclear reactors.

Equivalent relative biological effectiveness for cell survival and micronuclei formation; Insights from a biophysical approach

Matsuya, Yusuke; Saga, Ryo*; Wang, Y.*; Sato, Tatsuhiko

Medical Physics, 52(10), p.e70040_1 - e70040_14, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.1002/mp.70040

Radiation-induced micronuclei (MN), which are chromosome fragments, are currently used as a quantitative indicator of the chromosomal aberrations detectable at a relatively early phase. The technique to assay the MN formation has been followed with increasing interest. However, the meaning of MN and the corresponding cellular responses remains uncertain. This study presents a biophysical model for estimating MN frequency by the extension of an integrated microdosimetric-kinetic (IMK) model that allows the prediction of cell survival after exposure, and theoretically explores the cellular responses associated with MN formation. By introducing a probability of MN formation from lethal lesions due to misrepair, our developed model enables the prediction of MN formation frequency depending on linear energy transfer and dose rate. Our model analyses confirmed that the relative biological effectiveness for cell survival and MN frequency are equivalent under the same irradiation conditions, indicating that MN is useful in both radiation therapy and radiation protection to quantitatively evaluate curative effects and histological damage at early stages after exposure.

in a hadronic molecule and a triangle singularity approach at finite temperature

Zhang, Y.*; Hosaka, Atsushi; Wang, Q.*; Yasui, Shigehiro*

Physical Review D, 112(1), p.016014_1 - 016014_14, 2025/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/5nlp-vwrc

no abstracts in English

Robustness of ferromagnetism in van der Waals magnet FeGeTe to hydrostatic pressure

Wang, Y.*; Zeng, X.-T.*; Li, B.*; Su, C.*; Hattori, Takanori; Sheng, X.-L.*; Jin, W.*

Chinese Physics B, 34(4), p.046203_1 - 046203_6, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-1056/adb26f

Two-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnet FeGeTe (FGT) holds a great potential for applications in spintronic devices, due to its high Curie temperature, easy tunability, and excellent structural stability in air. In this study, we have performed high-pressure neutron powder diffraction (NPD) up to 5 GPa, to investigate the evolution of its structural and magnetic properties with hydrostatic pressure. The NPD data clearly reveal the robustness of the ferromagnetism in FGT, despite of an apparent suppression by hydrostatic pressure. As the pressure increases from 0 to 5 GPa, the Curie temperature is found to decrease monotonically from 225(5) K to 175(5) K, together with a dramatically suppressed ordered moment of Fe, which is well supported by the first-principles calculations. Although no pressure-driven structural phase transition is observed up to 5 GPa, quantitative analysis on the changes of bond lengths and bond angles indicate a significant modification of the exchange interactions, which accounts for the pressure-induced suppression of the ferromagnetism in FGT.

Pressure-induced polymerization of 1,4-difluorobenzene towards fluorinated diamond nanothreads

Che, G.*; Fei, Y.*; Tang, X.*; Zhao, Z.*; Hattori, Takanori; Abe, Jun*; Wang, X.*; Ju, J.*; Dong, X.*; Wang, Y.*; et al.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 27(2), p.1112 - 1118, 2025/01

https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CP03751K

Pressure-induced polymerization (PIP) of aromatic molecules has emerged as an effective method for synthesizing various carbon-based materials. In this work, PIP of 1,4-difluorobenzene (1,4-DFB) was investigated. high-pressure investigations of 1,4-DFB reveal a phase transition at approximately 12.0 GPa and an irreversible chemical reaction at 18.7 GPa. Structural analysis of the product and the kinetics of the reaction uncovered the formation of pseudohexagonal stacked fluoro-diamond nanothreads with linear growth. Compared to the crystal structures of benzene under high pressure, 1,4-DFB exhibits higher compression along the [001] axis. The anisotropic compression is attributed to the stronger H interaction along the [01] axis and the potential compression-inhibiting HF interactions along the [100] and [010] axes, and it facilitates a possible reaction pathway along the [01] axis. This work emphasizes the crucial role of functionalization in modulating molecular stacking and influencing the reaction pathway.

Anomalous dislocation response to deformation strain in CrFeCoNiPd high-entropy alloys with nanoscale chemical fluctuations

Ying, H.*; Yang, X.*; He, H.*; Yan, A.*; An, K.*; Ke, Y.*; Wu, Z.*; Tang, S.*; Zhang, Z.*; Dong, H.*; et al.

Scripta Materialia, 250, p.116181_1 - 116181_7, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2024.116181

Dual nanoprecipitation and nanoscale chemical heterogeneity in a secondary hardening steel for ultrahigh strength and large uniform elongation

Wang, S.*; Wang, J.*; Zhang, S.*; Wei, D.*; Chen, Y.*; Rong, X.*; Gong, W.; Harjo, S.; Liu, X.*; Jiao, Z.*; et al.

Journal of Materials Science & Technology, 185, p.245 - 258, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2023.10.048

Archie's cementation factors for natural rocks; Measurements and insights from diagenetic perspectives

Yuan, X.*; Hu, Q. H.*; Fang, X.*; Wang, Q. M.*; Ma, Y.*; Tachi, Yukio

Sedimentary Geology, 465, p.106633_1 - 106633_14, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2024.106633