Crystal-liquid duality driven ultralow two-channel thermal conductivity in -MgAgSb

Li, J.*; Li, X.*; Zhang, Y.*; Zhu, J.*; Zhao, E.*; Kofu, Maiko; Nakajima, Kenji; Avdeev, M.*; Liu, P.-F.*; Sui, J.*; et al.

Applied Physics Reviews (Internet), 11(1), p.011406_1 - 011406_8, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0173680

Oxygen interstitials make metastable titanium alloys strong and ductile

Chong, Y.*; Gholizadeh, R.*; Guo, B.*; Tsuru, Tomohito; Zhao, G.*; Yoshida, Shuhei*; Mitsuhara, Masatoshi*; Godfrey, A.*; Tsuji, Nobuhiro*

Acta Materialia, 257, p.119165_1 - 119165_14, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2023.119165

Metastable titanium alloys possess excellent strain-hardening capability, but suffer from a low yield strength. As a result, numerous attempts have been made to strengthen this important structural material in the last decade. Here, we explore the contributions of grain refinement and interstitial additions in raising the yield strength of a Ti-12Mo (wt.%) metastable titanium alloy. Surprisingly, rather than strengthening the material, grain refinement actually lowers the ultimate tensile strength in this alloy. This unexpected and anomalous behavior is attributed to a significant enhancement in strain-induced martensite phase transformation, where in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis reveals, for the first time, that this phase is much softer than the parent phase. Instead, a combination of both oxygen addition and grain refinement is found to realize an unprecedented strength-ductility synergy in a Ti-12Mo-0.3O (wt.%) alloy. The advantageous effect of oxygen solutes in this ternary alloy is twofold. Firstly, solute oxygen largely suppresses strain-induced transformation to the martensite phase, even in a fine-grained microstructure, thus avoiding the softening effect of excessive amounts of martensite. Secondly, oxygen solutes readily segregate to twin boundaries, as revealed by atom probe tomography. This restricts the growth of deformation twins, thereby promoting more extensive twin nucleation, leading to enhanced microstructural refinement. The insights from our work provide a cost-effective rationale for the design of strong yet tough metastable titanium alloys, with significant implications for more widespread use of this high strength-to-weight structural material.

A Predicted CRISPR-mediated symbiosis between uncultivated archaea

Esser, S. P.*; Rahlff, J.*; Zhao, W.*; Predl, M.*; Plewka, J.*; Sures, K.*; Wimmer, F.*; Lee, J.*; Adam, P. S.*; McGonigle, J.*; et al.

Nature Microbiology (Internet), 8(9), p.1619 - 1633, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01439-2

Two-dimensional quantum universality in the spin-1/2 triangular-lattice quantum antiferromagnet NaBaCo(PO)

Sheng, J.*; Wang, L.*; Candini, A.*; Jiang, W.*; Huang, L.*; Xi, B.*; Zhao, J.*; Ge, H.*; Zhao, N.*; Fu, Y.*; et al.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(51), p.e2211193119_1 - e2211193119_9, 2022/12

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2211193119

Magnetic properties and electronic configurations of Mn ions in the diluted magnetic semiconductor BaK(ZnMn)As studied by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering

Suzuki, Hakuto*; Zhao, G.*; Okamoto, Jun*; Sakamoto, Shoya*; Chen, Z.-Y.*; Nonaka, Yosuke*; Shibata, Goro; Zhao, K.*; Chen, B.*; Wu, W.-B.*; et al.

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 91(6), p.064710_1 - 064710_5, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSJ.91.064710

Coordination number regulation of molybdenum single-atom nanozyme peroxidase-like specificity

Wang, Y.*; Jia, G.*; Cui, X.*; Zhao, X.*; Zhang, Q.*; Gu, L.*; Zheng, L.*; Li, L. H.*; Wu, Q.*; Singh, D. J.*; et al.

Chem, 7(2), p.436 - 449, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2020.10.023

Faradaically selective membrane for liquid metal displacement batteries

Yin, H.*; Chung, B.*; Chen, F.*; Ouchi, Takanari*; Zhao, J.*; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Sadoway, D. R.*

Nature Energy (Internet), 3(2), p.127 - 131, 2018/02

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-017-0072-1

We disclose a new porous electronically conductive membrane, which achieves chemical selectivity by preferred faradaic reaction. This shift in membrane mechanism grants access to a variety of heretofore forbidden choices for positive and negative electrode metals and allows the battery to charge-discharge at high rate without degradation. Fitted with a porous membrane of TiN, a displacement cell comprising a Pb positive electrode, a Li Pb negative electrode, and LiCl-KCl eutectic electrolyte was cycled at 410C and exhibited a coulombic efficiency of 92%. The capacity fade rate was measured to be 0.00172% per cycle, which is tantamount to retention of greater than 94% of initial capacity after 10 years. Most significant from the standpoint of scalability, we show that the faradaic membrane can be fashioned out of metal so as to be mechanically durable and therefore easily mass-produced at large scale with a thin cross-section for minimal ohmic drop in cell voltage.

Spin excitations in optimally P-doped BaFe(AsP) superconductor

Hu, D.*; Yin, Z.*; Zhang, W.*; Ewings, R. A.*; Ikeuchi, Kazuhiko*; Nakamura, Mitsutaka; Roessli, B.*; Wei, Y.*; Zhao, L.*; Chen, G.*; et al.

Physical Review B, 94(9), p.094504_1 - 094504_7, 2016/09

AA2016-0252.pdf:2.18MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.94.094504

The temperature and energy dependence of spin excitations in an optimally P-doped BaFe(AsP) superconductor (T = 30 K) were studied by using inelastic neutron scattering. Experimental results are consistent with calculations from a combined density functional theory and dynamical mean field theory, and suggest that the decreased average pnictogen height in BaFe(AsP) reduces the strength of electron correlations and increases the effective bandwidth of magnetic excitation.

Dispersing zwitterions into comb polymers for nonviral transfection; Experiments and molecular simulation

Ghobadi, A. F.*; Letteri, R.*; Parelkar, S. S.*; Zhao, Y.; Chan-Seng, D.*; Emrick, T.*; Jayaraman, A.*

Biomacromolecules, 17(2), p.546 - 557, 2016/02

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.5b01462

Teleseismic shear wave tomography of the Japan subduction zone

Asamori, Koichi; Zhao, D.*

Geophysical Journal International, 203(3), p.1752 - 1772, 2015/12

https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggv334

We present the first high-resolution S-wave tomography of the Japan subduction zone down to a depth of 700 km, which is determined by inverting a large number of high-quality S-wave arrival-time data from local, regional and teleseismic events. The subducting Pacific and Philippine Sea (PHS) slabs are revealed clearly as high-velocity (high-V) zones, whereas low-velocity (low-V) anomalies are revealed in the mantle wedge above the two slabs. The PHS slab has subducted aseismically down to a depth of 480 km under the Japan Sea and to a depth of 540 km under the Tsushima Strait. A window is revealed within the aseismic PHS slab, being consistent with P-wave tomography. Prominent low-V anomalies exist below the PHS slab and above the Pacific slab, which reflect hot and wet mantle upwelling caused by the joint effect of deep dehydration of the Pacific slab and convective circulation process in the mantle wedge above the Pacific slab. The hot and wet mantle upwelling has caused the complex geometry and structure of the PHS slab in SW Japan, and contributed to the Quaternary volcanism along the Japan Sea coast. In eastern Japan, low-V zones are revealed at depths of 200-700 km below the Pacific slab, which may reflect hot upwelling from the lower mantle or even the core-mantle boundary.