A Selective Nano Cell Cycle Checkpoint Inhibitor Overcomes Leukemia Chemoresistance (Small 25/2023)

Cell cycle checkpoint activation promotes DNA damage repair, which is highly associated with the chemoresistance of various cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Selective cell cycle checkpoint inhibitors are strongly demanded to overcome chemoresistance, but remain unexplored. A selective nano cell cycle checkpoint inhibitor (NCCI: citric acid capped ultra-small iron oxide nanoparticles) that can catalytically inhibit the cell cycle checkpoint of AML to boost the chemotherapeutic efficacy of genotoxic agents is now reported. NCCI can selectively accumulate in AML cells and convert H₂O₂ to ^•OH to cleave heat shock protein 90, leading to the degradation of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related proteinand checkpoint kinase 1, and the subsequent dysfunction of the G2/M checkpoint. Consequently, NCCI revitalizes the anti-AML efficacy of cytarabine that is previously ineffective both in vitro and in vivo. This study offers new insights into designing selective cell cycle checkpoint inhibitors for biomedical applications.     

Lithiophilic Magnetic Host Facilitates Target-Deposited Lithium for Practical Lithium-Metal Batteries

Lithium-metal shows promising prospects in constructing various high-energy-density lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) while long-lasting tricky issues including the uncontrolled dendritic lithium growth and infinite lithium volume expansion seriously impede the application of LMBs. In this work, it is originally found that a unique lithiophilic magnetic host matrix (Co₃O₄-CCNFs) can simultaneously eliminate the uncontrolled dendritic lithium growth and huge lithium volume expansion that commonly occur in typical LMBs. The magnetic Co₃O₄ nanocrystals which inherently embed on the host matrix act as nucleation sites and can also induce micromagnetic field and facilitate a targeted and ordered lithium deposition behavior thus, eliminating the formation of dendritic Li. Meanwhile, the conductive host can effectively homogenize the current distribution and Li-ion flux, thus, further relieving the volume expansion during cycling. Benefiting from this, the featured electrodes demonstrate ultra-high coulombic efficiency of 99.1% under 1 mA cm⁻² and 1 mAh cm⁻². Symmetric cell under limited Li (10 mAh cm⁻²) inspiringly delivers ultralong cycle life of 1600 h (under 2 mA cm⁻², 1 mAh cm⁻²). Moreover, LiFePO₄||Co₃O₄-CCNFs@Li full-cell under practical condition of limited negative/positive capacity ratio (2.3:1) can deliver remarkably improved cycling stability (with 86.6% capacity retention over 440 cycles).     

High carrier mobility and remarkable photovoltaic performance of two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper organic–inorganic metal halides (PA)2(MA)2M3I10 for perovskite solar cell applications

Two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper (2DRP) metal halides have attracted extensive attention in photovoltaic applications due to their high stability, low self-doping levels and long-lived free carriers. Among them, (PA)₂(MA)₂Pb₃I₁₀ presents itself as a superior candidate, demonstrating greater moisture resistance and improved heat and light stability over many other 2DRP metal halides. This study takes on the opportunity to search for lead-free alternatives by investigating the optoelectronic and carrier transport properties, as well as the photovoltaic performance of such (PA)₂(MA)₂M₃I₁₀ type metal halides as the photovoltaic absorber, where M = Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ge, Mn, Ni, Sn, Yb, Zn. Our results indicate that the bandgap of (PA)₂(MA)₂M₃I₁₀ can be tuned to the optimum photovoltaic application range of 0.9–1.6 eV, along with improved optical and enhanced photo-response capacity, when Sn, Cd, Mn, Ge, and Zn are used to replace Pb. In particular, (PA)₂(MA)₂Zn₃I₁₀ possesses the largest Stokes shift and Huang-Rhys factor, while showing the best photoluminescence tendency and broadest emission nature. (PA)₂(MA)₂Ge₃I₁₀ displays the most excellent of carrier transport capacities with high mobilities of 73 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 43 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ for electron and hole carriers, respectively, which are even comparable to that of 3D counterparts. Furthermore, (PA)₂(MA)₂Zn₃I₁₀ is predicted to have the highest power conversion efficiency of 23.36% based on an empirical energy loss (0.5 eV), which is quite close to the Shockley–Queisser limit, thereby featuring it as a suitable absorber for photovoltaic applications. These findings shed light on new strategies for designing and developing lead-free 2DRP metal halides targeted at future applications in photovoltaic solar cell devices.     

Lyophilized flutamide dispersions with polyols and amino acids: preparation and in vitro evaluation

Context: Flutamide (FLT) has poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability. Objective: Lyophilization monophase solution was used for preparing lyophilized dispersions of FLT with polyols and amino acids to increase its poor dissolution. Methods: Physical properties and dissolution behavior of their physical mixtures and lyophilized dispersions were investigated. Results and discussion: The carriers increased the aqueous solubility of FLT but to a limited extent with arginine and glycine showing a linear A_L-phase solubility diagrams. Gas chromatography indicated that residual tertiary butyl alcohol was in range of 0.007?0.023% (w/w) in the dispersions. In all dispersions, the crystal structure of FLT was confirmed using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry, and scanning electron microscopy. However, the percent drug crystallinity was found to decrease with increasing the carrier content. Infrared spectroscopy revealed no interaction between drug and carriers. The particle size of FLT dispersions ranged between 0.61 and 1.81 μm, with a high surface area (293.93?465.37 m²/g) and porosity (447.69?754.33 e^-3 mL/g). In addition, the poor flow properties of FLT were improved but to a limited extent. FLT dissolution from the dispersions was enhanced with 46.35% and 36.43% of FLT dissolved after 30 minutes from 1:5 FLT–mannitol and FLT–trehalose dispersions, respectively, compared with only 13.45% of pure FLT. On the other hand, after 30 minutes 38.57% and 46.78% of FLT was dissolved from 1:3 FLT–arginine and FLT–glycine dispersions, respectively. Conclusion: These data suggest that polyols and amino acids might be useful adjuncts in preparation of immediate-release formulations of FLT.     

Copper Hydroxyl Nitrate/Graphite Oxide Composite as Superoxidant for the Decomposition/Mineralization of Organophosphate‐Based Chemical Warfare Agent Surrogate

Dimethyl chlorophosphate (DMCP) is a surrogate of G‐series organophosphate nerve agents. The destruction of DMCP over copper hydroxyl nitrate (CuON) and copper hydroxyl nitrate/graphite oxide composite (CuONGO) is studied. The extent of interactions between DMCP and the adsorbent surface is monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in a total attenuated reflectance mode at several predetermined time exposures. Thermal analysis/mass spectrometry is also used to determine the reactive adsorption process. Here, a gradual replacement of NO₃⁻ groups by Cl⁻ and/or CO₃⁻ indicating the mineralization of DMCP to form CuCl₂ and CuCO₃ is shown. Even though more DMCP is reactively adsorbed on CuON, its decomposition is faster on CuONGO. Detected NO₂, which is formed as an intermediate, causes the conversion of an unevaporated DMCP liquid to H₃PO₄, as supported by MS results. This mineralization of DMCP happens via an indirect contact with the catalyst. Thus, CuON and CuONGO are considered as highly powerful media for the decontamination of chlorophosphate‐based nerve agents.     

Electronic-Grade High-Quality Perovskite Single Crystals by a Steady Self-Supply Solution Growth for High-Performance X-ray Detectors

High-quality perovskite single crystals with large size are highly desirable for the fundamental research and high energy detection application. Here, a simple and convenient solution method, featuring continuous-mass transport process (CMTP) by a steady self-supply way, is shown to keep the growth of semiconductor single crystals continuously stable at a constant growth rate until an expected crystal size is achieved. A significantly reduced full width at half-maximum (36 arcsec) of the (400) plane from the X-ray rocking curve indicates a low angular dislocation of 6.8 × 10⁶ cm⁻² and hence a higher crystalline quality for the CH₃NH₃PbI₃(MAPbI₃) single crystals grown by CMTP as compared to the conventional inverse temperature crystallization (ITC) method. Furthermore, the CMTP-based single crystals have lower trap density, reduced by nearly 200% to 4.5 × 10⁹ cm⁻³, higher mobility increased by 187% to 150.2 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, and higher mobility–lifetime product increased by around 450% to 1.6 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹, as compared with the ITC-grown reference sample. The high performance of the CMTP-based MAPbI₃ X-ray detector is comparable to that of a traditional high-quality CdZnTe device, indicating the CMTP method as being a cost-efficient strategy for high-quality electronic-grade semiconductor single crystals.     

Centimeter-Sized Single Crystals of Dion-Jacobson Phase Lead-Free Double Perovskite for Efficient X-ray Detection

2D Dion–Jacobson (DJ) phase hybrid perovskites have shown great promise in the photoelectronic field owing to their outstanding optoelectronic performance and superior structural rigidity. However, DJ phase lead-free double perovskites are still a virgin land with direct X-ray detection. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a new DJ phase lead-free layered double perovskite of (HIS)₂AgSbBr₈ ( 1 , HIS²⁺ = histammonium). Centimeter-sized (18 × 10 × 5 mm³) single crystals of 1 are successfully grown via the temperature cooling technique, exhibiting remarkable semiconductive characteristics such as a high resistivity (2.2 × 10¹¹ Ω cm), a low trap state density (3.56 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻³), and a large mobility-lifetime product (1.72 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹). Strikingly, its single-crystal-based X-ray detector shows a high sensitivity of 223 µC Gy⁻¹_air cm⁻² under 33.3 V mm⁻¹, a low detection limit (84.2 nGy_airs⁻¹) and superior anti-fatigue. As far as we know, we firstly demonstrates the potential of 2D DJ phase lead-free hybrid double perovskite in X-ray detection, showing excellent photoelectric response and operational stability. This work will pave a promising pathway to the innovative application of hybrid perovskites for eco-friendly and efficient X-ray detection.     

Superplastic behavior of a powder metallurgy superalloy during isothermal compression

In this work,the flow behaviors and microstructure evolution of a powder metallurgy nickel-based superalloy during superplastic compression is investigated.Based on the strain rate sensitivity m determined by flow data,superplastic region is estimated at relatively low temperature and strain rate domains,specifically around 1000 ℃/10~(-3)s~(-1).Thereafter,the cylinder specimens are isothermally compressed at 1000 ℃/10~(-3)s~(-1) and 1025 ℃/10~(-3)s~(-1) with different strains,to exam the superplasticity and related mechanisms.The experimental results indicate that the accumulated dislocations are mainly annihilated by dynamic recovery and dynamic recrystallization(DRX),and the grain boundary sliding(GBS)contributes to the total strain during superplastic compression as well.In addition,the cavities and cracks at triple junctions or interfaces between matrix and second phase particle have not been detected,which is different from superplastic tensile deformation.     

Flexible Porous Organic Polymer Membranes for Protonic Field-Effect Transistors

Artificial transistors represent an ideal means for meeting the requirements in interfacing with biological systems. It is pivotal to develop new proton-conductive materials for the transduction between biochemical events and electronic signals. Herein, the first demonstration of a porous organic polymer membrane (POPM) as a proton-conductive material for protonic field-effect transistors is presented. The POPM is readily prepared through a thiourea-formation condensation reaction. Under hydrated conditions and at room temperature, the POPM delivers a proton mobility of 5.7 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹; the charge carrier densities are successfully modulated from 4.3 × 10¹⁷ to 14.1 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ by the gate voltage. This study provides a type of promising modular proton-conductive materials for bioelectronics application.     

Synthesis of ytterbium bisphthalocyanines: Photophysicochemical properties and nonlinear absorption behavior

Herein we report on the syntheses, photophysico-chemical properties and nonlinear absorption parameters of bis-{1(4), 8(11), 15(18), 22(25)-(tetrapyridin-2-yloxy phthalocyaninato)} ytterbium (III) (3) and bis-{1(4), 8(11), 15(18), 22(25)-(tetrapyridin-4-yloxy phthalocyaninato)} ytterbium (III) (4). The fluorescence and singlet oxygen quantum yields obtained for complexes 3 and 4 are low. The triplet quantum yield obtained for complex 3 is high at Φ_T = 0.89 whereas for complex 4 Φ_T = 0.48. The third order optical susceptibility values are of the order: 10⁻¹¹ esu (for complex 3), and 10⁻¹³ esu (for complex 4) while the hyperpolarizability values are of the order: 10⁻²⁸ esu (for complex 3) and 10⁻³¹ esu (for complex 4). Complexes 3 and 4 show two-photon absorption coefficients of the order of 10⁻⁴⁶ cm⁴ s/photon and 10⁻⁴⁸ cm⁴ s/photon, and threshold intensities as low as 0.3 J cm⁻² and 0.0045 J cm⁻², respectively.     

Hydrogen-Doping-Induced Metal-Like Ultrahigh Free-Carrier Concentration in Metal-Oxide Material for Giant and Tunable Plasmon Resonance

The practical utilization of plasmon-based technology relies on the ability to find high-performance plasmonic materials other than noble metals. A key scientific challenge is to significantly increase the intrinsically low concentration of free carriers in metal-oxide materials. Here, a novel electron–proton co-doping strategy is developed to achieve uniform hydrogen doping in metal-oxide MoO₃ at mild conditions, which creates a metal-like ultrahigh free-carrier concentration approaching that of noble metals (10²¹ cm⁻³ in H_1.68MoO₃ versus 10²² cm⁻³ in Au/Ag). This bestows giant and tunable plasmonic resonances in the visible region to this originally semiconductive material. Using ultrafast spectroscopy characterizations and first-principle simulations, the formation of a quasi-metallic energy band structure that leads to long-lived and strong plasmonic field is revealed. As verified by the surface-enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) of rhodamine 6G molecules on H_xMoO₃, the SERS enhancement factor reaches as high as 1.1 × 10⁷ with a detection limit at concentration as low as 1 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹, representing the best among the hitherto reported non-metal systems. The findings not only provide a set of metal-like semiconductor materials with merits of low cost, tunable electronic structure, and plasmonic resonance, but also a general strategy to induce tunable ultrahigh free-carrier concentration in non-metal systems.     

Modifying the morphology and structure of graphene oxide provides high-performance LiFePO4/C/rGO composite cathode materials

In this study we synthesized LiFePO₄/carbon/reduced graphene oxide (LFP/C/rGO) composite cathode materials using a method involving sol–gel processing, spray-drying, and calcination. To improve the electrochemical performance of LFP/C, we tested graphene oxides (GOs) of various morphologies as conductive additives, including pristine GO, three-dimensional GO, and hydrothermal porous GO (HTGO). Among our samples, the cathode material prepared through spray-drying with the addition of 1 wt% of HTGO (denoted SP-LFP/C/1%rHTGO) displayed the best electrochemical performance; its discharge capacities at 0.1C, 1C, 5C, and 10C were 160.5, 151.8, 138.8, and 130.3 mA h g⁻¹, respectively. From measurements of its long-term cycling performance, the discharge capacity in the first cycle and the capacity retention after 30 cycles at 0.1C were 160.2 mA h g⁻¹ and 99.6%, respectively; at 10C, these values were 132.2 mA h g⁻¹ and 91.8%, respectively. The electronic conductivity of SP-LFP/C/1%rHTGO (6.58 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹) was higher than that of the pristine LFP/C (9.24 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹). The Li⁺ ion diffusivities (D_Li⁺) of the SP-LFP/C/1%HTGO cathode, measured using AC impedance (3.91 × 10⁻¹³ cm² s⁻¹) and cyclic voltammetry (6.66 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm² s⁻¹ for discharge), were superior to those of the LFP/C cathode (9.31 × 10⁻¹⁵ cm² s⁻¹ and 1.79 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm² s⁻¹ for discharge, respectively). Galvanostatic intermittent titration revealed that the value of D_Li⁺ was located in a reasonable range from 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 1 × 10⁻¹⁷ cm² s⁻¹; its value dropped to its lowest point when the state of charge was close to 50%. Thus, the use of spray-drying and the addition of conductive HTGO (having a 3D wrinkled morphology and interconnected pore structure) can enhance the electronic conductivity and Li⁺ ion diffusivity of LFP/C cathode materials, thereby improving the electrochemical performance significantly.     

Enhanced Crystallinity,Dielectric, and Energy Harvesting Performances of Surface‐Treated Barium Titanate Hollow Nanospheres/PVDF Nanocomposites

Enhancement of the energy harvesting performance and dielectric constants of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)‐based capacitors is realized by incorporating 16 wt% of surface‐treated BaTiO₃ hollow nanospheres (HNSs) in comparison with the pristine PVDF. The fabricated BaTiO₃ HNSs with particle sizes of ≈20 nm and BET surface area of 297 m² g⁻¹ are treated by three different surface modifiers. The changes in crystallinity of the PVDF containing the surface‐treated BaTiO₃ HNSs are induced by both enlarged surface areas and increased surface functionality of the HNSs. Effects of such surface functionalities on the crystalline, dielectric, and energy harvesting performances of the nanocomposites are systematically investigated to identify the optimal surface modifier to enhance the energy density of the nanocomposites. Consequently, these changes in crystallinity lead to higher dielectric constants (ε′ ≈ 109.6) and energy density (U_e ≈ 21.7 J cm⁻³) with highly retained breakdown strength (E = 3.81 × 10³ kV cm⁻¹) compared to pristine PVDF (ε′ ≈ 11.6 and U_e ≈ 2.16 J cm⁻³ at 3.98 × 10³ kV cm⁻¹), indicating their potential as high energy density capacitors.     

Superplasticity of single-phase Ni–48Al intermetallics with large grains

Superplasticity was found in single-phase Ni–48Al alloy with initial grain size of 200 μm under an initial strain rate of 1.25×10⁻⁴ to 2×10⁻³ s⁻¹ at temperatures ranging from 1025 to 1100 °C. The maximum elongation of 188.2% was obtained under an initial strain rate of 1.125×10⁻³ s⁻¹ at 1100 °C. Optical metallography (OM) showed that the grains were refined during superplastic deformation from initial 200 to less than 20 μm. Transmission electron microcopy (TEM) observation showed that an unstable subgrain boundary network formed during superplastic deformation. The subgrain boundaries were transformed into low- and high-angle grain boundaries by absorbing gliding dislocations. The large-grained superplastic phenomenon could be explained by continuously dynamic recovery and recrystallization (CDRR).     

Preparation and characterisation of Au/InGaP/GaAs Schottky barriers for radiation damage investigation

High quality Au/InGaP Schottky diodes have been prepared as efficient test structures for a study of the radiation hardness of InGaP as space solar cell material. A detailed characterisation of the metal–semiconductor barriers obtained on both n (free carrier concentration ranging from 3×l0¹⁵ to 1.2×l0¹⁸ cm⁻³) and p-type (3.5×10¹⁷ cm⁻³) InGaP epitaxial layers lattice matched to GaAs substrate has been performed using current–voltage, capacitance–voltage and internal photoemission techniques. Excellent electrical properties were found for low doped (ideality factor of 1.05–1.06, rectification ratio of about 10¹⁰ at 0.7 V, reverse current lower than 1×10⁻¹² A at −2 V) as well as heavily doped samples (rectification ratios of about 10⁵ at 0.6 V). The barrier height values calculated by the different techniques were compared and discussed. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) spectra obtained on unirradiated samples did not show detectable deep levels with the exception of the heaviest doped sample showing a weak peak associated to the DX centre. After electron irradiation at 9 MeV with doses ranging from 5×l0¹³ to 1.5×10¹⁵ e cm⁻² the samples exhibited a broad dominant peak (activation energy in the 0.90–0.93 eV range) whose intensity increased linearly with the absorbed dose. The broadening of the peak and the observed increase of the corresponding trap concentration with the doping level suggest that this peak could be associated to complexes due to the interaction of primary defects, created by high irradiation energy, with each others and with the shallow impurities.     

Lyophilization monophase solution technique for preparation of amorphous flutamide dispersions

Flutamide (FLT) is a poorly soluble anticancer drug. Therefore, lyophilized dispersions (LDs) of FLT with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K30, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000, and pluronic F127 were prepared via lyophilization monophase solution technique with the aim of increasing its dissolution rate. FLT showed an A_L-type phase solubility diagrams with PVP and PEG, whereas A_N-type diagram was obtained with pluronic. The amount of residual tertiary butyl alcohol, determined by gas chromatography, was 0.015–0.021% w/w. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry revealed that FLT–polymer 1:1 LDs were partially amorphous, whereas the 1:3 and 1:5 LDs were completely amorphous. After 6 months storage, polymers under study inhibited FLT recrystallization maintaining its amorphous form. The particle size of FLT–polymer LDs was between 0.81 and 2.13 μm, with a high surface area (268.43–510.82 m²/g) and porosity (354.01–676.23 e^?3 mL/g). Also, the poor flow properties of FLT could be improved but to a limited extent. FLT dissolution was significantly enhanced with the fastest dissolution that was achieved using pluronic. After 30?min, about 66.52%, 78.23%, and 81.64% of FLT was dissolved from 1:5 FLT–PVP, PEG, and pluronic LDs, respectively, compared with only 13.45% of FLT. These data suggest that these polymers might be useful adjuncts in preparation and stabilization of amorphous immediate-release FLT LDs.     

Effect of electron irradiation on alternating current electrical properties of gelatin – cadmium sulfide nano-composite films

Gelatin was doped with 1 %, 3 %, 5 % and 10 % cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in weight concentrations forming the gelatin-cadmium sulfide nanocomposites and irradiated by various electron beam doses equals 50 kGy, 75 kGy, 100 kGy, and 150 kGy using 3 MeV – 3 mA electron accelerator. The applied alternating current electrical field frequency ranging from 70 Hz to 5 MHz is what caused the fluctuation in dielectric properties and alternating current electrical conductivity of these nanocomposites. The results showed that the films of 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, and 10 % for blank (nanocomposite film without electron beam irradiation) nanocomposites had the highest dielectric parameters (έ, ϵ′′, tan δ) at 0.5 kHz with values of (0.696, 0.0233, 0.034), (0.533, 0.0114, 0.0215), (0.402, 0.001196, 0.003), and (0.459, 0.00418, 0.0091), respectively. However, the lowest dielectric parameters were (0.645, 0.00618, 0.0066), (0.523, 0.00165, 0.0215), (0.417, 0.00035, 0.0008), and (0.455, 0.00066, 0.0015) at 5 MHz, respectively. The highest conductivity values for blank nanocomposites of 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, and 10 % were 1.79×10⁻⁴ S/m, 1.45×10⁻⁴ S/m, 1.16×10⁻⁴ S/m, 1.27×10⁻⁴ S/m at 5 MHz, and the lowest values were 1.92×10⁻⁸ S/m, 1.49×10⁻⁸ S/m, 1.13×10⁻⁸ S/m, 1.26×10⁻⁸ S/m at 0.5 kHz, respectively. For irradiated nanocomposites at 5 MHz, the dielectric constant order for 1 % was 100 kGy, 150 kGy, 50 kGy, and 75 kGy with values 0.63, 0.537, 0.532, and 0.523, respectively. For 10 % weight concentration, the order was 50 kGy, 100 kGy, 150 kGy, and 75 kGy with values 0.515, 0.477, 0.47, and 0.437, respectively. Otherwise the dielectric constant order for 3 % and 5 % was 100 kGy, 75 kGy, 150 kGy, and 50 kGy. The highest dielectric properties and conductivity values for blank and irradiated nanocomposites were observed at 100 kGy for 1 %, 3 %, and 5 %.     

Attainment of high specific hardness and specific modulus in spark plasma sintered aluminium-copper-silicon carbide-titanium carbide hybrid composite

Aluminium matrix hybrid composites have been consolidated effectively by spark plasma sintering with new combinations of reinforcement and high volume percentage of ceramic particulates to maximize specific hardness and specific modulus through the powder metallurgy route. The aforementioned techno-scientific accomplishment with regard to metal matrix composite aims to meet a continuous increase in the global demand for a material with minimum structural weight and high-modulus for structural (automotive and aerospace) applications. The new aluminium based hybrid composite developed by incorporating ceramic particulate reinforcements (12.5 wt.% silicon carbide and 12.5 wt.% titanium carbide) along with 22.5 wt.% copper as the metallic reinforcement attains significantly high specific hardness (85 HV/gcm⁻³), specific Young's modulus (33.56 GPa/g cm⁻³), specific bulk modulus (27.97 GPa/g cm⁻³) when compared with the reported range of specific hardness (13 HV/g cm⁻³–89 HV/g cm⁻³), specific Young's modulus (24 GPa/g cm⁻³–27 GPa/g cm⁻³) and specific bulk modulus (20 GPa/g cm⁻³–22 GPa/g cm⁻³) possessed by structural steels. This is accredited to the genesis of a novel microstructure that consists of fine copper, silicon carbide and titanium carbide particulates together with a nominal in-situ originated aluminium-copper equilibrium phases distributed in a highly substructured aluminium based matrix with a significant dislocation density (7.56 ⋅ 10¹⁴ m^-2).     

Mineral‐Templated 3D Graphene Architectures for Energy‐Efficient Electrodes

3D graphene networks have shown extraordinary promise for high‐performance electrochemical devices. Herein, the chemical vapor deposition synthesis of a highly porous 3D graphene foam (3D‐GF) using naturally abundant calcined Iceland crystal as the template is reported. Intriguingly, the Iceland crystal transforms to CaO monolith with evenly distributed micro/meso/macropores through the releasing of CO₂ at high temperature. Meanwhile, the hierarchical structure of the calcined template could be easily tuned under different calcination conditions. By precisely inheriting fine structure from the templates, the as‐prepared 3D‐GF possesses a tunable hierarchical porosity and low density. Thus, the hierarchical pores offer space for guest hybridization and provide an efficient pathway for ion/charge transport in typical energy conversion/storage systems. The 3D‐GF skeleton electrode hybridized with Ni(OH)₂/Co(OH)₂ through an optimal electrodeposition condition exhibits a high specific capacitance of 2922.2 F g⁻¹ at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹, and 2138.4 F g⁻¹ at a discharge current density of 3.1 A g⁻¹. The hybrid 3D‐GF symmetry supercapacitor shows a high energy density of 83.0 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 1011.3 W kg⁻¹ and 31.4 Wh kg⁻¹ at a high power density of 18 845.2 W kg⁻¹. The facile fabrication process enables the mass production of hierarchical porous 3D‐GF for high‐performance supercapacitors.     

Honeycomb RhI3 Flakes with High Environmental Stability for Optoelectronics

The emerging 2D layered transition metal trihalides (MX₃) have attracted extremely high interest given their exceptional structural and physical properties. Continuing to extend the library of 2D MX₃ is essential for exploring new physical phenomena and enabling new functionality. Herein, the optical and electrical properties and the photodetection behavior of atomically thin RhI₃ flakes exfoliated from bulk crystals are reported. This compound exhibits superior air and thermal stability, as well as thickness-dependent bandgap from 1.1 (18L) to 1.4 eV (2L). Field-effect transistors based on the few-layer RhI₃ flakes display n-type semiconducting behavior with competitive mobility of 2.5 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and ON/OFF current ratio of 4 × 10⁴. Importantly, the outstanding responsivity of 11.5 A W⁻¹ and high specific detectivity of 2 × 10¹⁰ Jones are recorded from the RhI₃ photodetectors under 980 nm illumination at room temperature in air. These findings indicate a variety of potential applications of atomically thin RhI₃ flakes in future 2D-material-based electronic and optoelectronic devices.