Materials, Volume 6, Issue 2

Silicon microwire arrays embedded in Cu present exceptional performance as anode material in Li ion batteries. The processes occurring during the first charging cycles of batteries with this anode are essential for good performance. This paper sheds...

Articular cartilage is a unique tissue owing to its ability to withstand repetitive compressive stress throughout an individual’s lifetime. However, its major limitation is the inability to heal even the most minor injuries. There still remains an in...

In this paper we demonstrate the combination of supported membranes and so-called flat microfluidics, which enables one to manipulate liquids on flat chip surfaces via “inverse piezoelectric effect”. Here, an alternating external electric field appl...

An ionic liquid, 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BmimCl) was blended with urea at 1:1 mole ratio to create a BmimCl/Urea mixture. The agarose/talc composite films containing the BmimCl/Urea mixture were then acquired through a gelation method...

In this paper, a new kind of hierarchical tube with a negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) is proposed. The first level tube is constructed by rolling up an auxetic hexagonal honeycomb. Then, the second level tube is produced by substituting the arm of the...

In this paper, the use of surfactants for solubilization of hydrophobic organic dyes (mainly solvent and disperse dyes) has been reviewed. The effect of parameters such as the chemical structures of the surfactant and the dye, addition of salt and of...

Materials is instituting an annual award to recognize the outstanding papers in the area of materials science and engineering published in Materials. We are pleased to announce the first “Materials Best Paper Award” for 2013. Nominations were selec...

Ferromagnetic Fe_xGe_1−x with x = 2%–9% are obtained by Fe deposition onto Ge(001) at high temperatures (500 °C). Low energy electron diffraction (LEED) investigation evidenced the preservation of the (1 × 1) surface structure of Ge(001) with Fe deposi...

To use mesoporous silicas as low-k materials, the pore entrances must be really small to avoid diffusion of metals that can increase the dielectric constant of the low-k dielectric. In this paper we present a new method to narrow the pores of mesopor...

Atlas of Material Damage has 464 microscopic pictures, schematic diagrams, and a few graphs, which show how materials fail, how they are produced to not fail, and how they are designed to perform particular functions to make outstanding products. Fin...

The thermal shock resistance of ceramics depends on not only the mechanical and thermal properties of materials, but also the external constraint and thermal condition. So, in order to study the actual situation in its service process, a temperature-...

Electron density of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) is effectively modified by hexaiodobenzene (HIB) molecules using liquid-phase adsorption. UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra of the HIB-adsorbed SWCNT, especially in the NIR region, showed a disapp...

Biodegradable scaffolds are widely used to transplant stem cells into various tissues. Recent studies showed that living stem cells can be attached to the surface of absorbable sutures in vitro. Soaking the absorbable material polyglactin in a cell c...

The Extraordinary Magnetoresistance (EMR) effect is a change in the resistance of a device upon the application of a magnetic field in hybrid structures, consisting of a semiconductor and a metal. The underlying principle of this phenomenon is a chan...

This review discusses a new aspect to the safety profile of oxidative hair dyes using data already in the public domain. These dyes contain secondary amines that are capable of forming potentially carcinogenic nitrosamine derivatives when exposed to...

The rapidly developing field of quantum dots (QDs) provides researchers with more options for imaging modalities and therapeutic strategies. In recent years, QDs were widely used as multifunctional materials for tumor imaging and therapy due to their...

Photovoltaic cells use semiconductors to convert sunlight into electrical current and are regarded as a key technology for a sustainable energy supply. Quantum dot-based solar cells have shown great potential as next generation, high performance, low...

Creatures in nature possess almost perfect structures and properties, and exhibit harmonization and unification between structure and function. Biomimetics, mimicking nature for engineering solutions, provides a model for the development of functiona...

In the present work, thermochemical water splitting with siliconized silicon carbide (SiSiC) honeycombs coated with a zinc ferrite redox material was investigated. The small scale coated monoliths were tested in a laboratory test-rig and characterize...

Since Ni-based single-crystal superalloys are anisotropic materials, their behavior in different crystal orientations is of great interest. In this study, the yielding behavior in both tension and compression for...

Water oxidation is critically important for the development of energy solutions based on the concept of artificial photosynthesis. In order to gain deeper insight into the mechanism of water oxidation, the catalytic cycle for the first designed water...

A large amount of poplar plywood is now being imported into Japan from China, and as a result, formaldehyde emitted from this plywood represents an undesirable chemical that must be controlled using a chemical catching agent. The aim of this study is...