Advances in Multifunctional Materials and Structures

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Hybrid and Composite Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 2017

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 43 Prof. Dimitrie Mangeron Blvd., 700050 Iasi, Romania
Interests: biodegradable metallic materials; biomaterials; microstructural analysis; surface characterization; APS coatings
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to publish original scientific research on microstructure design, mechanical analysis, corrosion resistance, in vitro and in vivo studies, and coatings and material processes of all kinds of modern engineering materials. The development of advanced materials and structures and the elaboration of their properties and applications have become increasingly important in recent years. This is a driving force to find innovative synthesis and technological solutions, as well as to understand their function–property relationships, all of which may be included in your scientific contributions to this Special Issue. A special array of advanced materials and structures with specific properties have been developed in recent years, across a wide range of commercial, biomedical, and industrial applications, and further research in this field is expected. The design and synthesis of advanced multifunctional materials and structures require a thorough understanding of fundamental phenomena in condensed matter, materials physics, and engineering mechanics.

To continue the achievements of recent years in this field, the current Special Issue proposes to cover all aspects related to the synthesis, design, and characterization of multifunctional materials and structures through experimental and theoretical methods. The materials involved should belong to the category of crystalline materials to meet the scope of the journal Crystals.

We invite submissions for this Special Issue, including full original research papers, communications, and review articles.

Prof. Dr. Corneliu Munteanu
Dr. Bogdan Istrate
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • multi-phase intermetallic alloys
  • surface and interface engineering to improve the materials’ performance
  • novel coatings for enhancing the performance of metals
  • biocompatible and biodegradable materials
  • Fe-, Mg-, Ti-, Cu-, Co-, Al-, Zn-based intermetallic alloys
  • microstructure characterization (OM, SEM, XRD)
  • surface interface characterization
  • mechanical properties
  • crystalline structures, phase transformations, and the interplay between microstructure and macroscopic properties
  • corrosion resistance and electrochemical analysis
  • in vivo and in vitro studies
  • osseointegration and cell studies
  • high biocompatibility for medical applications
  • thermal analysis
  • heat treatments
  • the relationship between structure, properties, and materials applications

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 804 KiB  
Article
Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy of Aryl Alkane Molecular Junction Devices with Graphene Electrodes
by Hyunwook Song
Crystals 2025, 15(5), 433; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15050433 (registering DOI) - 1 May 2025
Abstract
We present a comprehensive vibrational spectroscopic analysis of vertical molecular junction devices constructed using single-layer graphene electrodes separated by an aryl alkane monolayer. In this work, inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) is employed to probe molecular vibrations within the junction, providing an in [...] Read more.
We present a comprehensive vibrational spectroscopic analysis of vertical molecular junction devices constructed using single-layer graphene electrodes separated by an aryl alkane monolayer. In this work, inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) is employed to probe molecular vibrations within the junction, providing an in situ fingerprint of the molecules. Graphene has emerged as a promising electrode material for molecular electronics due to its atomically thin, mechanically robust nature and ability to form stable contacts. However, prior to this study, the vibrational spectra of molecules in graphene-based molecular junctions had not been fully explored. Here, we demonstrate that vertically stacked graphene electrodes can be used to form stable and reproducible molecular junctions that yield well-resolved IETS signatures. The observed IETS spectra exhibit distinct peaks corresponding to the vibrational modes of the sandwiched aryl alkane molecules, and all major features are assigned through density functional theory calculations of molecular vibrational modes. Furthermore, by analyzing the broadening of IETS peaks with temperature and AC modulation amplitude, we extract intrinsic vibrational linewidths, confirming that the spectral features originate from the molecular junction itself rather than extrinsic noise or instrumental artifacts. These findings conclusively verify the presence of the molecular layer between graphene electrodes as the charge transport pathway and highlight the potential of graphene–molecule–graphene junctions for fundamental studies in molecular electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Multifunctional Materials and Structures)
14 pages, 21828 KiB  
Article
A Study of the Effects of Mechanical Alloying Fraction, Solution Treatment Temperature and Pre-Straining Degree on the Structure and Properties of a Powder Metallurgy-Produced FeMnSiCrNi Shape Memory Alloy
by Elena Matcovschi, Bogdan Pricop, Nicoleta-Monica Lohan, Mihai Popa, Gheorghe Bădărău, Nicanor Cimpoeșu, Burak Ozkal and Leandru-Gheorghe Bujoreanu
Crystals 2025, 15(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15020105 - 21 Jan 2025
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Abstract
A shape memory alloy with the chemical composition Fe-14Mn-6Si-9Cr-5Ni (mass %) was produced by powder metallurgy (PM) from as-blended powders mixed with mechanically alloyed (MA’ed) powder volumes in amounts of 0, 10 and 20. After powder blending, pressing and sintering, the specimens were [...] Read more.
A shape memory alloy with the chemical composition Fe-14Mn-6Si-9Cr-5Ni (mass %) was produced by powder metallurgy (PM) from as-blended powders mixed with mechanically alloyed (MA’ed) powder volumes in amounts of 0, 10 and 20. After powder blending, pressing and sintering, the specimens were hot-rolled, spark erosion cut with different configurations and solution-treated between 700 and 1100 °C. After metallographic preparation, structural analyses were performed by X-ray diffraction and microscopic observation performed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analyses revealed the presence of thermal- and stress-induced martensites caused by solution treatment and pre-straining. Due to the relatively low Mn amount, significant quantities of α′ body center cubic martensite were formed during post-solution treatment water cooling. Solution-treated lamellar specimens underwent a training thermomechanical treatment comprising repeated cycles of room temperature bending, heating and sputtered water cooling. By cinematographic analysis, the occurrence of the shape memory effect (SME) was revealed, in spite of the large amount of α′ bcc martensite. Tensile specimens were subjected to room temperature failure tests and pre-straining (up to 4% permanent strain, after loading–unloading). After tensile pre-straining, a diminution of α′ martensite amount was noticed on XRD patterns, which was associated with the formation of internal sub-bands in the substructure of martensite and were observed by high-resolution SEM. These results prove that SME can be obtained in trained PM_MA’ed Fe-14Mn-6Si-9Cr-5Ni specimens in spite of the large amount of thermally induced α′ bcc martensite, the stress-induced formation of which is impeded by the presence of internal sub-bands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Multifunctional Materials and Structures)
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20 pages, 15809 KiB  
Article
Structure and Mechanical Properties of a Titanium–8 wt.% Gallium Alloy
by David W. Wheeler
Crystals 2024, 14(12), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14121061 - 8 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1120
Abstract
This paper describes a study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of a titanium–gallium (Ti-8 wt.% Ga) alloy using X-ray diffraction, optical metallography, micro-hardness measurements, compression and tensile testing, nanoindentation and ultrasonic velocity measurements. X-ray diffraction has shown the alloy to be wholly [...] Read more.
This paper describes a study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of a titanium–gallium (Ti-8 wt.% Ga) alloy using X-ray diffraction, optical metallography, micro-hardness measurements, compression and tensile testing, nanoindentation and ultrasonic velocity measurements. X-ray diffraction has shown the alloy to be wholly α Ti with no other phases present. A comparison of the hardness and elastic modulus values of the Ti-8Ga alloy with those of Ti-6Al-4V showed the former to have a significantly higher hardness, although the elastic moduli of the two alloys were broadly comparable. The study also indicated reasonable agreement between the elastic moduli obtained by nanoindentation, ultrasonic velocity measurements and tensile testing. Under compressive loading, the mean 0.2% proof stress values of the Ti-8Ga alloy were between 1066 MPa and 1083 MPa. However, under tensile conditions, the mean tensile strength was found to be only 427 MPa, and the alloy exhibited highly brittle behaviour, with specimens failing before they had undergone any appreciable plasticity. The cause of this was ascribed to high oxygen and nitrogen levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Multifunctional Materials and Structures)
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