Materials Science in Australia.

Abstract

Materials science is an inherently interdisciplinary research field, which involves physics, chemistry, and biology. The research of materials science emphasizes understanding a material's structure, and thus its properties and performance, through multiple capabilities ranging from synthesis, processing, and characterization to theory. As materials are the basic substances that make up all everyday objects, materials science is so important to nearly every aspect of science and technology in human existence and social life. Owing to the crucial role of materials science, materials science research in Australia is thriving. Over the last 10 years of the research profile of Australia in materials science has bloomed, with staggering academic output. In this special issue, we summarize recent progress in the field of advanced materials and technologies in Australia. 35 research overviews describe a wide range of cutting-edge topics in materials science, which can be divided into four broad categories: materials for clean energy technologies; nanomaterials; materials for biomedical technologies; and other functional materials. Some articles cover more than one category due to the partial overlap of these categories. Research on materials for clean energy technologies is an essential step toward a green future, with the ultimate dream to achieve innovations and breakthroughs in zero-emission energies. Many articles in this Special Issue address challenges and progress along many aspects of this lofty goal, including batteries, electrocatalysis, photocatalytic, and photoelectrochemical systems. Forsyth et al. (article number 1905219) review recent advances in the development of novel organic electrolytes toward solid-state Li batteries with higher energy density and improved safety. Bing Sun et al. (article number 1903891) provide an overview of the recent developments in Na metal anodes for high-energy batteries. Dou et al. (article number 1903952) focus on remedies for polysulfide dissolution in room-temperature sodium–sulfur batteries. Best et al. (article number 1904205) discuss separators for ionic liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries. Bernhardt et al. (article number 1908041) outline advances and progress in computational research that aims to understand and improve solid-state electrolytes in the development of all-solid-state batteries. Peterson et al. (article number 1904528) summarize the development and use of neutron powder diffraction (NPD) for in operando measurements of batteries and detailed experimental approaches. It is crucial to map out the structural and phase evolution of electrode materials and charge-carrying ion-diffusion pathways through electrode materials for the development of battery technology. MacFarlane et al. (article number 1904804) discuss recent development and challenges in the field of electrocatalytic materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Shaobin Wang et al. (article number 1904037) focus on structure engineering of water oxidation catalysts with single transition-metal centers as active sites. Andersson et al. (article number 1904122) discuss the synthesis of metal clusters on semiconductor surfaces and their properties for the application in catalysis. Amal et al. (article number 1904717) provide a comprehensive understanding of the similarities and differences between photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical systems. Vinu et al. (article number 1904635) focus on carbon nitrides and their nano-hybrid materials for CO2 capture and its reduction into clean and green low carbon fuels by using sustainable and renewable energy sources of sunlight and electricity through heterogeneous photo(electro)catalysis. Finally, Golberg et al. (article number 1904094) show that in situ transmission electron microscopy is a powerful tool in the field of energy-related applications by revealing detailed mechanisms at the nanoscale, including rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are creating revolution in modern materials science. Not surprisingly, a wide range of investigations on nanoscale materials and structures is well represented in this Special Issue, with topics ranging from exceptional material properties to device applications. Mulvaney et al. (article number 1904551) review current methods to integrate single nanocrystals into addressable structures. Li et al. (article number 1904562) discuss the fundamentals of solvation-involved nanoionics in two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial laminar membranes in terms of ionic interactions and their effect on ionic-transport behaviors. The enormous potential and capabilities of nanoionics research and applications such as ion sieving, energy storage and harvesting, and in other new ionic devices are also summarized. Guoxiu Wang et al. (article number 1902654) summarize the research progress in scalable synthesis of 2D superlattices using diverse 2D unilamellar nanosheets as building blocks, with an emphasis on a facile solution-phase flocculation method. They discuss numerous exciting electrochemical performances of 2D superlattices toward energy storage and conversion, including supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, and water-splitting catalysis. Ziqi Sun et al. (article number 1902806) show progress over the past decade in bioinspired 2D nanomaterials for sustainable applications. Boyer et al. (article number 1903850) review recent achievements and future opportunities for the design of 2D, 3D, and 4D materials using photochemical reactions. Jagadish et al. (article number 1904359) overview the synthesis of semiconductor nanowires. These nanowire devices show wide applications, for example, lasers, light-emitting nanowires, solar cells, and water-splitting technologies. Zhao et al. (article number 1904870) review recent advances in 2D electrocatalysts for converting earth-abundant simple molecules into value-added commodity chemicals. Ostrikov et al. (article number 1905508) examine microplasmas for the fabrication of advanced nanomaterials and devices for diverse applications ranging from high-throughput printing-technology compatible synthesis of nanocrystalline particles of common materials types, to water-purification and optoelectronic devices. Jin et al. (article number 1901430) survey recent progress in optical nanomaterials and enabling technologies for high-security-level anti-counterfeiting. Finally, Gooding et al. (article number 1904339) discuss the coupled developments in nanoparticles and measurement strategies that allow nanoparticles to be the backbone for the next generation of sensing technologies. Interdisciplinary materials research has attracted great interest recently in Australia and around the world. One of highly effective approaches lies in the combination of materials science and biology. Within the studies of biomaterials and health-related materials presented in this Special Issue, Zreiqat et al. (article number 1904511) focus on the role of biomaterials and controlled architecture on tendon/ligament repair and regeneration. Caruso et al. (article number 1904625) show that glycogen is a natural alternative as a building block for the synthesis of advanced biological materials. Davis et al. (article number 1901690) describe how nanomaterials and multifunctional nanocomposites are promising candidates for mitigating amyloidosis in vitro and in vivo. Yu et al. (article number 1904106) focus on antibiotic-free antibacterial strategies enabled by advanced nanomaterials. Duan et al. (article number 1904040) summarize recent advances in targeted exosomal delivery systems engineered by aptamers for future strategies of promoting human health using this class of human-derived nanovesicles. In addition to the above studies of materials science in energy, nanotechnologies, and biomedicine, a great number of other novel materials and technologies with unique chemical, mechanical, electrical, electronic, and optical properties are also presented in this Special Issue. Huanting Wang et al. (article number 1902009) summarize the fabrication of polycrystalline advanced microporous framework membranes and their emerging applications for efficient separation of small molecules and ions, including gas separation, water desalination, ion separation, and chiral separation. Gentle et al. (article number 1905785) review progress on organic semiconductor sensing materials developed for solid-state detection of organophosphorus-based nerve-agent vapors. Cheng et al. (article number 1904664) give comprehensive coverage of the state-of-the-art progress achieved in the key phases for future wearable technology, with a main focus on materials innovation. Hao Wang et al. (article number 1901244) review recent advances in H-bond crosslinking strategies for creating high-performance polymeric materials. Liu et al. (article number 1904387) show a novel concept of phase-transformation-assisted lattice strain matching to harness the exceptional mechanical properties of nanomaterials in bulk forms. Spinks et al. (article number 1904093) describe the recent development of helical topologies in synthetic actuator materials and systems. Cortie et al. (article number 1904532) systematically summarize unconventional materials used to build plasmonic devices. Finally, Wen et al. (article number 1901715) review the application of rare earths to magnesium and titanium metallurgy in Australia. This special issue truly reflects the exceptional progress on materials science achieved by Australian researchers in the past 10 years. The contributions collected in this special issue come from 17 universities, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). These institutions are located in major cities across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Canberra, Newcastle, and Wollongong. We sincerely hope that this special issue will inspire readers to discover more breakthroughs in Australia and stimulate further exciting collaborations between Australia and the world. We are grateful to Dr. Peter Gregory, Dr. Esther Levy, and the editorial team of Advanced Materials for their great support to this special issue. Finally, we are very grateful to all the contributing authors for their tremendous efforts, which have made this special issue possible. Guoxiu Wang is the Director of the Centre for Clean Energy Technology and a Distinguished Professor at University of Technology Sydney, Australia. He is an expert in materials chemistry, electrochemistry, energy storage and conversion, and battery technologies. His research interests include lithium-ion batteries, lithium–air batteries, sodium-ion batteries, lithium–sulfur batteries, supercapacitors, 2D materials such as graphene and MXenes, and electrocatalysis for hydrogen production. Chengzhong Yu received his Ph.D. from Fudan University, China. He is now a Group Leader at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Australia. His research activities at UQ include bioapplications of functional nanoporous materials and high-performance nanomaterials for water treatment and energy storage. He is currently the vice President of International Mesostructured Materials Association. Doug MacFarlane FAA FTSE is the Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and an Australian Laureate Fellow at Monash University's School of Chemistry, and is leader of the Energy Program in the Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science. His interests cover a broad range of materials for renewable energy generation and storage. Huijun Zhao is the Director of the Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Griffith University. He has expertise in energy and environmental materials, water-source management systems, sensing technology, and assessment of aquatic environment quality. One of his current pursuits is exploring new means to unlock the catalytic powers of nonprecious materials as high-performance catalysts for important reactions.