Lattice Arrangement Research Articles

Evaluation of the roughness of lattice structures of AISI 316 stainless steel produced by laser powder bed fusion

The present work evaluates the surface roughness of lattice structures produced in AISI 316 stainless steel, with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). To this end, five lattice types were evaluated, namely cubic (C), truncated octahedron (TO), truncated cubic (TC), rhombicuboctahedron (RCO) and rhombitruncated cuboctahedron (RTCO) to determine the average roughness Sa by profilometry. For comparison, the surface roughness of a bulk specimen was also measured. The average roughness was Sa=7.3 mm for the bulk specimen, for the C and TC arrangements it was around 11 mm, while for configurations RCO, RTCO and TO it was in the range 18-22 mm, meaning that surface roughness increases for more complex structures. Values of Sa around 10-25 mm are reported in the literature for parts fabricated by LPBF for medical implants. If complex lattice arrangements are required, a study of the printing parameters is relevant, to achieve scaffolds with improved biomechanical performance.

A 0D Ge(II)-Halide-Based Perovskite with Enhanced Semiconducting Behavior for Electronic Capacitors.

Perovskite materials have surged to the forefront of materials science, captivating researchers worldwide with their distinctive crystal lattice arrangement and remarkable optical, electric and dielectric attributes. The current study focuses on the development of a novel zero-dimensional (0D) Ge(II)-based hybrid perovskite, formulated as NH3(CH2)2NH3GeF6, and synthesized through a gradual evaporation process conducted at room temperature. The crystal structure is characterized by an arrangement of organic cations and isolated octahedral [GeF6]2- groups. This configuration is stabilized by relatively weak intermolecular bonds. A comprehensive analysis of the material's thermal properties using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed a distinct phase transition occurring at approximately 323 K, which was further confirmed through electrical measurements. The studied compound provided a broad absorption range across the visible spectrum and an optical band gap of 3.30 eV, indicating its potential for semiconducting applications in optoelectronic devices. Photoluminescence PL analysis displays a blueish broad-band emission with a high color rendering index CRI value of 91, when excited at 325 nm. This emission primarily originates from the self-trapped excitons (STEs) recombination in the inorganic [GeF6]2-. Herein, the temperature-dependent behavior of grain conductivity exhibited an Arrhenius-type pattern, with an activation energy (E a) of 0.46 eV, confirming the semiconductor nature of the investigated compound. In addition, a deep investigation of the alternating current conductivity, analyzed using Jonscher's law, demonstrates that the conduction mechanism is effectively described by the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model. The dielectric performances show a significant dielectric constant (ε' ∼ 103). Thus, all these interesting physical properties of this hybrid perovskite have paved the way for advancements in various technological applications, particularly in the field of electronic capacitors.

Investigation on the material removal mechanism in ion implantation-assisted elliptical vibration cutting of hard and brittle material

Ductile-regime machining has been used to generate damage-free surface of hard and brittle materials by setting the cutting depth to be smaller than the ductile-brittle transition depth (DBTD). However, the ductile-regime cutting of sapphire remains challenging owing to its extreme hardness, small DBTD, serious surface fractures, and severe tool wear. To solve this problem, ion implantation-assisted elliptical vibration cutting (Ii-EVC) has been proposed in this study to enhance the machinability of hard and brittle materials. Taking sapphire as an example, high-energy phosphorus ions were implanted into the workpiece to modify its surface. Nanoindentation tests revealed that the modified materials undergo plastic and elastic deformation more easily due to the decrease in hardness and modulus. Compared with nanocutting without implantation assistance, the DBTD of implanted sapphire has been increased by more than five times. The advantageous effects of Ii-EVC achieve great enhancement in machinability, including surface fractures suppression, tool-wear reduction, chips morphology transformation from discontinuous to continuous, and cutting force decrease. Furthermore, even near the cracks in the brittle region after Ii-EVC, the subsurface microstructure showed a more complete lattice arrangement and a strain distribution close to zero, indicating that crack propagation was effectively suppressed. Due to the promoted localized plastic deformation, the stress distribution in the implanted material is much smaller than that in pristine workpiece. Implantation-induced defects not only serve as a core for absorbing external energy from the high-frequency vibration and improving the in-grain deformation but also facilitate the formation of shear bands. The interface with high distortion between the modified layer and substrate can effectively dissipate strain energy and hinder crack propagation to the free surface. The turning experiments verified that Ii-EVC can achieve better surface quality, less tool wear and higher optical transmittance. Overall, Ii-EVC addresses the challenges of tool breakage and surface fracture caused by high-frequency collision between tool and workpiece in traditional EVC, overcomes the problem of limited modification depth in ion implantation, and increases the ductile-regime removal depth of extremely hard and brittle materials to several microns. Such findings demonstrate that Ii-EVC is a promising method for the ultra-precision manufacturing of advanced materials.

LatticeOpt: An automatic tool for planning optimisation of spatially fractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy

PurposeLattice radiotherapy (LRT) is a three dimensional (3D) implementation of spatially fractionated radiation therapy, based on regular spatial distribution of high dose spheres (vertices) inside the target. Due to tumour shape heterogeneity, finding the best lattice arrangement is not trivial.The aim of this study was to develop the LatticeOpt tool to generate the best lattice structures on clinical cases for treatment planning. MethodsDeveloped in MATLAB, LatticeOpt finds the 3D-spatial configurations that maximize the number of vertices within the gross target volume (GTV). If organs at risk (OARs) are considered, it chooses the solution that minimizes the overlapping volume histograms (OVH). Otherwise, the lattice structure with the minimum Hausdorff distance between vertices and GTV boundary is chosen to avoid unpopulated regions.Different lattice structures were created for 20 patients, with (OVHopt) and without (OVHunopt) OVH minimization. Imported into TPS (Eclipse, Varian), corresponding plans were generated and evaluated in terms of OAR mean and maximum doses, GTV vertex coverage and dose gradients, as well as pre-clinical plan dosimetry. ResultsPlans based on an optimized lattice structure (OVHopt, OVHunopt) had similar dose distributions in terms of vertex coverage and gradient index score. OAR sparing was observed in all patients, with a 4 % and 9 % difference for mean and max dose (both p-values <0.01), respectively. The best vertices dimensions and their relative distances were patient dependent. ConclusionsLatticeOpt was able to reduce the time-consuming procedures of LRT, as well as to achieve standardized and reproducible results, useful for multicentre studies.

Formulation and Evaluation of Nano-particles Loaded with Salvia miltiorriza by Homogenization Method

Aims: The aim of the present study is to formulate and evaluate the Salvia miltorrhizaloaded Nano-structured lipid carriers(SM-NLC) in order to enhance the aqueous solubility and bioavailability as the efficacy of Salvia miltiorriza extract has been restricted due to less solubility and low bioavailability. Introduction: Salvia miltiorrhiza is a well-known Chinese herb that belongs to the family Labiatae. The herb has been widely used to treat various kinds of ailments, and its main phytochemical constituents are Tanshinone I, Tanshinone II, Miltirone, and Salvionolic acid, which are mainly found in the extract of roots. These Phytochemical constituents are responsible for several pharmacological activities such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular diseases etc. Objective: Nano-lipid carriers are useful in enhancing the solubility of poor water-soluble drugs. The faulty lattice arrangement of Nano-lipid carriers (NLC) provides better entrapment, thus providing more space for the drug to incorporate in the lattice structure of NLC, improving the stability of the formulation and preventing the drug leakage from the matrix. Methods: SM-NLCs were prepared by using oleic acid and stearic acid as liquid and solid lipids, respectively and tween 80 as the surfactant by high-speed homogenization method. The optimization of SM- NLC was performed by applying the Box-Behnken experimental design. The independent variables were chosen as the amount of lipids, surfactant concentration, and sonication time, whereas dependent variables were opted as particle size and entrapment efficiency. The influence of different proportions of the lipids (Stearic acid and Oleic acid) and the surfactant (Tween 80) was analysed on the dependent variables. The optimized formulation was evaluated for Particle size (241.7nm±3), Polydispersity index (.249 ±0.05), Zeta Potential (-14.6±5), and entrapment efficiency (82.49%). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was performed to identify the surface morphology, and the entrapment of the drug into the nanostructured matrix was verified by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The interaction between the formulations was confirmed by performing FTIR. The dialysis bag method was performed to calculate the in vitro drug release from the optimized formulation. Additionally, a stability study was performed for 1 month of duration. Result: The SM NLCs were successfully formulated based on the Box-Behnken design. Particle size, PDI, zeta potential, and EE demonstrated less than a 5% difference compared to the predicted value. The formulations did not show any possible interactions with the lipids. The optimized formulations were found stable after one month of stability studies. Conclusion: The above results confirmed that Salvia miltiorrhiza could be effectively formulated in the form of a nanostructured-lipid carrier system. The formulation and evaluation of nanoparticles have been performed successfully using the homogenization method.

Square versus hexagonal lattices effects on the optical and dielectric properties of plasmonic Ag–LiNbO[formula omitted] composite

We investigate the effect on the optical and transport properties of square and hexagonal lattice arrangements of silver nanoparticles (NPs) in uniaxial LiNbO3 as optically active layer within a multilayer configuration. This multilayer is constituted by Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), the polymer PMMA and a substrate of SiO2. The effective dielectric function of the ensemble of Ag NPs and uniaxial LiNbO3 crystal are treated through the Bruggeman approximation. The multilayer absorbance for s- and p-polarization at normal and oblique incidences are determined by means of the Transfer Matrix Method. Changes in the ratio between the diameter of the nanoparticles, D, and the distance between particles or pitch, P, are analyzed. A change in the D/P ratio implies a different filling factor. For small D/P ratio, the calculated absorbance for square- and hexagonal-lattices are equivalent; however, for greater D/P factor, the hexagonal lattice clearly shows higher absorbance values. Moreover, the Brewster angle seems to be sensitive to the Ag NPs size as well as the type of arrangement (square or hexagonal). The ac-electrical conductivity of the effective medium layer of the two arrangements in the perpendicular and parallel directions of the Ag NPs plane were analyzed. Our results demonstrate that the ac-conductivity is higher for hexagonal lattice than for square case, which means a higher density of Ag NPs. In addition, for the perpendicular direction, in the hexagonal-lattice (D/P = 0.5), we have found the negative epsilon (NE) condition, characteristic of metamaterials.

A novel coarse-grained modeling and simulation for microstructure and shear evolution of induced dipole dominant electrorheological fluid

Induced dipole dominant electrorheological fluid (ID-ERF) is a new type of ERF. After high energy ball milling (HEBM) process, dielectric particles produce a large number of oxygen vacancies, and the dipoles formed by the polarization of these oxygen vacancies provide excellent ER properties. ID-ERF has the advantages of high shear stress, low current density, long service life, anti-sedimentation, simple preparation method, etc. It should be a new generation of ERF material suitable for practical application. In this work, facing at the shortcomings of traditional particle MD simulation of ERF system, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) model is constructed. The evolution of ID-ERF is simulated under the conditions of no electric field and 5 kV/mm electric field. Proves that there is an adsorption layer of carrier liquid on the surface of ER particles, and shows BCT lattice arrangement under electric field. The sinusoidal shear strain is applied to the model, and calculate the variation of strain amplitude, loss factor, storage modulus and loss modulus. In addition, we prepared ID-ERF and tested its performance to compare with the simulation results.

Structural and optoelectronic studies of BiCuOS semiconductor: A potential photoconverter

As a p-type semiconductor, Bismuth copper oxysulfide (BiCuOS) with a narrow bandgap has exceptional absorption characteristics in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions, which have good application prospects for optoelectronic devices. A simple hydrothermal technique is successfully employed for the complicated material synthesis. The desired phase formation of the material has been investigated by varying the reaction time in the procedure, and it is observed to be crucial in maximizing the yield of this material. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) are utilized to analyze the morphological and lattice arrangements of the prepared sample. The photodetection performance of the material is assessed through the fabrication of a self-powered p-n heterojunction photodetector with grown n-type ZnO. At self-powered conditions, the device showed a better spectral responsivity of 118 μA/W,detectivity of around 8.27 × 107 Jones, and linear dynamic range (LDR) of 5.7 Hz. The proposed interface of oxychalcogenide semiconductor is anticipated to broaden the research on its improvement and usage in various optoelectronic applications.

Inorganic-Derived 0D Perovskite Induced Surface Lattice Arrangement for Efficient and Stable All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells.

The inverted inorganic CsPbI3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are prospective candidates for next-generation photovoltaics owing to inherent robust thermal/photo-stability and compatibility for tandems. However, the performance and stability of the inverted CsPbI3 PSCs fall behind the n-i-p counterparts due to poor energetic alignment and abundant interfacial defect states. Here, an inorganic 0D Cs4PbBr6 with a good lattice strain arrangement is implemented as the surface anchoring capping layer on CsPbI3. The Cs4PbBr6 perovskite induces enhanced electron-selective junction and thus facilitates efficient charge extraction and effectively inhibits non-radiative recombination. Consequently, the CsPbI3 PSCs with Cs4PbBr6 demonstrate the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CsPbI3-based inverted PSCs, reaching 21.03% PCE from a unit cell and 17.39% PCE from a module with a 64 cm2 aperture area. Furthermore, the resulting devices retain 92.48% after 1000h under simultaneous 1-sun and damp heat (85°C / 85% relative humidity) environment.

Mitigation effects of lattice structure arrays on heat transfer deterioration of supercritical CO2

This study numerically investigates the suppression mechanism of heat transfer deterioration (HTD) of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) in heated vertical channels with lattice structure arrays (LSA). The influences of lattice structure parameters on the velocity field, temperature field, heat transfer coefficient, buoyancy effect and flow acceleration effect are analyzed. The results demonstrate that compared to smooth channels, the tri-claw LSA can significantly reduce the maximum peak wall temperature by up to 57 K. The heat transfer coefficient substantially increases, and the fluid turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) quintuples. The vortex structures generated by lattice structures can enhance turbulence intensity and heat transfer, which effectively mitigates buoyancy effect and ultimately suppresses HTD. Increasing the lattice claws number can create more complex vortex structures, lengthening the lattice disrupts the laminar flow within the boundary layer, increasing the lattice diameter can produce a composite vortex that enhances the strength of flow mixing. An increase lattice number across the cross-section strengthens the suppression effect, but an excessive number may lead to instability. A dense lattice arrangement can continually suppress HTD, achieving an overall improvement in heat transfer within a certain range. This paper could support the design of heat exchangers in SCO2 Brayton cycles.

Revealing Enhanced Optical Nonlinearity and Robust Ferromagnetism in Atomically Sharp Stacking Binary-Ternary Magnetic Heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials provide a versatile platform for the integration of diverse crystals, enabling the formation of heterostructures with intriguing functionalities. Coherently growing 2D heterostructures are highly desirable for property manipulation due to their strong interfacial interaction. In this work, we propose a general synthesis approach and provide insight into well-designed 2D binary-ternary magnetic heterostructures. Atomically sharp interfaces were achieved in typical lateral and vertical Cr1+mSe2(001)/CuCr2Se4(111) heterostructures owing to their similar lattice arrangement, with the observation of a significant enhancement of optical second-harmonic generation. Further magnetism measurements revealed a Curie temperature up to 360 K and thickness- and temperature-dependent magnetism in this heterostructure. Additionally, we synthesized three analogous 2D magnetic heterostructures in Fe-Cr-S, Co-Cr-S, and Cu-Cr-S systems, demonstrating the ubiquitous nature of the coherent heteroepitaxy. Our work involves the development of an innovative platform for investigating the underlying physics and potential applications of 2D binary-ternary heterostructures as well as the fabrication of associated functional devices.

The novel cocrystals of acacetin with 4,4′-bipyridine and 2,2′-bipyridine: Crystal structures analysis, stability and dissolution evaluation

To our best knowledge, acacetin has great potential for market development and clinical application due to its various pharmacological effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective and so on. However, low solubility and poor bioavailability overshadow its prospect for new drug development and application. In order to optimize the solubility of acacetin, a scientific and reasonable cocrystal design was launched. In this study, the cocrystal of acacetin-4,4′-bipyridine and acacetin-2,2′-bipyridine were successfully prepared and systematically characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. With the efforts of structural analysis and theoretical calculation, it was found that the two formed cocrystals including acacetin-4,4′-bipyridine and acacetin-2,2′-bipyridine possessed significant distinctions in terms of the type of space group and crystal system, the lattice arrangement as well as the forces and hydrogen bonds connections involved in the generation of cocrystals. By the evaluation of stability and dissolution, the results indicated that two cocrystals could keep stable under high temperature, high humidity as well as light condition and significant enhancement in the solubility and dissolution rate of acacetin were achieved by the formation of two new cocrystals which might be contributed to the increase of its bioavailability. This study was of significance to not only investigate the differences of two cocrystals in the aspects of space group, lattice arrangement, intermolecular force and thermodynamic stability, but also provided a new approach to optimize the solubility of acacetin.

Pressure-dependent bandgap characteristics in photonic crystals with sensing applications

The present study elucidates a photonic crystal (PhC)-based pressure sensor exploiting the change in refractive index with pressure and the corresponding structural deformation of the dielectric material. The stress-sensitive refractive indices of the constituent materials of the PhC have been considered to study the effect of applied pressure on the photonic bandgap (PBG) characteristics of the structure. The designed pressure sensor, proposed using a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice arrangement of air holes in a dielectric slab, operates in the high-pressure range of 1–6 GPa. A comparative study of the PBG characteristics with the application of high pressure has been reported for three semiconducting materials—GaAs, Ge and Si, used for the dielectric slab in the proposed structure. GaAs is found to exhibit the highest sensitivity to pressure variations and shows more pronounced shifting of the midgap wavelength with pressure in comparison to Ge and Si. The largest PBG is seen in the Ge-based structure, closely followed by the GaAs and Si-based structures. The proposed structure is suitable for high-pressure sensing applications.

Gas phase alloyed crystalline S–Se dielectrics with high ionic mobility

The advancement of future electronic devices necessitates dielectric materials with enhanced compositional complexity and improved capabilities. We here demonstrate a gas-phase alloying approach that yields ultrathin and crystalline dielectrics with attractive properties for the integration into electronics. A surface-selective deposition process was shown to produce sulfur (S) and selenium (Se) alloys with large-scale uniformity. Through combination of experimental diffraction analysis and materials modeling, we establish the crystallinity of the alloy with a modified lattice structure compared to the host materials. The resulting lattice arrangement endows the alloy dielectric with high ionic mobility as validated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Leveraging this innovative feature, we fabricate memristive devices exhibiting promising performance characteristics. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing gas-phase alloying to engineer dielectrics with superior properties and functionality for future device integration.

Coherent Transfer of Lattice Entropy via Extreme Nonlinear Phononics in Metal Halide Perovskites

Entropy transfer in metal halide perovskites, characterized by significant lattice anharmonicity and low stiffness, underlies the remarkable properties observed in their optoelectronic applications, ranging from solar cells to lasers. The conventional view of this transfer involves stochastic processes occurring within a thermal bath of phonons, where the lattice arrangement and energy flow from higher- to lower-frequency modes. Here, we unveil a comprehensive chronological sequence detailing a conceptually distinct coherent transfer of entropy in a prototypical perovskite CH3NH3Pbl3. The terahertz periodic modulation imposes vibrational coherence into electronic states, leading to the emergence of mixed (vibronic) quantum beat between approximately 3 and 0.3 THz. We highlight a well-structured bidirectional time-frequency transfer of these diverse phonon modes, each developing at different times and transitioning from high to low frequencies from 3 to 0.3 THz, before reversing direction and ascending to around 0.8 THz. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations disentangle a complex web of coherent-phononic coupling pathways and identify the salient roles of the initial modes in shaping entropy evolution at later stages. Capitalizing on coherent entropy transfer and dynamic anharmonicity presents a compelling opportunity to exceed the fundamental thermodynamic (Shockley-Queisser) limit of photoconversion efficiency and to pioneer novel optoelectronic functionalities. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Exploring physical and digital architectures in magnetic nanoring array reservoir computers

Physical reservoir computing (RC) is a machine learning technique that is ideal for processing of time dependent data series. It is also uniquely well-aligned to in materio computing realisations that allow the inherent memory and non-linear responses of functional materials to be directly exploited for computation. We have previously shown that square arrays of interconnected magnetic nanorings are attractive candidates for in materio RC, and experimentally demonstrated their strong performance in a range of benchmark tasks (Dawidek et al 2021 Adv. Funct. Mater. 31 2008389, Vidamour et al 2022 Nanotechnology 33 485203, Vidamour et al 2023 Commun. Phys. 6 230). Here, we extend these studies to other lattice arrangements of rings, including trigonal and Kagome grids, to explore how these affect both the magnetic behaviours of the arrays, and their computational properties. We show that while lattice geometry substantially affects the microstate behaviour of the arrays, these differences manifest less profoundly when averaging magnetic behaviour across the arrays. Consequently the computational properties (as measured using task agnostic metrics) of devices with a single electrical readout are found to be only subtly different, with the approach used to time-multiplex data into and out of the arrays having a stronger effect on properties than the lattice geometry. However, we also find that hybrid reservoirs that combine the outputs from arrays with different lattice geometries show enhanced computational properties compared to any single array.

Insight into the evolution of textural properties and juiciness of ready-to-eat chicken breasts upon different thermal sterilization: From the perspective of protein degradation.

Texture deterioration of meat products upon high-temperature sterilization is a pressing issue in the meat industry. This study evaluated the effect of different thermal sterilization temperatures on the textural and juiciness of ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken breast. In this study, by dynamically monitoring the texture and juiciness of chicken meat products during the process of thermal sterilization, it has been observed that excessively high sterilization temperatures (above 100°C) significantly diminish the shear force, springiness and water-holding capacity of the products. Furthermore, from the perspective of myofibrillar protein degradation, molecular mechanisms have been elucidated, unveiling that the thermal sterilization treatment at 121°C/10 min triggers the degradation of myosin heavy chains and F-actin, disrupting the lattice arrangement of myofilaments, compromising the integrity of sarcomeres, and resulting in an increase of approximately 40.66% in the myofibrillar fragmentation index, thus diminishing the quality characteristics of the products. This study unravels the underlying mechanisms governing the dynamic changes in quality of chicken meat products during the process of thermal sterilization, thereby providing theoretical guidance for the development of high-quality chicken products.

On the limit behavior of lattice-type metamaterials with bi-stable mechanisms

This paper explores 2D lattice-type metamaterials featuring bi-stable unit cells and predefined symmetry configurations. Our investigation delves into the emergence of phase-transition patterns and probes the limit behavior of these lattice arrangements. We develop a macroscale generalized standard material model based on a quasi-convexified free energy framework and validate it through a specific lattice configuration – a 1D chain of bi-stable elements – where the relaxed free energy is analytically derived.To assess the limit behavior of the analyzed lattices, we elucidate the connection between energy release and topology at the microscale. This insight aids in identifying lattice configurations yielding high extrinsic energy dissipation density. We introduce the concept of dissipation efficiency and quantify it across all examined lattices under different loading conditions. Transverse loads prevail in the studied configurations and exhibit a detrimental effect by diminishing extrinsic energy dissipation during metamaterial phase transitions. To facilitate a comprehensive numerical assessment of diverse lattice configurations, we employ a surrogate model of the bistable element. This approach enables an efficient evaluation of sampling volumes constituted by numerous unit cells.

Interfacial Second-Harmonic Generation via Superposition of Symmetries in a Double-Resonance-Enhanced Plasmonic Nanocavity.

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) has rapidly advanced with the miniaturization of on-chip devices and has found many applications, including optical frequency conversion, nonlinear imaging, and quantum technology. However, owing to the obvious phase-matching constraints involved in nonlinear optical interactions in bulk crystals and the decrease in the length and strength of nonlinear interactions in nanophotonic and surface/interface systems, improving the SHG efficiency and manipulating its optical properties at the nanoscale are challenging tasks. Herein, a monocrystalline silver microplate and nanocube-coupled nanocavity with double-resonance plasmonic modes and an ultrasmall gap were constructed, resulting in efficiently enhanced SHG. In particular, the SHG from the silver microplate (111) is polarization-dependent, and the anisotropy of the SHG in the plasmonic nanocavity can be further controlled via the superposition of symmetries at the interface and plasmonic waveguide-cavity modes. The interfacial SHG provides technology for developing lattice surface atomic arrangement and nanostructure rapid characterization, nonlinear light sources, and on-chip nonlinear nanophotonic devices.

In Situ Study on the Structural Evolution of Flexible Ionic Gel Sensors

With the development of society, the demand for smart coatings is increasing. The development of flexible strain sensors using block copolymer self-assembled ionic gel materials provides a promising method for promoting the development of smart coatings. The ionic liquid in the ionic part of the material is crucial for the performance of the sensor. In this study, the structural changes within FDA/dEAN (self-assembly of acrylated Pluronic F127 (F127-DA) in partially deuterated ethylammonium nitrate (dEAN)) triblock copolymer ionic gel during uniaxial tensile flow were characterized using an in situ SAXS technique. The results revealed that the characteristics of the responses of the ionic gel to strain resistance were intricately linked to the evolution of its microstructure during the tensile process. At low levels of strain, the face-centered cubic lattice arrangement of the micelles tended to remain unchanged. However, when subjected to higher strains, the molecular chains aligned along the stretching direction, resulting in a more ordered structure with reduced entropy. This alignment led to significant disruption in bridging structures within the material. Furthermore, this research explored the impact of the stretching rate on the relaxation process. It was observed that higher stretching rates led to decreases in the average relaxation time, indicating rate dependence in the microstructure’s behavior. These findings provide valuable insights into the behavior and performance of flexible strain sensors based on ionic gel materials in smart coatings.