Nucleation Probability Research Articles

Anatomy of the Dynamics of the Nucleation of Skyrmions in Nanodots via the Voltage‐Controlled Magnetic Anisotropy

AbstractElectric fields can be employed to efficiently manipulate spin textures in low‐dimensional magnetic systems. In this work, the field‐free formation of magnetic skyrmions in ferromagnetic‐based patterned nanodots with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction via the voltage‐controlled magnetic anisotropy is studied. By micromagnetic simulations it is demonstrated that by reducing the magnetic anisotropy via an electric voltage pulse with adequate intensity and raise and decay times, it is possible to achieve 100% skyrmion nucleation probability through an intermediate magnetic vortex. The nucleation path is investigated in a Graphene/Co/Pt nanodot varying Co thickness, temperature, and applied field. A complete nucleation/annihilation process via bipolar voltage pulses is also possible enabling the realization of a writing/deleting logic device. The results reveal the relevance of following a quasi‐equilibrium magnetization dynamical path and elucidates the relevance of the absolute stability of the magnetic skyrmion state against other possible magnetic configurations.

Laser-induced nucleation of urea through the control of Insoluble Impurity

The mechanism of non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation (NPLIN) was investigated through the crystallization of urea crystals in supersaturated (151%) aqueous solutions. To detect the role of impurities in NPLIN, the effect of filtration, doping and laser irradiation position on nucleation probability were studied, respectively. As particles larger than the filter pore size in the solution were almost removed by syringe filter with poly (ether sulfone) membrane, the NPLIN probability was evidently suppressed by filtration when the pore sizes of filter were used from 1 μm to 0.45 μm. The inhibition of NPLIN after filtration could be reversed to varying degrees by adding several kinds and concentrations of impurities into the filtered solution; as the solid particles were extra added, age after cooling for samples was no longer necessary. The increase in the NPLIN probability with the irradiation height decreases was observed when samples were irradiated at different vertical positions within the sample vial. The experimental results were analyzed with reference to the known mechanisms. As nucleation probability through NPLIN can be controlled by pore size of syringe filter, doping or laser irradiation position, several functions were established to analyze the nucleation probability distribution under the effect of these three factors. These experimental results were discussed with reference to the known mechanisms proposed for NPLIN.

Numerical simulation for microstructure control in wire arc additive manufacturing of thin-walled structures

The difference of cooling rates on the surface and the interior of thin-walled structures leads to significant differences of microstructures in additive manufacturing (AM). To reveal the microstructure control in wire arc additive manufacturing of thin-walled structures, a gas-heat coupling model with experimental validation is proposed. The computational accuracy can reach 96 % in prediction of temperatures and microstructures. Increasing the preheating or scanning speed leads to a higher probability of heterogeneous nucleation on the surface of thin-walled structures. When the pre-heating is increased from 550 K to 750 K, the proportion of equiaxed grains increases by 20.8 %. When the gas flow rate of super cooling is increased from 20 L/min to 30 L/min, the size of equiaxed grains is decreased from 0.33 mm to 0.23 mm on the surface, and the width of columnar grains is decreased from 0.53 mm to 0.42 mm in the interior. This is due to the significant differences in cooling rates in thin-walled structures.

Thermal Fluctuations of Matter Composition and Quark Nucleation in Compact Stars

At the extreme densities reached in the core of neutron stars, it is possible that deconfined quark matter is produced. The formation of this new phase of strongly interacting matter is likely to occur via a first-order phase transition for the typical temperatures reached in astrophysical processes. The first seeds of quark matter would then form through a process of nucleation within the metastable hadronic phase. Here, we address the role of the thermal fluctuations in the hadronic composition on the nucleation of two-flavor quark matter. At finite temperature, the thermodynamic quantities in a system fluctuate around average values. Nucleation being a local process, it is possible that it occurs in a subsystem whose composition makes the nucleation easier. We will consider the total probability of the nucleation as the product between the probability that a subsystem has a certain hadronic composition different from the average in the bulk, and the nucleation probability in that subsystem. We will show how those fluctuations of the hadronic composition can increase the efficiency of nucleation already for temperatures ∼(0.1−1) keV. However, for temperatures ≲(1−10) MeV, the needed overpressure exceeds the maximum pressure reached in compact stars. Finally, for even larger temperatures the process of nucleation can take place, even taking into account finite-size effects.

Model for random internalization of nanoparticles by cells.

We propose a stochastic model for the internalization of nanoparticles by cells formulating cellular uptake as a compound Poisson process with a random probability of success. This is an alternative approach to the one presented by Rees etal. [Nat. Commun. 10, 2341 (2019)2041-172310.1038/s41467-018-07882-8] who explained overdispersion in nanoparticle uptake and associated negative binomial distribution by considering a Poisson distribution for particle arrival and a gamma-distributed cell area. In our stochastic model, the formation of new pits is represented by the Poisson process, whereas the capturing process and the population heterogeneity are described by a random Bernoulli process with a beta-distributed probability of success. The random probability of success generates ensemble-averaged conditional transition probabilities that increase with the number of newly formed pits (self-reinforcement). As a result, an ensemble-averaged nanoparticle uptake can be represented as a Polya process. We derive an explicit formula for the distribution of the random number of pits containing nanoparticles. In the limit of the fast nucleation and low probability of nanoparticle capture, we find the negative binomial distribution.

Gas hydrate inhibition by urea and its blends with vinyl lactam polymer: Paving the way to green hybrid inhibitors

Urea is an environmentally benign substance considered a promising gas hydrate inhibitor in flow assurance. Nevertheless, its effect on gas hydrate formation kinetics remains poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of urea and hybrid urea/polymer KHI samples on the nucleation and growth kinetics of sII natural gas hydrates. Hydrate formation was observed at a lower onset temperature with increasing urea and polymer concentration. The nucleation of sII hydrate in aqueous urea solutions occurred at a higher subcooling (7.50 ± 0.58 K at 30 mass%) than in pure water (5.17 ± 0.69 K). These findings indicate that urea acts as a nucleation inhibitor of sII hydrates, although its capacity is not as potent as that of polymer KHI.The analysis of the hydrate nucleation probability distributions revealed that the sII hydrate nucleation rate exhibited a significant decline, approximately one order of magnitude, at subcooling of 5.3–6 K for 20 mass% urea compared to water. A similar behavior was noticed in an aqueous solution of polymer KHI. Urea has succeeded in providing a total benefit of up to 10 K in hydrate onset temperature due to a shift in the hydrate stability zone and nucleation retardation.Consequently, urea is a green dual-acting anti-hydrate chemical that inhibits the formation of sII hydrates by thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms. Besides, adding 10 mass% urea increases the cloud point temperature of vinyl lactam polymer Luvicap 55W by 14 K. Urea is an additive that considerably augments the stability of the polymer in aqueous solutions at elevated temperatures. These findings make urea an effective and environmentally friendly top-up inhibitor that significantly enhances the anti-hydrate properties of polymer KHI.

PERIODIC FOAMING DURING SELECTIVE ISOLATION OF HIGHLY PERMEABLE CHANNELS OF POROUS MEDIUM

Selective isolation of watered interlayers by forming barriers formed by highly viscous gels or insoluble precipitates does not always lead to the desired results. Field experience confirms that at some distance from the formed barrier, the filtration flow restores its configuration and the water injected into the formation again moves through highly permeable channels. An increase in the efficiency of flow deflection can be achieved by creating not a single barrier, but a whole sequence of alternating deep-penetrating insulating barriers, separated from each other by a certain distance in highly permeable pores. The paper presents the results of studies of quasi-periodic foaming in order to control mobility under conditions of selective isolation of water in pore channels of high permeability. Foaming occurs due to the in-bulk reaction between concentrated aqueous solutions of gas-generating and gas-generating solutions. Flow pattern of injected aqueous solutions of foaming reagents along current tubes is investigated. The task is to determine the space-time distribution of reagents in given zones of the porous medium. The problem of establishing the correlation between the spatial distribution of the gas formation zone and the dynamics of the gas formation process over time on the one hand, as well as the concentration of reactants, the diffusion rate (mutual diffusion), the gas generation rate and the probability of nucleation on the other hand was solved. The degree of flow blockage in highly permeable zones of the formation depends on the rate of in-situ foam generation and the simulation consists in the fact that it is similar to the law of filtration with a limiting gradient. The paper discusses the process of quasi-periodic gas formation during the movement of mixing solutions in porous media. In stationary filtration in a homogeneous porous medium, the process is described by the proposed system of equations. A system of equations is proposed that describes the movement of a liquid taking into account adsorption of reagents, diffusion and dynamics of the foaming reaction. The results obtained can serve as the basis for developing a method for controlling the water cut of porous media during waterflooding of oil formations. This, in turn, leads to the leveling of the displacement front and an increase in the completeness of coverage.

Ice nucleation in supercooled water under shear

Classical nucleation theory (CNT) provides a good framework for understanding the nucleation phenomenon in metastable conditions. However, there is still no satisfactory understanding of the shear effect. Here, we propose an ice nucleation model considering the rebounded deformation energy to analyze the ice nucleation rate. It is concluded that: (1) The effect is more pronounced by changing the contact angle to regulate the free energy when both the supercooled degree and the shear rate are small. (2) The variation trend of the nucleation ratio Jhet,sh/Jhet,no increases at first but it may decrease when the contact angle is small, or keeps increasing when the contact angle is large. (3) The probability of the shear nucleation is about several ten orders of magnitude to that of static nucleation. (4) The key factor in the acceleration of the supercooled liquid nucleation is the released deformation energy after encountering the obstruction.

The Role of Defects on SiC Device Performance and Ways to Mitigate them

Several defects were analyzed through the manufacturing chain along with their impact on devices. High kill rate of micropipes were seen on both Diodes and MOSFETs as expected. The purity of micropipe detection was found to be affected by the presence of inclusions. Inclusions were successfully sub-classified and separated out from micropipes, based on their location depth from the wafer surface. The effect on devices was found to relate to how deep the inclusion was located, with the ones at the surface having the biggest impact. Various sources of Stacking Faults (SFs) were reported, with Basal Plane Dislocations (BPDs) in the crystal being a major contributor. Higher local densities of BPDs were found to have a more detrimental effect. SFs were sub-classified using the wavelength of each peak. The effect of both overall SFs and each SF sub-type on devices was determined, each sub-type having different effect on the device. Various ways of mitigating the effects of defects and dislocations are demonstrated. Reducing killer defects, SF nucleation probability, and BPDs propagation by epitaxial process optimizations are shown. Resilience up to 3500A/cm2 against bipolar degradation is demonstrated by using an engineered buffer layer. Process and device design optimizations show high resiliency against crystal and epi defects and dislocations, with improved yield and lower leakage.

Designing Better Li Metal Anodes for Next-Generation Batteries

Li metal batteries have the potential to significantly advance battery technology due to their substantially higher energy densities. However, robust high-capacity Li metal anodes are necessary to realize this approach, and current Li metal anode designs suffer from significant degradation over time due to non-uniform Li plating/stripping during cycling, which can lead to dead Li and/or Li dendrite growth. Carbon scaffold hosts can help mitigate this problem by creating a uniform electric field and providing abundant Li nucleation sites, but the relationship between the host architecture and performance is not well understood. We investigated the effect of scaffold architecture and chemistry on the resulting Li morphology and electrochemical performance using a combined experiment/theory approach. Carbon scaffolds with well-controlled geometries and varied porosities were fabricated using 3D printing and then characterized by SEM, Raman, and XPS before cycling in cells to evaluate their performance as hosts for uniform Li plating/stripping with both liquid and solid electrolytes. Atomistic and mesoscale modeling were used to predict how scaffold chemistry and microstructure affect Li nucleation probability and the formation of current density/stress hotspots that can lead to dendrite growth, and these results were used to help guide scaffold design. This work provides further insight into the relationship between anode architecture and Li metal cycling stability, which will facilitate the development of high-energy-density batteries in the future.Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is operated by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Hydrophobic C60-modified PVDF membrane with micro-nano structures for mitigating CaSO4 scaling in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD)

Membrane scaling is a non-negligible problem for membrane distillation (MD) in the treatment of high-salinity wastewater (e.g., calcium sulfate and calcium carbonate). In this study, fullerene (C60) was adhered to a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) solution to create a micro-nano structure, fabricating the C60/PDMS-PVDF membrane. This membrane was then re-immersed in a PDMS solution to further reinforce the C60 nanoparticles on the surface, forming the PDMS/C60/PDMS-PVDF membrane. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the membrane surface morphology. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) was used to explore the membrane chemical composition. Liquid entry pressure (LEP) and water contact angle (WCA) measurements were employed to assess the membrane wettability. The results showed that C60-modification created the micro-nano structure on the membrane surface. The WCA of the PVDF membrane was 112.7 ± 2.4°, with a sliding angle far greater than 90°, whereas the PDMS/C60/PDMS-PVDF membrane exhibited a WCA of 147.9 ± 3.2° and a sliding angle of 6.3°. Compared to the virgin PVDF membrane, the LEP value of the PDMS/C60/PDMS-PVDF membrane increased from 68.4 ± 2.7 kPa to 87.2 ± 3.3 kPa. In direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), a CaSO4 solution (2 g/L) was used to test the membrane performance. After 48 hours of operation, the flux of the PDMS/C60/PDMS-PVDF membrane remained at approximately 3.57 kg/(m2·h), and the salt rejection rate was over 99.96 %. This could be attributed to the C60 modification forming a micro-nano structure on the membrane surface, which trapped an air layer. This air layer could reduce the contact area between the crystal and the membrane, decrease nucleation probability, and shorten the residence time of liquid on the membrane surface. Additionally, the PDMS/C60/PDMS-PVDF membrane exhibited superior stability during the ultrasonic destruction experiment due to the encapsulation of PDMS. In summary, a novel hydrophobic membrane with a micro-nano structure was fabricated through C60 modification, offering superior anti-scaling properties and stability in treating high-salinity wastewater.

Laser‐Induced Nucleation of Acetaminophen through the Addition of Insoluble Impurities and Acidic Polymers

AbstractThis study investigates the crystallization of acetaminophen (ACET) in ultrapure water and a 10 wt.% aqueous polyacrylic acid (PAA) solution using non‐photochemical laser‐induced nucleation (NPLIN) for the first time. Using a 532 nm nanosecond laser, two distinct crystal morphologies—rhombic and tetragonal plate‐like—are formed in both solvents after adding impurities. Notably, the PAA solution showed a reduced number of crystals and slower growth rates compared to ultrapure water, suggesting that the acidic polymer modulates crystal growth. Interestingly, crystals are not induced by the laser without impurities. However, impurities like copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) or boron carbide (CB4) enabled successful NPLIN, with CB4 showing higher nucleation efficiency than CuPc. The study also explores how laser power affects nucleation probability and identifies potential laser energy thresholds. Experimental data on ACET crystal sizes over time are fitted to derived equations, which accurately represented trends and predicted results. The nanoparticle heating mechanism and the role of acidic polymers in affecting nucleation probability and growth rate are discussed, along with potential mechanisms for changes in crystal morphology.

Effect of acidic polymers on the morphology of non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation of potassium bromide

Non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation (NPLIN) in supersaturated potassium bromide (KBr) solutions with the addition of acidic polymers is reported here for the first time. Upon absorbing the incident laser, crystallites are immediately induced along the laser pathway in the solution, eventually growing into needle-shaped crystals of varying sizes. When comparing induction time, nucleation probability, and crystal habits with spontaneous nucleation, the results suggest that NPLIN creates a distinct morphological pathway, transforming cubic crystals into needle-like structures. Additionally, it improves crystallization probability and growth rate. This paper aims to realize control from crystal nucleation to crystal growth by adding acidic polymers to the process of laser-induced nucleation, potentially influencing crystal morphology modification in NPLIN. With 19 wt% acidic polymers added to the solution as additives, control over both crystal growth and morphological modifications was observed: cubic KBr crystals with square patterns were produced through laser irradiation, and there was a varying reduction in both the number and growth rate of the crystals. The influence of acidic polymers on the solution environment was analyzed to determine the reasons for the variations in crystal quantity and growth speed. The underlying mechanisms responsible for the changes in crystal shape were also discussed.

NSCs from groups to clusters: A catalogue of dwarf galaxies in the Shapley Supercluster and the role of environment in galaxy nucleation

Abstract Nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are dense star clusters located at the centre of galaxies spanning a wide range of masses and morphologies. Analysing NSC occupation statistics in different environments provides an invaluable window into investigating early conditions of high-density star formation and mass assembly in clusters and group galaxies. We use HST/ACS deep imaging to obtain a catalogue of dwarf galaxies in two galaxy clusters in the Shapley Supercluster: the central cluster Abell 3558 and the northern Abell 1736a. The Shapley region is an ideal laboratory to study nucleation as it stands as the highest mass concentration in the nearby Universe. We investigate the NSC occurrence in quiescent dwarf galaxies as faint as MI = −10 mag and compare it with all other environments where nucleation data is available. We use galaxy cluster/group halo mass as a proxy for the environment and employ a Bayesian logistic regression framework to model the nucleation fraction (fn) as a function of galaxy luminosity and environment. We find a notably high fn in Abell 3558: at MI ≈ −13.1 mag, half the galaxies in the cluster host NSCs. This is higher than in the Virgo and Fornax clusters but comparable to the Coma Cluster. On the other hand, the fn in Abell 1736a is relatively lower, comparable to groups in the Local Volume. We find that the probability of nucleation varies with galaxy luminosity remarkably similarly in galaxy clusters. These results reinforce previous findings of the important role of the environment in NSC formation/growth.

Effects of surface acoustic waves on reversal of magnetic domains in patterned films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

In this work, the magnetization reversal of patterned Pt/Co/Pt multilayers influenced by surface acoustic waves is investigated. For each patterned cell, the magnetization reversal involves formation of a reversal nucleus followed by rapid motion of a domain wall. The nucleation probability of the reversal nucleus increases with the power of the applied surface acoustic wave, which is explained by the magnetic droplet model, and fitting the experimental results with this model gives important parameters such as the domain-wall energy density and the reduction rate of local perpendicular anisotropy. The fitting results for different patterned cells are consistent with the experimental results, which validates this model for dealing with such issues.

Supersaturation dependent nucleation of methane + propane mixed-gas hydrate.

Before hydrates can be widely used in industry, we should better understand the problematic issues of hydrate nucleation, particularly its stochastic nature. Here, we report on measurements of the nucleation probability of mixed-gas hydrates in which the guest molecules are a mixture of methane and propane. For the pure cases, at a supersaturation near 1.0, we had previously measured an induction time for the methane hydrate of about 1h, whereas for the propane hydrate, it was over one day. Using the same experimental setup, we examine here the nucleation probability for a mixture of 90% methane and 10% propane as the guest gas for a range of supersaturations. For the experiments, the temperature was 274 ± 0.5K and the stirring rate was about 300rpm. The experiments were repeated at least ten times under the same condition, exchanging the sample water every time. We define the nucleation probability at a given time as the fraction of trials that nucleated by that time and then determine the nucleation probability distribution. The resulting nucleation frequency is found to have a power-law relation to supersaturation. Then, we examine how the nucleation frequency is affected by the existence of ultrafine bubbles in the initial water. We find that the ultrafine bubbles increase the nucleation frequency but much less than that of typical changes in supersaturation.

Ice Nucleation Under Climatically Changing Biotic and Abiotic Conditions in Himalayas: A Case Study of Naran, Mansehra District, Pakistan

Water has grave significance in human life and ice nucleation and rain are the two biggest sources of fresh water. In climate changing variables like temperature and other abiotic factors parallel to biotics factors paly vital role in natural process including ice nucleation. In order to have deep insight of ice nucleation process a data of abiotic factors like temperature, pH, wind direction was not only assessed but synchronized with biotics factors by taking example of two commonly spread species (chir and Diar common names) in the study area. In the study, it is revealed that temperature variation impacts ice nucleation process by lowering temperature from -1°C to -10°C. Analyzing temperature data between 2002 to 2022 reveals cycles impacting environmental phenomenon and other climate dynamics. Experimental data shoes inverse relationship with number of frozen drops and temperature. It is observed that bacterial presence in the atmosphere increases probability of ice nucleation. GIS reports indicate snow direct relation with vegetation signifying presence of biotic factors for ice nucleation.

Study of hydrate nucleation and growth aided by micro-nanobubbles: Probing the hydrate memory effect

Gas hydrates have been considered promising in gas storage, gas separation, and water desalination. The hydrates' technical application is affected by the long kinetics time. Of interest is gas hydrates show strong facilitation in dissociated water containing a high concentration of micro-nanobubbles. Here, it was discovered that the nano-particles present in the dissociated water were identified as nano-bubbles, characterized by nanoparticle track analyzer and infrared spectrum. The presence of bubbles increased the nucleation probability, likely attributed to the provision of nucleation sites. Results indicated that the ability of facilitation was related to the nanobubble types: the bubble solution with the same guest molecules exhibited similar facilitation to dissociated water; specifically, the average induction time was shortened by 27.48 %, the nucleation probability was increased by 50 % compared to deionized water. Moreover, the time hydrate filled the field of view with high bubble concentration was reduced by 60 % compared with low bubble concentration. The facilitation effect mechanism could be related to the presence of gas-dense regions inside the bubbles, based on the Raman results. This finding may offer valuable insights for the application of hydrate-based energy storage technology and shed light on the potential role of bubbles in causing memory effects.

Hydrostatic pressure-induced reversible phase transformation in iron oxide nanoparticles.

We report hydrostatic pressure-induced reversible phase transformation in maghemite γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (cubic → tetragonal → cubic) using an in situ diamond anvil cell (DAC) technique. Thermal arc plasma-synthesized nanoparticles, particularly in a He gas medium, exhibit the reversible phase transformation under pressure ranging from 0 to 2.58 GPa. Rietveld refinement reflects that cubic to tetragonal maghemite phase transformation coexists with a cubic metallic Fe phase at 0.55 GPa pressure. The generation of two new superlattice reflections at 6.93° and 8.11°, respectively, reflects the phase transformation. The presence of a core-shell-type nanostructure observed from transmission electron microscopy micrographs is found to exhibit a spin glass shell-type behavior. This triggers pressure-induced fluctuating magnetization and interparticle interaction-induced surface anisotropy and spin disorder with broken bonds, translational symmetry, and incomplete coordination. This leads to overcoming the nucleation barrier at the surface, subsequently denser nucleation sites and increased nucleation probability. This further leads to an atomic rearrangement and tetragonality in the maghemite phase. Furthermore, with increasing pressure, the reversible structural change, i.e. from the tetragonal to cubic maghemite phase, has been explained in the light of the "internal stress model". The grains are again forced back to the cubic phase via generation of uniform compression along the c-axis and tension along the a and b axes. The spin glass behavior of the core-shell nanostructure along with the "internal stress model" explain the whole reversible phase transformation phenomenon in the γ-Fe2O3 phase.

Designing Better Li Metal Anodes for Solid-State Batteries Using a Combined Experiment/Theory Approach

Solid-state batteries have the potential to transform energy storage by providing significantly higher energy densities and improved safety compared to conventional Li-ion batteries. Robust high-capacity Li metal anodes are necessary to realize this technology, but current Li metal anode designs suffer from significant degradation over time due to non-uniform Li plating/stripping and loss of contact with the solid electrolyte during cycling. Carbon scaffold hosts have been shown to mitigate this problem in liquid electrolyte systems by creating a uniform electric field and providing abundant Li nucleation sites, but they have not been well explored in solid-state systems, which require the fabrication of more complicated mixed ion/electron conducting scaffolds to provide transport of both Li ions and electrons throughout the anode. We investigated the effect of scaffold architecture and chemistry on the resulting Li morphology and electrochemical performance using a combined experiment/theory approach. Carbon scaffolds with well-controlled geometries and varied porosities were fabricated using 3D printing and then characterized by SEM, Raman, and XPS before cycling in cells to evaluate their performance as hosts for uniform Li plating/stripping. Atomistic and mesoscale modeling were used to predict how scaffold chemistry and microstructure affect Li nucleation probability and the formation of current density/stress hotspots that can lead to dendrite growth, and these results were used to help guide scaffold design. This work provides further insight into the relationship between anode architecture and Li metal cycling stability in solid-state batteries and demonstrates progress toward an anode-free configuration, which promises to simplify cell manufacturing, decrease cost, and increase energy density by plating the Li metal anode directly from the cathode in situ.Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is operated by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.