Textured Materials Research Articles

Research on the Characteristics of High-Performance Textured Ceramic Materials and Their Application in Composite Rod Transducers

Recently, textured piezoelectric ceramics have become a hot topic in the field of piezoelectric materials. Due to their high cost-effectiveness, textured ceramics are expected to be the material of choice for the next generation of acoustic transducers. In this study, we investigated the coercive field (Ec), piezoelectric constant (d33), and dielectric constant (ε33) of textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramics under different torques, in response to the demand for the development of composite rod transducer technology for transmitting and receiving. Based on the obtained data, a wideband composite rod transducer was designed and fabricated using textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramics with high performance. Compared with conventional PZT piezoelectric ceramic transducers of the same size, the wideband composite rod transducer made with textured ceramics extends the frequency band to a lower frequency of 6.5 kHz, improves the emission performance by 2 dB, and enhances the reception performance by 2 dB. Compared with conventional PZT piezoelectric ceramics in the same frequency band, the acoustic performance is comparable, but there is a volume reduction of 59.23% and a weight reduction of 49.7%, solving the technical bottleneck of developing composite rod transducers that are miniaturized and lightweight. The research results of this study have important reference value for the engineering application of textured ceramic materials in acoustic transducers.

Bioinspired skin-like in vitro model for investigating catheter-related bloodstream infections

Intravenous (IV) catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) cause significant risks in healthcare, necessitating advancements in catheter design and materials. This study investigates the effectiveness of Ecoflex, a silicone-based material, in studying CRBSIs through the development of skin-like replicas that mimic human skin properties for use in wearable sensing devices. We characterized the replica’s bioinspired surface roughness, wettability, bacterial adhesion, and mechanical properties and validated its performance using in vitro IV simulation. The results demonstrated that the bioinspired model replicates human skin textures with less than 7.5% error for surface roughness ranging from 0.05 μm to 6.3 μm. Wettability tests revealed that the artificial sebum application significantly reduced the static contact angles for deionized water and artificial sweat. Comprehensive mechanical testing revealed material high elasticity and resilience, suitable for dynamic biomedical applications. Bacterial adhesion studies using Staphylococcus epidermidis showed varying adhesion patterns influenced by surface roughness, highlighting the potential for material texture to impact infection risk. In IV therapy simulations, we observed bacterial growth dynamics over the incubation period. Our findings suggest that Ecoflex-based skin-like replicas can serve as a valuable tool for developing and testing new catheters, while the potential for use in other medical innovation devices, including wearable sensing devices, ultimately contributes to improved patient outcomes and infection control strategies.

Tensorial harmonic bases of arbitrary order with applications in elasticity, elastoviscoplasticity and texture-based modeling

In continuum mechanics, one regularly encounters higher-order tensors that require tensorial bases for theoretical or numerical calculations. By using results from [Formula: see text] representation theory, we present a method to derive tensorial harmonic bases which unifies existing approaches in one framework. Applying this convention to symmetric second-order tensors results in a second-order harmonic basis which, for example, simplifies the depiction and numerical handling of stiffness tensors for most common material symmetries and reduces the computational effort involved in implementations of incompressible elastoviscoplastic material laws. The same convention can be applied to texture analysis to yield tensorial texture coefficients for both polycrystals and fiber-reinforced composites. Rotations of higher-order tensors are particularly efficient in harmonic bases as both material and index symmetries can be exploited. While special attention is given here to the examples of small-strain material laws and texture analysis, the framework is entirely general and can be used to simplify calculations in other physical contexts involving tensors of arbitrary order and symmetry. A Python implementation of the harmonic basis convention defined in this work is available as a Supplementary Material.

Determination of Color Preferences and Trend Colors in Hotel Room Interior Design

Buildings and environmental colors create differences in perception, both psychologically and physically. Colors interact with and have an impact on the form, space components, surroundings, materials textures, space lighting, the size of the surfaces, and the function and aesthetics of the space. Color preference varies according to personality traits, age and gender, habits and experiences, fashion, and style. The research is aimed to determine the color preferences and trends in hotel interior designs. Many hotel projects are designed and completed throughout the world every year. In this context, project designs awarded in international competitions were selected. To collect the data for the study, details of award-winning hotel interior designs available through competition websites are reviewed and the Adobe Color analytical tool is employed to characterize the color schemes reflected in the designs. Adobe Color is more successful than other tools in creating color schemes, such as the color wheel, gradient extraction, and theme extraction, suitable for all color selection methods, including colorful, bright, muted, deep, and dark options. As a result of this study, based on the designs awarded in 2022, it was determined that blue, red, and green colors were most frequently used, respectively. Furthermore, the data suggest that all colors were used in pastel tones, with light shades of blue mixed with different grays being used more frequently, while red and green generally were used in darker tones. The results were significantly correlated with the theoretical research and studies on user preferences.

Stability and dynamics of magnetic skyrmions in FM/AFM heterostructures

Magnetic skyrmions have garnered attention for their potential roles in spintronic applications, such as information carriers in computation, data storage, and nano-oscillators due to their small size, topological stability, and the requirement of small electric currents to manipulate them. Two key challenges in harnessing skyrmions are the stabilization requirement through a strong out-of-plane field, and the skyrmion Hall effect (SkHE). Here, we present a systematic model study of skyrmions in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AFM) multilayer structures by employing both atomistic Monte Carlo and atomistic spin dynamics simulations. We demonstrate that skyrmions stabilized by exchange bias have superior stability to field-stabilized skyrmions due to the formation of a magnetic imprint within the AFM layer. Additionally, stacking two skyrmion hosting FM layers between two AFM layers suppresses the SkHE and enables the transport of AFM-coupled skyrmions with high velocity in the order of a few km/s. This proposed multilayer configuration could serve as a pathway to overcome existing limitations in the development of skyrmion-based devices, and the insights obtained through this study contribute significantly to the broader understanding of topological spin textures in magnetic materials. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Bimodal structure formation and texture transition mechanism in laser remelted Mg–Al-based alloy

Texture inheritance, texture weakening, and a complete texture transition within different solidified molten pool (MP) have been achieved by manipulating various processing parameters of conduction mode in laser remelted magnesium-aluminum (Mg–Al)-based AZ31 alloy. At a low laser power (P = 100 W), restricted number of temperature gradient directions on moving solid/liquid (S/L) interfaces within small MP leads to strong texture inheritance. Tilting angles 20°–45° away from building direction (B.D.) in {0001} plane is a preferential growth direction of texture inheritance. In contrast, spontaneous texture weakening has occurred due to frequently varied temperature gradient directions within increasing MP size in higher P cases. Meanwhile, increasing scanning speed V has a significant effect on weakening the texture as well as refining grains in the solidified MP. Furthermore, fine grains formation with random orientations in MP bottom at both high P (400 W) and high V (20, 30, and 50 mm/s) leads to the occurrence of a bimodal structure, which is affected by solidification characteristics as well as thermal convection. For the case of the highest P and the highest V, a texture transition has occurred as tilting angles of 45°–90° away from B.D. in {0001} plane within MP, compared to 0°–45° texture of base material for the Mg–Al-based alloy in the study.

Exploring building materials: human skin as a sensory reference in the absence of visual cues

Material texture significantly influences how people perceive built environments, yet empirical evidence supporting its impact on spaciousness perception is limited. This study aimed to explore how people perceive building materials through sense in the absence of visual attention and how texture meanings affect indoor spaciousness perception. Conducted with 160 participants (90 males, 70 females, mean age ±SD: 22 ± 5 years), the study comprised three phases: baseline tactile assessment, blindfolded navigation in a lab and exposure to real-world environments. Findings revealed the skin’s ability to discern textural quality without visual cues, with slightly rough wall surfaces consistently perceived as more spacious. Moreover, the association between wall texture and perceived space varied, with subjective aspects influencing spaciousness in relatively spacious rooms, while objective factors played a larger role in less spacious settings. This study provides insights into sensory referral processes, warranting further investigation into the potential psychological impacts of textures.

Unconventional spin textures emerging from a universal symmetry theory of spin-momentum locking

Spin textures, i.e., the distribution of spin polarization vectors in reciprocal space, exhibit diverse patterns determined by symmetry constraints, resulting in a variety of spintronic phenomena. Here, we propose a universal theory to comprehensively describe the nature of spin textures by incorporating three symmetry flavors of reciprocal wavevector, atomic orbital, and atomic site. Such an approach enables us to establish a complete classification of spin textures constrained by the little co-group and predict some exotic spin texture types, such as Zeeman-type spin splitting in antiferromagnets and quadratic spin texture. To illustrate the influence of atomic orbitals and sites on spin textures, we predict orbital-dependent spin texture and anisotropic spin-momentum-site locking effects, and corresponding material candidates validated through first-principles calculations. The comprehensive classification and the predicted new spin textures in realistic materials are expected to trigger future spin-based functionalities in electronics.

Image texture analysis of pellets made of lignocellulosic materials

This experiment aimed to find the relation between image texture features of pellets made of various lignocellulosic materials (wood, wheat straw, hay, giant miscanthus, prairie spartina, and giant knotweed) and their physico-mechanical properties (density, compressive energy, maximum compressive strength, modulus of elasticity). Using the Kruskal-Wallis's test, the effect of materials on these properties was examined. Texture features were derived from the grey-level co-occurrence matrix, grey-level run-length matrix, absolute gradient matrix, autoregressive model, and wavelet decomposition, resulting in 86 features, later reduced to 8 factors via explanatory factor analysis. These factors were used as predictors in regression models for physico-mechanical properties. The models for modulus of elasticity achieved R2adj values of 0.91–0.99 (except for hay and wood), compressive stress models achieved 0.65–0.99 (excluding hay and wood), compressive energy models ranged from 0.60 to 0.97 (excluding hay), and density models ranged from 0.56 to 0.97 (excluding wood). The study confirmed a significant correlation between material type, texture parameters and compression resistance, suggesting this method could monitor pellet quality in production.

Enhanced Scratch Detection for Textured Materials Based on Optimized Photometric Stereo Vision and Fast Fourier Transform–Gabor Filtering

In the process of scratch defect detection in textured materials, there are often problems of low efficiency in traditional manual detection, large errors in machine vision, and difficulty in distinguishing defective scratches from the background texture. In order to solve these problems, we developed an enhanced scratch defect detection system for textured materials based on optimized photometric stereo vision and FFT-Gabor filtering. We designed and optimized a novel hemispherical image acquisition device that allows for selective lighting angles. This device integrates images captured under multiple light sources to obtain richer surface gradient information for textured materials, overcoming issues caused by high reflections or dark shadows under a single light source angle. At the same time, for the textured material, scratches and a textured background are difficult to distinguish; therefore, we introduced a Gabor filter-based convolution kernel, leveraging the fast Fourier transform (FFT), to perform convolution operations and spatial domain phase subtraction. This process effectively enhances the defect information while suppressing the textured background. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method were validated through material applicability experiments and comparative method evaluations using a variety of textured material samples. The results demonstrated a stable scratch capture success rate of 100% and a recognition detection success rate of 98.43% ± 1.0%.

A non-local based microcrack segmentation model optimized for effective high resolution and low-power devices

Concrete is notable for its strength, durability, and versatility, making it a fundamental material in construction. Nevertheless, microcracks occur in concrete structures due to various factors, and the size of these cracks gradually widens over time, which can lead to spalling. Furthermore, the advent of climate change accelerates concrete degradation, posing significant challenges to structural maintenance. Recently, deep learning-based computer vision techniques, especially convolutional neural networks, have shown promising results in detecting and segmenting cracks in concrete walls. In this study, we propose a two-step training strategy for a microcrack segmentation model optimized for high resolution and low-power devices. The first step is to develop a segmentation model that can detect microcracks through high-resolution images. This strategy includes generating a high-quality CrackHQ dataset using super-resolution and a Transformer-based model training process named CegFormer. The second step involves converting the trained model to a lightweight version, increasing inference speed and making it operable on low-power devices. While performing lightweight, the model performance inevitably is degraded. We restored the degraded crack recognition performance by applying knowledge distillation. The experimental results of comparing baseline and CegFormer showed a 12.82% improvement in microcrack recognition performance. The detector optimized for use in actual fields improved recognition performance by up to 5.16% and reduced inference speed by 51.52%. The utilization of the two-step training strategy enabled the optical sensors to accurately detect microcracks even from far fields. Future work will focus on developing crack detectors that take into account both indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, as well as different texture of surface materials, for application in building inspection.

Impact of aminopropyl units on physisorption in mesostructured silica is larger for CH4 than CO2 and depends on pore curvature

Mesoporous silica-based materials attract great interest for diverse applications, including capture, storage, and catalysis due to their large surface area, uniform pore size distribution, and customizable surface. The regular 2D hexagonal pore symmetry of MCM-41 makes it an ideal model. Amine groups are introduced to enhance CO2 adsorption, but the interplay of factors influencing overall performance, including pore size, remains unclear. This computational study explores the physisorption of CO2 and CH4, shedding light on the microscopic details underlying adsorption capacity and selectivity. Three aminopropyl-functionalized MCM-41 models with different pore size are compared through Grand Canonical Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulations. Aminopropyl chains affect CO2 adsorption, but its affinity for the preserved silanol groups is larger. In addition, the competitive interaction between amine and silanol groups emerged, and it is pore curvature dependent. Surprisingly, CH4 physisorption is influenced even more by surface functionalization. Results show a non-monotonic trend as a function of pore size. Local density of the alkyl chains plays the major role. Overall, the intermediate pore size demonstrates the best performance, thanks to the balance among the various effects. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding the interplay between material texture and gas interactions to optimize adsorption performance.

“Spicy Touch”: Cross-modal associations between hand-feel touch and capsaicin-induced oral irritation

The influence of extrinsic hand-feel touch cues on consumer experiences in food and beverage consumption is well established. However, their impact on trigeminal perception, particularly the oral irritation caused by capsaicin or spicy foods, is less understood. This study aimed to determine the existence of cross-modal associations between hand-feel touch and capsaicin-induced oral irritation. This study investigated whether these potential associations were driven by the sensory contributions of the hand-feel tactile materials (measured by instrumental physical parameters) or by affective responses (evaluated through hedonic scales and the self-reported emotion questionnaire, EsSense Profile®, by consumers). In our study, 96 participants tasted a capsaicin solution while engaging with nine hand-feel tactile materials, i.e., cardboard, linen, rattan, silicone, stainless steel, sandpaper (fine), sandpaper (rough), sponge, and towel. They subsequently rated their liking and emotional responses, perceived intensity of oral irritation, and the congruency between hand-feel tactile sensation and oral irritation. Instrumental measurements characterized the surface texture of the hand-feel tactile materials, which were correlated with the collected sensory data. The results revealed that unique cross-modal associations between hand-feel touch and capsaicin-induced oral irritation. Specifically, while sandpapers demonstrated high congruence with the sensation of oral irritation, stainless steel was found to be least congruent. These associations were influenced by both the common emotional responses (“active,” “aggressive,” “daring,” “energetic,” “guilty,” and “worried”) evoked by the hand-feel tactile materials and the capsaicin, as well as by participants’ liking for the hand-feel tactile materials and the characteristics of the surface textures. This study provides empirical evidence of the cross-modality between hand-feel tactile sensations and capsaicin-induced oral irritation, opening new avenues for future research in this area.

Electric wind induced texturing for enhanced thermoelectric performance of p-type Mg3Sb2-based materials

High-intensity electric pulse treatment (EPT) can induce electric wind effect in materials, which facilitates the grain rearrangement and reorientation in polycrystalline samples. For the first time, this study employed the EPT technique to construct texture in Mg3.04Ag0.02Sb2 bulk compounds, and a highly conductive channel was produced to promote the charge carrier transport. This leads to a 53 % improvement in carrier mobility of the EPT sample (4#20) over the pristine one at room temperature. Additionally, EPT does not affect the carrier concentration of the material, making the EPT samples possess significantly improved electrical conductivities and untouched Seebeck coefficients. Consequently, a 36 % improvement in zT value is achieved for the EPT sample (4#20) at 723 K, compared to the pristine one. This work demonstrates that EPT technique is an effective approach for constructing textured Mg3Sb2-based materials, offering a valuable avenue for high thermoelectric performance in other potential materials via manipulating properties-related texture.

A Novel Approach for Evaluating the Influence of Texture Intensities on the First Magnetization Curve and Hysteresis Loss in Fe-Si Alloys.

This paper examines the relationship between the magnetization behavior and crystal lattice orientations of Fe-Si alloys intended for magnetic applications. A novel approach is introduced to assess anisotropy of the magnetic losses and first magnetization curves. This method links the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy of single crystal structures to the textures of polycrystalline materials through a vectorial space description of the crystal unit cell, incorporating vectors for external applied field and saturation magnetization. This study provides a preliminary understanding of how texture influences magnetic loss rates and the first magnetization curves. Experimental results from Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) and Single-Sheet Tests (SSTs), combined with energy considerations and mathematical modeling, reveal the following key findings: (i) a higher density of cubic texture components, whether aligned or rotated relative to the rolling direction, decreases magnetic anisotropy, suggesting that optimizing cubic texture can enhance material performance; (ii) at high magnetic fields, there is no straightforward correlation between energy losses and polarization; and (iii) magnetization rates significantly impact magnetization loss rates, highlighting the importance of considering these rates in optimizing Fe-Si sheet manufacturing processes. These findings offer valuable insights for improving the manufacturing and performance of Fe-Si sheets, emphasizing the need for further exploration of texture effects on magnetic behavior.

Community Service Eco-Pounding Brajan Village, Brajan District, Mojosongo District, Boyolali District

Eco Pounding is a fabric dyeing technique that uses natural materials such as leaves, flowers, or branches to create fabric motifs. This technique is done by pounding natural materials onto the fabric using a hammer, so that the colours or motifs produced on the fabric match the original texture or shape of the natural materials used. Eco pounding is an eco-print technique that uses natural materials to create motifs on fabric, and this technique is very easy to do and uses materials that can be found around. Shibori Arashi dyeing technique is a fabric dyeing technique that utilises bonding and dyeing to determine the motif on the fabric. In this technique, the fabric is patterned using a pattern that has been made then crimped according to the pattern, then tied firmly using rope or rubber. After that, the fabric is dyed in a dye made from indigo leaves. Shibori Arashi dyeing usually produces striped motifs.

Improvement of superhydrophobic properties of soft materials based on surface texture design

Superhydrophobic surfaces of rigid materials have been widely studied, which usually have excellent physical properties. However, the soft materials are rarely investigated. In order to explore ways to improve the superhydrophobic properties of soft materials, different textured structures were fabricated by the inverted molding method on three materials, including food-grade silica gel, industrial-grade mold silica gel, and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Further, a series of experiments were carried out, including water contact angle measurement, self-cleaning test, and drop-bounce test. The results show that hydrophobicity is highly related to both material and texture characteristics. For the same material, the contact angle can be greatly improved by surface micro-texture, and the contact angle of PDMS can be increased to 159.3°. Moreover, texture features and parameters are introduced to quantitatively analyze the contact angle of textured soft materials. It can be predicted that the soft materials with textured superhydrophobic properties will have greater applications in biomedicine, bionic sensors, flexible solar cells, and other fields.

Critical Focus: Study of an Arts Centre

Critical Focus: Study of an Arts Centre is a 15-minute, two-channel film documenting the everyday life of an art gallery during the exhibition installation period. It was made as part of a sociological investigation of skilled but invisible labour in the art gallery, such as that of gallery technicians. In addition to this focus on skilled labour, the film focuses on the atmospheres of the different spaces in and around the gallery, and the ways they are produced by different social actors. The accompanying essay introduces the context in which the film was made, as well as the theories that informed it. These include theories of atmosphere and skill, as well as the styles and practices of artists who make documentary-like work themselves. The essay also details choices that are both ethical and stylistic, such as the close angles, the focus on material and architectural textures, and a focus on hands rather than faces.

Crystal-plasticity modelling of the yield surfaces and anelasticity in the elastoplastic transition of metals

The paper presents a full-field crystal-plasticity computational investigation of 10με small-strain-offset yield surfaces with pointed vertexes that are seen in the elastoplastic transition of pre-strained polycrystal metals. It is concluded that the shape of these yield surfaces obtained with a full-field spectral solver compares reasonably well with calculated ones by a simple aggregate Taylor model. The influence of material strength, work hardening, and texture are discussed. An assessment is made of the origin of anelasticity and Bauschinger effects at small strains, considering two mechanisms. Firstly, there is a built-in composite effect in crystal elastoplastic simulations due to the mixture of elastically and plastically loaded grains. Secondly, kinematic hardening of reverse slip systems will contribute to the Bauschinger effect. Based on analyses of the computed selected cases and comparison to previously published measurements, it is concluded that both mechanisms are important.

A quantum sensor for atomic-scale electric and magnetic fields

The detection of faint magnetic fields from single-electron and nuclear spins at the atomic scale is a long-standing challenge in physics. While current mobile quantum sensors achieve single-electron spin sensitivity, atomic spatial resolution remains elusive for existing techniques. Here we fabricate a single-molecule quantum sensor at the apex of the metallic tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope by attaching Fe atoms and a PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-dianhydride) molecule to the tip apex. We address the molecular spin by electron spin resonance and achieve ~100 neV resolution in energy. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we measure the magnetic and electric dipole fields emanating from a single Fe atom and an Ag dimer on an Ag(111) surface with sub-angstrom spatial resolution. Our method enables atomic-scale quantum sensing experiments of electric and magnetic fields on conducting surfaces and may find applications in the sensing of spin-labelled biomolecules and of spin textures in quantum materials.