materials Annual review 2017/18 iopscience.org/materials

From research to technology and innovation

New title targets multifunctional materials p7 Physics World embraces materials future p9 Cheaper printing for artificial skin p19

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Untitled-1 1 27/09/2017 09:23 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Contents

Materials From research to technology and innovation

Welcome 5

Ask the Editors 7 Andreas Lendlein and Richard Trask, founding Editors-in-Chief of the new journal Multifunctional Materials, share their vision for publishing high-impact research in this fast-moving field, while Susan Curtis unveils the all-new Physics World site. Graphene bends to display future p11 2D materials 11 ● ● ● 2D materials under the spotlight Enzymes produce biocompatible MoS2 Graphene enables colour-shifting electronic skin ●Growth success for hexagonal boron nitride

Quantum materials and technology 14 ● Doped silicon enables quantum memory● Quantum corrections address ‘bad’ metals ●Neutron scattering solves quantum riddles ●Hybrid devices promise quantum future

Energy and environment 17 A longer-lasting hear t valve p22 ● Nanopatterns enable micron-thin solar cells● Sunlight promises power potential ●Cool future beckons for caloric materials ●Energy storage evolves for a renewable future

Biology and medicine 19 ● Cheaper printing for artificial skin● ‘Call to arms’ for bioengineers ●Scaffold breakthrough avoids implant infections ●Plasma-treated molecules expand the antibiotic arsenal

Manufacturing and materials processing 23 ● Roadmap points to plasma future● Nanopatterning achieves structural colour at low cost ●Smart paper benefits from low-cost printing ●Block copolymers spiral under control

Physics World offers materials focus p9 Optics and electronics 26 ● Nanoparticle shape controls properties ● Germanane FET offers promise Editor Susan Curtis ●Soft lithography extends plasmonic filters ●Stacked layers offer tunable electronics Production Editor Alison Gardiner Senior Marketing Executive Zoe Anderson Advertisement Sales Chris Thomas Advertisement Production Mark Trimnell Magnetism and spin 30 Diagram Artist Alison Tovey Art Director Andrew Giaquinto ● Spin current seen in topological insulator ● Magnonics promise faster processing speeds ●New horizons for modern magnetism ●Light pulses reveal spin dynamics Copyright © 2017 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors. All rights reserved News from IOP Publishing 32 ● journal takes interdisciplinary approach● under the spotlight ●Ten Physics World Discovery ebooks released ●Opening up to ORCID

Materials science journals 34

Adding value to IOP authors 37 Temple Circus, Temple Way, Bristol BS1 6HG, UK Tel +44 (0)117 929 7481 IOP Publishing in the news 38 E-mail [email protected] Web ioppublishing.org

3

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Untitled-5 1 26/10/2017 15:26 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Welcome

Materials science and technology continues to yield astounding discoveries and inventions, and IOP Publishing (IOP) is proud to have captured many of the most important advances within its expanding materials science portfolio. Extending to more than 20 journals, which together publish more than 7000 articles every year, as well as our award-winning journalism and ebooks programmes, IOP’s materials portfolio provides the community with essential content covering all areas of materials science – from fundamental properties and synthesis through to materials modelling and novel applications that drive technological innovation.

The rapid pace of change in materials research makes it vital that we continue to shape our portfolio to meet the evolving needs of the community. The design and realization of next-generation materials with multifunctional capability is Cover image: Dendrimer, computer artwork. one area of great scientific and technological interest, and our latest journal, Dendrimers are artificially created branched polymers with the potential for wide-ranging applications, such Multifunctional Materials, will provide a new outlet that will bridge all aspects of as nanotechnology, drug delivery systems, nanoscale batteries, lubricants, catalysts and herbicides. the materials and systems communities involved with multifunctional design. Credit: Hybrid Medical Animation/Science Photo Library We look forward to publishing the first content in 2018, and on p7 we ask the two founding editors, Andreas Lendlein and Richard Trask, to share their vision for the journal.

We are also excited to be relaunching our award-winning Physics World site with more content, more writers and a greater focus on interdisciplinary research. Materials science will be an important focus area that will benefit from Physics World’s expert coverage of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations, as we explain in more detail on p9.

Once again we’ve had plenty to celebrate in 2017, and this special collection showcases what can only be a small selection of the most exciting research published across IOP’s materials programme in the past year. To find out more, you will find a full rundown of our publishing options on pp34–35.

I take this opportunity to thank all our authors, referees, Board Members and partners for their ongoing support in shaping our materials publishing programme. We hope that you enjoy this collection, and that we have the opportunity to work with you in 2018 and beyond.

Tim Smith Associate Director IOP Publishing [email protected]

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MATS17_p06.indd 1 27/10/2017 10:11 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Ask the Editors

Andreas Lendlein and Richard Trask, founding Editors-in-Chief of the new IOP journal Multifunctional Materials, believe the time is right for a multidisciplinary journal publishing urgent, high-impact research extending from fundamental science to novel applications. Here they explain why.

First of all, what is a multifunctional How do you plan to maximize the impact material? of research published in MFM? Multifunctional materials are designed Firstly, as part of the launch phase, to perform multiple functions through all articles in the journal will be prudent combinations of different completely free to read throughout functional capabilities. Each function 2018. Additionally, selected articles will contributes a distinct physical or be promoted to the community through chemical process that deliver system- IOP Publishing’s award-winning level improvements beyond the status journalism service (each article will also quo. For example, multifunctional have an Altmetric badge to capture the materials can enable “autonomic” wider online attention we expect content structures that can sense, diagnose and and authors to receive). Authors who respond to external stimuli with minimal The founding Editors-in-Chief for Multifunctional wish to supplement their article with external intervention; “adaptive” Materials are Professor Andreas Lendlein (left) of the a video abstract to broaden the reach structures that allow reconfiguration Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Centre for Materials and significance of their work to a non- or readjustment of functionality, shape and Coastal Research, Germany, and Professor specialist audience will also be able to and structural performance on demand; Richard Trask of the University of Bath, UK. do so. and “self-sustaining” systems with structurally integrated capabilities the expectation that papers published in What do you think will be the emerging for power harvesting, storage, and/or the journal will have a lasting scientific areas that MFM will be targeting in the transmission. and technological impact. Recognizing next five years? the rapid pace of progress and the Biologically inspired adaptive materials; Why is now a good time to launch a highly competitive nature of the field, the creation of 3D and 4D materials journal focusing on multifunctional the journal’s peer-review process will for additive manufacturing (3D/4D materials? guarantee a combination of very strict printing); the application of functional It is now increasingly recognized that scientific rigour with the fast-track multimaterials; the design and multifunctional materials, and their decision making we that know our development of intelligent materials for potential for driving technological authors will demand. Publishing urgent, adaptive change; as well as new types of innovation, represents the future for high-impact work in the most timely materials designed and created through materials science. Over the past decade, manner is the mission. current chemistry or synthetic biology. research on this unique class of materials Our commissioning programme already has increased year-on-year, and it is What steps will the journal be taking to covers off some of these areas, so watch clear that a field that now brings together make sure it really captures the very this space! a truly multidisciplinary community latest cutting-edge research? (biology, chemistry, engineering, From the outset, it will be important What is your long-term vision for materials science mechanics and physics) for the Editorial Board and editorial the journal? should now be recognized through a staff to engage with the community Our aim is to make MFM the first- dedicated high-quality journal. Informed and identify the latest developments in choice journal for physicists, materials and shaped by strong support from the the field in order to shape the editorial scientists, chemists, engineers, biologists community, Multifunctional Materials direction of MFM. In addition, the and medical researchers now engaged (MFM) has been designed to serve this Editorial Board and journal team will with multifunctional materials. An emerging area that connects scientists oversee rigorous peer review with very essential ingredient will be for MFM to and engineers working across academia high standards for publication. Our provide a bridge between fundamental and industry. expectation is that the rejection rate science and technological innovation, will be high, although articles that don’t and we will be working closely with the What do you see as the key meet the journal’s strict criteria may, community to make sure this happens. characteristics of MFM? after peer review and at the editors’ In short, our vision is for MFM to play MFM is a multidisciplinary journal with discretion (and with author approval), a critical part in defining the future the primary goal of publishing research be transferred to other relevant journals direction of research on multifunctional of the highest quality and impact, with in IOP Publishing’s portfolio. materials.

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Physics World Physics World breaks through boundaries More content, more writers, more coverage, more often. That’s the ambitious plan for the relaunch of Physics World’s digital news service, as Susan Curtis explains.

What is your vision for the relaunch of Physics World’s online news service? We want to create the number-one source of news and commentary for the global scientific community. Physics World already provides readers in all parts of the world with a compelling mix of daily news, opinion and analysis, and we will be expanding our coverage to explore some of the most exciting innovations emerging from interdisciplinary and applied research. Materials science and technology will be one key area of focus for the new site, as will new approaches in biofabrication and biotechnology.

What makes Physics World so special? Our mission is to be the most trusted and most respected provider of expert news and commentary for scientists, students and engineers. We have an award- winning team of writers and editors who have the deep scientific knowledge needed to identify the most significant breakthroughs, and to provide readers university students at both undergraduate What support will you offer to these with an accurate and thought-provoking and post-graduate level. Our writers student contributors? insight into the latest innovations. By and editors take care to convey complex We’ll provide some initial training on clearly presenting the wider context of the scientific ideas with clarity and flair, which how to craft compelling news stories latest developments, we give our readers means that scientists working in other about new scientific results. All students the information and understanding they fields can quickly grasp the significance of will also receive regular feedback from need to do their jobs better. new research results. It also ensures that our professional journalists as well as our coverage can be enjoyed by anyone other student contributors, providing What can Physics World offer to with an interest in science, including ongoing support that will help all scientists from fields other than physics? policymakers, funding agencies, and the participants to develop an excellence While Physics World emerged from the scientifically invested lay public. in scientific writing. All contributors physics community almost 30 years ago, will of course receive full credit for we know that scientists are increasingly How will Physics World engage with the their work, including an author biog working in interdisciplinary teams to research community? and a page listing everything they have find solutions to the most important Alongside the coverage produced by our written. In addition, each student will global challenges – such as healthcare, professional science journalists, we are receive a welcome pack that will include energy generation and storage, and reaching out to the scientific community free digital access to Physics World sustainable development. Our science to help us provide our readers with magazine and our complete portfolio of communication programme seeks to an inside view into the latest research journals and ebooks. inform, educate and connect a global advances. Our key focus here is to offer scientific readership, and to promote selected PhD students the chance to How can students get involved in this a collective conversation that engages boost their science communication initiative? scientific audiences across borders and skills by working in tandem with our Just e-mail me at [email protected] across disciplines. most experienced writers and editors. for more information. I look forward to We’ll provide training and mentorship hearing from any graduate students who Who should read Physics World? to students who are eager to improve and want to improve their science writing Physics World is primarily written for refine their scientific writing skills, and skills, whether they intend to use them practising scientists and engineers – we’ll also provide them with a platform for writing future research papers whether working in academic research or to have their work read by thousands of or to develop a career as a science technology-based industries – as well as scientists all over the world. communicator.

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MATS17_p10.indd 1 27/10/2017 10:18 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials 2D materials

2D materials under the spotlight A recent special issue of Journal of SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE Physics D: Applied Physics explores the science and applications of 2D Emergent elemental two-dimensional materials, which exhibit a range of materials beyond graphene remarkable properties as a result of Yuanbo Zhang, Angel Rubio and their atomically thin dimensions. Guy Le Lay With six guest editors from Korea, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 053004 India, Australia and the UK, the issue offers an insight into “the cut- Laser trimming of graphene oxide for Flexible friend mining and understanding their ting-edge issues, unresolved prob- functional photonic applications lems, and new results on material Graphene could optical, electronic and mechanical Xiaorui Zheng, Han Lin, Tieshan Yang properties and device applications” enable the flexible properties. for all types of 2D materials. screens of the future. While many applications of 2D and Baohua Jia The issue includes four topical materials are in their infancy, many J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 174003 reviews that examine everything articles in the issue explore how the from the prospects for emergent confinement of electrons can be Bolometric detection of terahertz 2D materials beyond graphene to harnessed in electronic and opto- quantum cascade laser radiation the use of graphene quantum dots electronic devices. Potential appli- with graphene-plasmonic antenna in photonic and electronic devices. cations explored in the issue include arrays These are complemented by a num- multilayer thin-film transistors, Riccardo Degl’Innocenti et al ber of research articles that describe supercapacitors, and highly sensitive J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 174001 novel approaches to fabricating all photodetectors types of 2D materials, and for deter- J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 053004

2D Materials Enzymes produce biocompatible 2D MoS2

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) Writing in 2D Materials, a research Enzymes in action in its 2D form shows promise for team led by Arben Merkoçi at the Natural biomolecules diverse applications in biomedical Barcelona Institute of Science and bind to 2D flakes of engineering, but it needs a pro- Technology has come up with a MoS2. duction process that is inexpen- promising alternative that exploits sive, scalable and environmentally lysozyme, an enzyme found in egg benign. Now, researchers in Spain whites, in the exfoliation process. and Italy have devised an enzyme- Not only is lysozyme non-toxic to which prevents them from re- based technique that yields a bio- cells, but it is also cheaper and more aggregating. The team found that compatible product that is well scalable than methods involving the thickness of the flakes was suited to uses in drug delivery, bio- more hazardous substances. equivalent to a monolayer of MoS2 sensors and tissue engineering. The Before use, the researchers coated on each side with AP-LYS, method is sufficiently general to be modify the lysozyme to produce with most of the flakes between 250 applied to graphene and other 2D a soluble form that they term and 550 nm across. materials. aminopropyl-lysozyme (AP-LYS). The researchers also confirmed MoS2 is commonly produced The newly configured enzyme that the material remained stable using liquid-phase exfoliation, in includes a hydrophobic region that under physiological conditions, with which MoS2 powder suspended in binds to the surface of the MoS2, and no effect on the morphology or via- water is separated into 2D layers a hydrophilic region that interacts bility of the cells throughout a 48 h using ultrasound. However, this with the water in which the material incubation. The team now hopes to process generally requires the use of is suspended. add specific functionalities to the toxic organic solvents or surfactants, During the exfoliation process, flakes for applications in biosensors which is a problem for biomedical the AP-LYS molecules become and biophotonics. applications. attached to the 2D flakes of MoS2, 2D Mater. 4 035007

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2D materials.indd 11 01/11/2017 12:02 Materials: from research to technology and innovation 2D materials iopscience.org/materials

2D Materials Graphene enables colour-shifting electronic skin Some animals, including chame- Reporting their results in the jour- leons, octopus, and squid, have an nal 2D Materials, the research team impressive ability to change their exploited graphene-based flexible skin colour for camouflage, temper- electronics to construct a highly sen- ature control, or communication. sitive resistive strain sensor along Science has attempted to replicate with a stretchable electrochromic these abilities with artificial skin, device. “We explored the substrate’s but the colour changes are in most effect on the electromechanical cases only visible to the naked eye behaviour of graphene,” said lead when the material is put under huge author Tingting Yang. mechanical strain. To obtain good performance with Now, however, researchers at a simple process, the team designed Tsinghua University in China have a modulus-gradient structure that exploited graphene to develop a new allows graphene to be used for both type of user-interactive electronic the strain-sensing element and the skin that produces a colour change stretchable electrode of the elec- perceptible to the human eye, and trochromic layer. “We found subtle that is achieved with a much reduced strain – between 0 and 10% – was level of strain. “Graphene, with its enough to cause an obvious colour high transparency, rapid carrier change, and the RGB value of the transport, flexibility and large spe- colour quantified the magnitude of Colour change has previously been somewhat over- cific surface area, shows application the applied strain,” said Tang. A graphene-based looked, but that we believe should be potential for flexible electronics, The results also showed that the artificial skin could closely considered in future studies including stretchable electrodes, mechanical properties of the sub- be used in of the electromechanical behaviour supercapacitor, sensors, and optical strate had a strong effect on the prosthetics and of certain functional materials,” con- devices,” commented senior author performance of the strain sensing wearable technology. cluded Tang. Hongwei Zhu. materials. “This is something that 2D Mater. 4 035020

Nano Futures says Martin-Martinez. The structure You create the future. Graphene composite combines of the composite was also inspired We’ll handle logistics. by nacre (mother of pearl), which strength with toughness has an outstanding mechanical per- formance as a result of its brick and Thin lm deposition for research and production For a lightweight material, graphene Strong and tough mortar configuration. In this case, is hard to beat for its strength and Adding water to the GO layers provide the “bricks” toughness. But it remains too expen- GO-PDA layers with the PDA acting as the “mortar”. sive and impractical to be used in increases the The researchers also tested the applications where these properties composite’s effect of humidity on the composite are most in demand, such as aero- strength. system by introducing water at vary- space, automation, infrastructure, an increasingly popular coating ing concentrations into their model. and transportation. Graphene oxide material that has been inspired by They found that adding water to (GO) is easier to produce, but is the adhesion properties of mussels. GO-PDA composites widens the also much weaker than graphene – While other groups have studied spacing between the layers, increas- particularly when made into sheets PDA composites experimentally, ing the strength when adjacent known as “GO paper”. ambiguities over the chemical inter- layers were pulled in opposite direc- Markus Buehler and colleagues actions between PDA and GO made tions. No such change was observed at MIT have now addressed this it difficult to create materials with in pure GO layers. Products & Technologies Applications & Markets problem by using computer models the required properties. Instead, The researchers acknowledge to design a GO-based composite the MIT researchers created certain limitations in the model • Integrated Aeres control software • OLED | PLED | Lighting that combines strength and tough- molecular models of the system, but are still confident in the wider • Thermal & Ebeam evaporation • Solar | Perovskite | CIGS & CdTe | Hybrids ness. “With a lot of inspiration and then updated the models with applications of the “bottom-up” • Ion assisted deposition • Optical coatings | Medical coatings from natural systems, we designed data from experiments and materi- design approach. “From the simu- • Chemical vapor deposition • 2D & novel materials a GO nanocomposite that has bet- als characterization. lations, we can tell which material • RF | DC | Pulsed DC | Reactive & HIPIMS sputtering • MEMS ter mechanical performance than “This represents an advanced design yields higher mechanical • Entire range of fixturing enhancements • Thin film batteries & sensors pristine GO films,” said Francisco predictive tool that makes the pro- performance even though we can- • Advanced automation & robotics • Space & environmental simulation Martin-Martinez, one of the MIT duction of materials more efficient, not get its actual strength and tough- • Glovebox & controlled atmosphere integration • Flexible electronics researchers. reducing the number of experiments ness in the simulations,” concludes Service and Support One key ingredient of the nano- required by incorporating atomistic Martin-Martinez. composite is polydopamine (PDA), design into the fabrication process,” Nano Futures 1 025002 Unparalleled service reputation | Materials & consumables supply | 24-Hour response guarantee

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2D materials.indd 12 01/11/2017 12:02 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials 2D materials

2D Materials Growth success for hexagonal boron nitride Researchers at Texas Instruments researchers want to conserve include grew by diffusing into the metal film in the US have devised a new tech- h-BN’s high thermal conductivity before segregating out, and Colombo nique that could generate large and excellent insulating properties, and colleagues were able to control quantities of high-quality hexagonal as well as its atomically flat crystal the thickness of h-BN by chang- boron nitride (h-BN), a 2D material surface, chemical inertness and low ing the thickness of the metal film that has been tipped for applica- friction coefficient. Mechanical substrate. tions ranging from deep-ultraviolet exfoliation is known to yield high- Probing the optical and electrical light sources and electronic devices quality samples, but Colombo and properties of the film showed that through to protective coatings and colleagues investigated the charac- the resulting h-BN films had “a near solid-state lubricants. teristics of h-BN grown by chemical theoretical optical bandgap” and Writing in the journal 2D Materi- vapour deposition, which is a more “excellent breakdown strength”. The als, Luigi Colombo and colleagues promising approach for scaling up team suggest that the segregation- have also provided new insights the quantity produced. precipitation method may be a use- into growth mechanism itself, The technique works by exposing ful approach that can be applied on which is essential for scaling up pro- metal films to diborane and ammo- any arbitrary substrate for producing duction without compromising on nia at high temperatures before h-BN films that can be extended to material quality. allowing it to cool. Spectroscopic the wafer scale. Some of the key attributes that analysis revealed that h-BN films 2D Mater. 4 025117

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2D materials.indd 13 01/11/2017 12:02 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Quantum materials and technology Quantum memory is made from doped silicon Physicists in Australia have shown Twin spins on top of the silicon chip. That spin that quantum information can be The quantum memory. state is then transferred to and from stored and retrieved from a single the nucleus using a series of radio- atom of phosphorus embedded frequency pulses from the same in a silicon crystal. Reporting the antenna. To read out the value of the breakthrough in Quantum Science electron spin, they created a single and Technology, Andrea Morello electron transistor from aluminium of the University of New South electrodes fabricated on the chip. Wales says that this kind of quan- The transistor is turned on if the elec- tum memory could be an important tron escapes the phosphorus nucleus, ingredient in silicon-based quantum “processing qubit” that is used to which only happens when it is in its computers that would be more scal- read and write data. (high-energy) spin-up state. able, compact and easier to mass- In the latest work, Morello and The researchers found they could produce than devices based on rival colleagues have created a natural transfer the spin state of the phospho- technologies. two-qubit system by doping silicon rus electron to the nucleus and keep Morello and colleagues have with atoms of phosphorous. Adding it there for up to 80 ms – “a remark- developed a system that overcomes phosphorus to silicon adds an extra ably long time in the solid state,” says one of the fundamental obstacles positive charge to its crystal lat- Morello – before transferring it back facing quantum computers, which tice, which in turn attracts an extra to the electron and reading it out. encode data in the form of quantum electron. This effectively creates a Unfortunately, they found that the bits, or qubits. Because it is impossi- hydrogen atom in which the less mag- electron’s final state only matched its ble to copy the state of a qubit or any netically sensitive nuclear spin forms initial state around 80% of the time – other quantum object, a quantum the memory qubit, while the electron a fidelity that fell far short of the 99% memory instead involves transfer- spin acts as the processing qubit. possible when operating the electron ring a quantum state from one qubit In their experiment, Morello and and nuclear qubits separately. They to another, which then erases the colleagues implanted phosphorus believe this is caused by a shift in the state of the first qubit. This requires atoms into a 100 100 nm2 region electron’s resonance frequency after a two-qubit system composed of a of a 900 nm-thick layer of enriched they turn on the radio-frequency “memory qubit” that is more resil- silicon. They set the initial state of pulses, and say that they will now ient to external sources of electri- the phosphorus electron spin using work to eliminate this shift. cal or magnetic interference, and a a microwave antenna fabricated Quantum Sci. and Technol. 2 024003

Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter sity in the US have investigated the properties of epitaxial films, single- Quantum corrections to conduction in ‘bad’ metals crystal nanowires, and single-crys- tal flakes of intercalated vanadium Condensed matter physicists have in the magnetoresistance, and include oxide. “We find phenomena that their own “standard model” for met- effects such as weak localization and strongly resemble weak localization als, Landau’s Fermi Liquid theory. universal conductance fluctuations. and universal conductance fluctua- FL theory says that the low-energy However, there are “bad metals” tions,” says Natelson. “This suggests excitations of a conventional metal in which electron scattering is domi- that quantum coherence effects over are long-lived quasiparticles, and nated by disorder. One such example longer length scales become impor- that these quasiparticles propagate is vanadium dioxide, a strongly cor- tant at low temperatures in this many times their own wavelength related material with an insulator- system.” between scattering events. to-metal phase transition at about But Natelson points out that there This means that electron transport 340 K. The intercalation of atomic is no self-consistent quantitative in most metals can be described as a hydrogen suppresses that transi- model to treat these effects in bad classical gas rather than a quantum tion, and offers a way to stabilize an metals. “We hope that this work system. But some materials exhibit unusual metallic state down to low helps motivate theoretical consid- quantum interference effects at low temperatures. erations of quantum transport in bad temperatures and on short distance In new research published in Jour- metals and other systems that appear scales, requiring “mesoscopic” cor- nal of Physics: Condensed Matter, to deviate from the Fermi Liquid rections to classical conduction. Such Douglas Natelson and colleagues at regime,” he concludes. mesoscopic corrections are often seen Rice University and Cornell Univer- J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 185601

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Quantum materials and technology.indd 14 01/11/2017 12:06 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Quantum materials and technology

Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter Solving quantum riddles with neutron scattering Quantum materials exhibit a rich sible ways: the so-called Ruderman– why QPTs are one of the most impor- landscape of highly degenerate quan- Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) tant fundamental issues in solid-state tum states that are widely regarded to interaction that yields long-range physics,” says Fobes. hold vast potential for future applica- magnetic order; and a Kondo inter- In their latest work, Fobes and tions, ranging from power manage- action that screens the electron Janoschek used hot neutrons to pre- ment and transmission to platforms moments and results in a non- cisely measure the ordered magnetic for quantum computation and novel magnetic state. moment in CeRhIn5, a prototypical sensors and electronics. But to realize “The competition between these f-electron material that orders anti- the promise of these diverse applica- two interactions controls the emer- ferromagnetically. Applying pressure tions, scientists need to identify the gence of quantum matter at temper- to CeRhIn5 has previously been found fundamental energy scales that con- atures near absolute zero,” explains to increase the Kondo interaction and trol the emergence of such quantum Fobes. “Although the RKKY inter- accesses a QPT, around which uncon- states and their properties. action results in magnetic order, ventional superconductivity emerges. In new research reported in Jour- external control parameters, such The new experimental results reveal nal of Physics: Condensed Matter, as pressure, can enhance the Kondo that the ordered magnetic moment David Fobes and Marc Janoschek at interaction by increasing the overlap is suppressed by 41% compared to the Los Alamos National Laboratory of neighbouring valence orbitals, and the ground state, suggesting that the (LANL), together with collaborators eventually lead to complete suppres- Kondo interaction has a significant from the Jülich Centre for Neutron sion of the magnetic order.” screening effect, even in the magneti- Science (JCNS) in Germany and the The strong quantum fluctuations cally ordered state. “Because there University of Tennessee, have inves- that arise at this magnetic instability, are currently no theories to calculate tigated the puzzling magnetic struc- known as a quantum phase transi- the magnetic properties in the regime ture of the heavy-fermion material tion (QPT), are believed to cause where Kondo and RKKY interaction CeRhIn5. In this type of material, the emergence of quantum matter are of similar size, our work highlights the f-electrons become localized states and they also alter material that new theoretical developments are into valence orbitals on rare-earth properties at much higher tempera- desperately required to understand or actinide sites, forming local mag- tures. “This not only showcases the the emergence of quantum matter,” netic moments that interact with relevance of quantum matter for Fobes concludes. conduction electron spins in two pos- future applications but also explains J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 17LT01 Journal of Physics series Celebrating 50 years at the frontier of physics research and innovation

Semiconductor Science and Technology SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE Hybrid devices promise quantum future Entanglement distribution schemes employing coherent photon-to-spin Novel hybrid quantum materials and Quantum promise conversion in semiconductor quantum devices, which combine semicon- Hybrid devices offer ductors with superconductors, topo- novel transport dot circuits logical insulators or other 2D layered properties. Louis Gaudreau et al materials or quantum structures, Semicond. Sci. Technol. 32 093001 are opening new possibilities in the physics and applications of quantum Imaging electron motion in graphene transport phenomena. Of particular Sagar Bhandari and interest is the combination of low- Robert M Westervelt dimensional materials with new elec- Semicond. Sci. Technol. 32 024001 tronic device concepts or measuring areas: the fundamental understand- techniques. ing of hybrid quantum structures Conduction spectroscopy of a proximity A recent special issue of Semi- and devices; quantum transport induced superconducting topological conductor Science and Technology and new measurement techniques; insulator highlights recent advances in the theoretical modelling; and novel M P Stehno et al field. The guest editors, Stefano quantum device fabrication and Semicond. Sci. Technol. 32 094001 Roddaro from NANO-CNR and characterization. Scuola Normale Pisa, Italy, Saskia Articles in the issue describe F Fischer from Humboldt-Univer- both theoretical/computational and in quantum information technolo- sität zu Berlin in Germany, and Koji experimental techniques. It includes gies, as well as a number of original Ishibashi from RIKEN in Japan, a topical review focusing on the chal- research articles describing novel have chosen to focus on four main lenge of entanglement distribution hybrid approaches.

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Quantum materials and technology.indd 15 01/11/2017 12:07 Advertising feature On the power of tuneable monochromatic light

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MATS17_Bentham_advertorial_2.indd 1 26/10/2017 12:59 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Energy and the environment Irregular nanopatterns enable micron-thin silicon solar cells Micron-scale surface textures are applications of our thin solar cell known to enhance the absorption could be in buildings as windows and and trapping of light in silicon solar skylights, where they will bring more cells, and shrinking the features to freedom for integration, and possibly the nanoscale can improve the opti- lighter and thinner module designs.” cal properties even further. However, The group started with a micron- the thinnest cells sacrifice electronic thick silicon film, which was imprinted performance, which limits their over- with a nanotexture using reactive Thin and efficient the hugely increased surface area all energy-conversion efficiency. ion etching (RIE). The texture was Random leads to more surface recombina- Now, the international PhotoNVol- derived from a self-assembled layer nanotextures could tion losses when used in solar cells. taics project has demonstrated a sub- of charged polystyrene beads, result- enable much thinner High-quality passivation layers and micron-thick, nanotextured silicon ing in an imperfectly periodic pattern solar cells. antireflective coatings are also dif- film that achieves excellent optical of gently sloping, rounded nanocups. ficult to apply to such surfaces, low- properties without compromising on Compared to the microscale struc- ering the overall efficiency. charge-carrier collection efficiency. tures more commonly used for solar The team now plans to squeeze fur- Reporting their results in the journal cells, the new technique represents a ther gains from the cell design and the Nano Futures, the researchers expect more efficient use of material, with far texturing process. Given discrepan- the new device to have applications less silicon discarded during the pat- cies between the electronic charac- not possible with current, much terning process. teristics of patterned and unpatterned thicker wafer-based cells. The method and pattern used silicon films, the researchers propose “We strived to enable the devel- by Depauw and colleagues yielded that the etching procedure itself can opment of a new and disruptive an overall conversion efficiency of affect the performance of the cell. solar-cell generation, resulting from 8.6% and an effective thickness of “For dry nanotexturing processes the marriage of crystalline-silicon only 830 nm, the highest efficiency such as RIE, there are four main photovoltaics with advanced light- yet recorded for such a thin silicon causes of damage,” explains Depauw. trapping schemes from the field of film. Although surfaces of nano- “Wet etching by an alkaline solution nanophotonics,” says project leader wires or nanocolumns have been avoids such effects and allows higher- Valerie Depauw, who is based at shown previously to be even more quality surface passivation.” imec in Leuven, Belgium. “The main effective absorbers of incident light, Nano Futures 1 021001

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics of solar fuel production. “This com- plex energy conversion mechanism SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE Sunlight promises power potential involves several processes that need Colloidal nanocrystals for photoelectro- to occur simultaneously and within chemical and photocatalytic water splitting The increasing threat from global compatible conditions,” explain Chethana Gadiyar et al warming is driving research efforts guest editors Esther Alarcon-Llado J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 074006 to identify reliable sources of clean and Miguel Modestino. Such pro- energy. Much attention focuses on cesses include light capture, elec- Degradation in photoelectrochemical the Sun, which on its own produces tronic transport, electrocatalytic fuel enough renewable energy to satisfy generation, and energy collection devices: review with an illustrative case the world’s current power demands. and storage. study While photovoltaic devices are Solar power Alarcon-Llado and Modestino Fredy Nandjou and Sophia Haussener already in widespread use, research- Devices are being point out that novel materials are J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 124002 ers are also developing devices for developed to mimic needed for light absorbers and elec- artificial photosynthesis – in other the process of trocatalysts, as well as for gas sepa- Recent developments in complex metal words, the direct conversion sunlight photosynthesis. ration and ion transport. Advanced oxide photoelectrodes into storable energy-rich compounds semiconductor engineering is also Fatwa F Abdi and Sean P Berglund such as hydrogen, hydrocarbons or needed to maximize efficiencies, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 193002 alcohols. while innovative design principles A recent special issue of Journal will be crucial to realize a fully of Physics D: Applied Physics high- integrated solar-to-fuel conversion all these different aspects of solar- lights recent advances in all aspects device. Articles in the issue explore fuel devices and systems.

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Energy and environment.indd 17 01/11/2017 12:09 Materials: from research to technology and innovation Energy and the environment iopscience.org/materials

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics IOP ebooks Cool future beckons Energy storage evolves for a renewable future for caloric materials Renewable energy sources now pro- vide around 25% of electricity needs Scientists and engineers have for worldwide, and projections suggest years been working to reduce the a further expansion to 50% or more environmental impact of refrigera- by 2050. Such a fundamental shift tors, in particular the coolants that in the way that power is generated can damage the ozone layer. One will need new forms of energy stor- promising alternative is the use of age and management to balance the so-called caloric materials, which inherent variability of renewable respond to an applied electric, mag- sources. netic or mechanic field with a revers- A new ebook by David Elliott, ible temperature change. emiritus professor for power tech- This thermal response is generally nology at The Open University in quite small, but a few materials have the UK, explores the different sys- been found to show a “giant” caloric tems that are being developed for effect in the vicinity of a phase tran- storing energy from power stations Energy futures is needed for power generation via sition. Particularly interesting are and other power sources, including New materials will be fuel cells. “Heat (and cold) is also a first-order transitions with an associ- domestic-scale generators. Elliott vital for improved storage medium and some systems ated large latent heat, and ferroic and reviews recent progress in advanced energy management. exploit thermal effects as part of multi-ferroic materials have proved batteries for grid-scale energy stor- wider energy management activ- good candidates for displaying giant age, as well as liquid-air and com- ity,” says Elliott. “Some of the more caloric effects close to the phase tran- pressed-air storage, supercapacitors exotic ones even try to use gravity on sition where the ferroic properties and flywheels, and, the leader so far, a large scale.” spontaneously emerge. pumped hydro reservoirs. Elliott points out that the develop- Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics “This short book looks at all the ment of new storage techniques and has now devoted a special issue to giant options, their potentials and their systems will need input from scien- caloric materials and their potential limits,” writes Elliott in his intro- tists and engineers with different use as refrigerants. “In recent years, duction. “There are no clear win- knowledge and experience. While the study of giant caloric materials ners, with some being suited to electrical engineering will be cru- has received a great deal of attention,” short-term balancing and others to cial for systems development, new write guest editors Lluís Mañosa and longer-term storage. The eventual Energy Storage storage devices will require chem- Antoni Planes, of the University of mix adopted will be shaped by the Systems ists and physicists to collaborate on Barcelona in Spain, in their introduc- pattern of development of other bal- new materials and structures. “As tion. “There is great hope that they ancing measures, including smart- new ideas emerge and research pro- will contribute to the development grid demand management and David Elliott reviews developments gresses it seems clear that physicists in energy storage systems, which of an efficient and environmentally super-grid imports and exports.” will play an increasingly important will continue to play key roles, both role in balancing energy supply friendly technology that is expected to The book also highlights systems and demand. in terms of technology and policy- replace current refrigerators.” that are being developed for hydro- making,” comments Elliott. gen generation and storage, which physicsworld Discovery iopscience.org/book/978-0-7503-1531-9 SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE Mixed magnetism in magnetocaloric materials with first-order and second- Physics of renewable energy and sustainability order magnetoelastic transitions M F J Boeije et al iopscience.org/jphysd/renewable J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 174002 The new section on the physics of renewable energy and sustainability aims to provide a broad forum for the Elastocaloric cooling of additive publication of top research results and review articles covering sustainable energy and materials solutions. It manufactured shape memory alloys with is open for submissions of research papers describing experimental, computational and theoretical studies. large latent heat Huilong Hou et al Section scope J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 404001 Energy generation, conversion and storage Sustainability and resources • Biofuel and biomass power sources • Desalination and water treatment Elastic-like deformation and elastocaloric • Photovoltaic and solar fuel sciences • Renewable energy-based transportation effect of a partly ordered iron-platinum • Wind/wave/tidal/oceanic/hydro-based power sources • Waste disposal, recycling and reuse alloy exhibiting a weak first-order • Energy harvesting and storage technologies • Carbon-capture sciences martensitic transformation • Hydrogen production and fuel cells • Recyclable, biodegradable, low toxicity and Geothermal power and heat pumps sustainable materials Takashi Fukuda and Tomoyuki Kakeshita • • Nuclear sciences-based power cycle • Renewable sources for carbon-based materials J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 404003

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Energy and environment.indd 18 01/11/2017 12:12 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Biology and medicine Cheaper printing heralds ‘new era’ for artificial skin

Scientists in South Korea have come Skin deep up with a new 3D printing strategy Single-step for engineered human skin that they processing offers claim could be 50 times cheaper than cheaper 3D printing. current methods. Reporting their results in the journal Biofabrication, the team from Pohang University of Science and Technology have shown that their new printing technique can generate fully functional human skin in a single-step process. “Although several approaches have been explored for developing biomimetic human skin models, the present skin models are still based on the same time. They used the extru- out the need for commercial cell multistep production methods using sion-dispensing module to engineer culture inserts. The skin model polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chips a collagen-based material with a also displayed good biological char- and commercial cell culture inserts,” membrane made of polycaprolactone acteristics, including a stabilized/ says lead author Dong-Woo Cho. (PCL), a biodegradable polyester fibroblast-stretched dermis, and “These could be limited in making that prevents collagen’s contraction stratified epidermis layers after a versatile design that facilitates the during tissue maturation. The inkjet- 14 days. development of various functional based dispensing module was used to “Our new method is around 50 human skin models. In this regard, uniformly distribute keratinocytes times cheaper than alternative meth- the 3D cell-printing technique could – the predominant cell type in the ods, and requires 10 times less base establish a new era for advanced skin outermost layer of the skin – onto the material,” says Cho. “We hope that models.” engineered skin. this new single-step process could The researchers developed a This process allowed the team provide an attractive and useful plat- hybrid 3D cell-printing system that to build a supportive 3D construct form for engineering fully functional allows both the extrusion and inkjet in a single process, enabling the human skin models.” modules to be used on the printer at maturation of the skin model with- Biofabrication 9 025034

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics materials for different applications (including soft tissues and hard tis- Biomaterials benefit from plasma processing sues such as bone), plus drug deliv- ery applications and antibacterial Plasmas have long been used in the the Technical University of Cata- coatings. It also focuses on biologi- semiconductor industry to clean, lonia in Barcelona, Spain, and cal interactions of the novel plasma- etch and coat the materials used to Masaru Hori of the University of prepared surfaces with bacteria, cells fabricate computer chips, and now Nagoya in Japan to guest edit a spe- and tissues.” the same techniques are being put cial issue on plasma-inspired bio- to work to engineer more effective materials for Journal of Physics D: biomaterials. Applied Physics. Articles published SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE “There are just so many things in the issue show how plasmas at Non-thermal plasma technology for the that you can do with plasma and low temperatures can be used to development of antimicrobial surfaces: biomaterials,” says Uroš Cvelbar create functional biomaterials and a review of the surface engineering team at biocompatible surfaces that pro- Anton Nikiforov et al the Jožef Stefan Institute in Lju- mote cell and tissue growth inside bljana, Slovenia. “We can deposit the body. Novel developments for J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.49 204002 films, modify existing surfaces and diagnostics and sensing are also add functionality – it’s a versatile presented in the collection. Novel biomaterials: plasma-enabled technology.” “The issue covers all aspects of nanostructures and functions To highlight some of the latest research that connect plasma and Igor Levchenko et al research in the field, Cvelbar has biomaterials,” says Cvelbar. “This J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.49 273001 teamed up with Cristina Canal of includes plasma preparation of bio-

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Biology and medicine.indd 19 01/11/2017 12:14 Materials: from research to technology and innovation Biology and medicine iopscience.org/materials

Biofabrication ‘Call to arms’ for bioengineers to reduce animal testing

The burden of meeting the food and for scientific purposes), gives several healthcare requirements for a grow- examples where recent advancements ing and ageing world population lies in biofabrication and bioprinting may on the shoulders of the pharmaceu- provide suitable tissue-engineered ticals and agribusiness industries. models to replace animal use. A recent review in Biofabrication As an example, liver toxicity is a highlights the substantial cost of common benchmark to assess the chemical development in agribusi- suitability of novel agricultural chem- ness, pharmaceuticals and even con- icals before they are introduced to sumer goods, and how this can be the market. In vitro models are inad- minimized by utilizing cutting-edge equate due to their simplicity, which technology from various fields. to date has dictated the use of animal The authors point out that much research. Instead, laboratory tests of the cost of chemical development based on bioengineered human tissue stems from the need to pass rigor- could provide a stepping-stone in the Better bioscience mals, which leaves cosmetics and per- ous safety tests before a candidate development process, improving the Lab tests on sonal care manufacturers with limited compound is labelled as safe for reliability of in vitro tests and reduc- engineered tissue means of testing new products. One of consumers and the environment. ing the need for animal research. could reduce the need the most active fields in bioengineer- At the moment, this relies on ani- Likewise, drug development for for animal testing. ing today is the production of biomi- mal research to predict the effect on respiratory diseases such as asthma is metic and relevant human skin tissue, humans. But while animal research hampered by high attrition rates. In and these techniques offer promising has been the gold standard for many this case, many new drugs fail at the alternatives to over-simple in vitro years, its cost and relevancy has now clinical trial stage, even though they skin models and animal research. started to be challenged. proved effective in prior in vitro or Biofabrication has exploded as a Despite researchers’ best efforts, animal studies, since current in vitro very dynamic field over the past 20 the models used in animal testing are disease models fail to reproduce the years and will soon produce many never entirely indicative of potential complexity of the respiratory system. technologies for industry to exploit human toxicity, and high attrition New technologies such as bioprinting and improve product develop- rates in drug development is partly could enable these intricate tissues to ment. As the review suggests, open- caused by improper translation from be manufactured in the laboratory, ing channels of communications animal research to the clinic. The which may prove an invaluable tool between bioengineers and chemical review, authored by members of vari- for drug development. developers will be key to stepping ous chemical development industries, The authors note that consumer further away from animal research. academic researchers, and the NC3Rs goods is another industry sector that ● About the author: Gregor Skeldon (an organization focused on the dis- may benefit from collaboration with is a PhD student contributor to covery and application of new tech- bioengineers. As of 2013, European medicalphysicsweb, who studies at nologies and approaches to replace, Union law has forbidden the sales of Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. reduce and refine the use of animals products that have been tested on ani- Biofabrication 9 033001

Biomedical Materials lagen scaffold, and stabilized it with a 0.625% concentration of hexam- ethylene diisocyanate (HDI). They Scaffold breakthrough could then tested the scaffolds with vari- able concentrations of the antibiotics banish implant infections Cefaclor and Ranalexin. The researchers found that both Researchers in Ireland have devel- Fighting infection drugs showed similar loading effi- oped a new type of implant scaffold Loading scaffolds ciency, release profile and cytocom- that has already proven effective with antibiotics patibility. However, only collagen against two types of major problem offers new promise. healthcare problem,” comments scaffolds loaded with 100 µg/ml of bacteria. Dimitrios Zeugolis and Zeugolis. “Although localized drug Cefaclor showed adequate antibac- colleagues at National University treatment via an implanted scaffold terial properties against both E. coli of Ireland Galway created stabi- has shown promise, the ideal scaffold and Staphylococcus epidermidis. “Our lized collagen scaffolds that could cross-linking (to initially withstand cross-linked collagen scaffold marks be loaded with specific antibiotics, the aggressive infection environment) an important step forward against an providing localized drug treatment and drug (to fight against infection) issue that is both a major health prob- that prevents the formation of bacte- have not, until now, been found.” lem and a severe economic burden to ria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus Reporting their results in the jour- healthcare systems internationally,” epidermidis. nal Biomedical Materials, Zeugolis concludes Zeugolis. “Implant infections remain a major and his team first developed a col- Biomed. Mater. 12 035013

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Biology and medicine.indd 20 01/11/2017 12:15 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Biology and medicine

Nano Futures Plasma-treated molecules expand the antibiotic arsenal New research has shown how the Plasma promise natural chemical defences used by Treating natural plants could be deployed more effec- molecules with tively in the fight against bacterial plasma can prevent infection. These naturally occurring the formation of team member Kateryna Bazaka told pinene-4-ol was still the more potent molecules are usually too weak to bacterial biofilms. nanotechweb.org. “It gave us the idea chemical after activation, even the be used for medical treatment, but that direct treatment of biologically- otherwise ineffective γ-terpinene a collaboration between scientists active molecules, such as PSMs, may caused significant changes to the bio- in Australia, Singapore and the US also induce some beneficial changes films and suspended bacteria. has now devised a simple single-step in these molecules, enhancing their Bazaka and her collaborators process to boost the potency of such activity without using chemicals or expect plasma treatment to be just plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). heat-based treatment.” as effective for other PSMs. What’s Reporting their result in Nano To test their technique, the team more, says Bazaka, “depending on Futures, the team describes how exposed solutions of two differ- the chemistry of the original mole- treating PSMs with plasma makes ent PSMs – terpinene-4-ol and cule, the activity of the product will them more effective against Staphy- γ-terpinene – to an argon plasma at be different, which is an excellent lococcus aureus, a common cause of ambient pressure. Terpinene-4-ol, opportunity to optimize against a infections in humans. They hope that familiar for its presence in tea tree specific pathogen.” the method could greatly extend the oil, is known to have an antibacte- The reactive oxygenated species range of antibiotic substances avail- rial effect in its pristine form, while generated by the plasma persist for able to clinicians, and help stem the unmodified γ-terpinene only has lim- up to 24 hours, and the simplicity rise of drug-resistant bacteria. ited efficacy against S. aureus. of the approach and the affordabil- Previous work has shown than When the plasma-potentiated ity of the equipment make plasma PSMs can be made more effective solutions were applied to S. aureus activation a widely accessible tech- through exposure to plasma, since as a free-floating suspension and nique. “In fact,” says Bazaka, “the this generates reactive species such as as a biofilm, the researchers found device used in this study is certified hydroxyl radicals, ozone and hydro- that the modified PSMs significantly in Europe to be used by medical and gen peroxide. “Our group recently reduced both the biofilm thick- veterinary practitioners for wound showed that plasma treatment of ness and numbers of suspended treatment. It can be easily scaled up.” amino acids changes their structure,” colony-forming cells. Although ter- Nano Futures 1 025002

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE Convergence of lateral dynamic Molecular movements in biomembranes measurements in the plasma membrane of live cells from single particle tracking Researchers working at the interface of the Max Planck Institute of Bio- and STED-FCS between biophysics and cell biology chemistry in Martinsried, Germany, are focusing much of their attention and Gerhard Schütz of TU Wien B Christoffer Lagerholm et al on cell membranes, since important in Austria, have brought together J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 063001 processes such as adhesion, signalling review articles and original studies of and recognition exploit the properties both model membrane systems and Monte Carlo simulations of protein of the two-dimensional membrane live cell membranes. micropatterning in biomembranes: matrix. In fact, about one third of the “Recent research has revealed that effects of immobile sticky obstacles eukaryotic genome encodes proteins there is a variety of ingredients that Andreas M Arnold et al found in cell membranes, suggesting modulate molecular movements in J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 49 364002 that the membrane is a crucial site for the membrane,” write Petrov and protein-protein interactions. Schütz in their introduction. “We Effect of anchor positioning on binding A recent special issue of Journal of believe that this special issue pro- and diffusion of elongated 3D DNA Physics D: Applied Physics attempts vides a timely overview over the cur- nanostructures on lipid membranes to capture the latest experimental rent concepts and questions about and theoretical research into the the movements of membrane con- Alena Khmelinskaia et al movements of molecules in biomem- stituents, and we wish you an exciting J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 49 194001 branes. Guest editors Eugene Petrov and entertaining read.”

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Biology and medicine.indd 21 01/11/2017 12:16 Materials: from research to technology and innovation Biology and medicine iopscience.org/materials

Biomedical Materials fold for cell adhesion and coloni- zation, based on tests with human macrophage cells. Comparing TBP A longer-lasting heart valve with two commercial bioprostheses, as well as GA-treated TBP, they found Diseased heart valves can sometimes Healing the heart that cell adhesion 72 hours after seed- be replaced with biological substi- A new biomaterial ing was significantly higher than on tutes from donors, but clinicians could extend the the other substrates. must usually rely on bioprosthetic lifetime of All samples showed a significant valves based on tissues taken from bioprosthetic heart increase in cytotoxity over time, as animals. Researchers at the Univer- valves. acute rejection after transplantation. measured by the presence of LDH, sity of Padua have now shown that a “The TRITDOC procedure does an enzyme leaked from damaged new decellularization technique can not affect the biological, mechanical cells. GA-treated TBP was also prevent the factors that cause these and functional characteristics of the found to reduce the activation of the replacement heart valves to dete- treated tissue,” explains first author complement system – a key event in riorate in the body, and even to be Paola Aguiari. “It ensures cyto/ the immune response to biomate- rejected after initial implantation. immunological properties superior rial implantation – which suggests Bioprosthetic heart valves based or comparable to those of pericardial that TBP could provide a promising on animal tissue, such as bovine peri- patches currently used for manufac- candidate material for production of cardium, typically show structural turing FDA-approved bioprosthetic prosthetic heart valves. deterioration after 10–15 years. The heart valves.” “The aim of this study was to evalu- problem is thought to lie with the use After applying the TRITDOC pro- ate the compatibility of TBP with the of crosslinking agents such as glu- tocol to bovine pericardium patches, immune system, and its potential to taraldehyde (GA) in the treatment of Aguiari and colleagues tested the provide a suitable scaffold for cell animal pericardium before use, mak- efficacy of TRITDOC in eliminating adhesion/infiltration and prolifera- ing it imperative to develop GA-free alphaGal. Native bovine pericardium tion without any cytotoxic effect,” biological materials. contained 26 × 1010 alphaGal epitopes said Aguiari. “The natural extension The Italian research team has per 10 mg of tissue, while no reactive is aimed at testing the in vivo perfor- tested whether a new decellulariza- alphaGal epitope was detected in TBP. mances of the cellular scaffold. Cur- tion method called TRITDOC could This contrasts with the GA treatment rently, the biomaterial is employed solve the problem. Reporting their applied to commercial bioprostheses, in the manufacture of transcatheter results in Biomedical Materials, they which does not completely mask the valves, whose hydrodynamic behav- find that TRITDOC can eliminate presence of alphaGal. iour and long-term tendency to cal- the alpha-Gal xenoantigen, which is The researchers also confirmed cific degeneration must be assessed.” the main factor responsible for hyper- that TBP provides an effective scaf- Biomed. Mater. 11 015021

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Biology and medicine.indd 22 01/11/2017 12:20 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Manufacturing and materials processing Roadmap points to plasma future Leading experts in low-temperature The new roadmap represents a plasma science and technology have comprehensive update of a previ- collaborated on a major new work ous version published in 2012. The that provides fresh insight into the format of the roadmap remains the research needs and opportunities same, although each section is now in this technologically important written by two authors to stimulate research field. The 2017 Plasma discussions within each area. The Roadmap, published in Journal topics tackled in the 2017 roadmap of Physics D: Applied Physics, syn- have also been updated to reflect thesizes the perspectives from 38 ongoing innovation in the field, while scientists and engineers in 19 sub- several sections have been added to disciplines, ranging from plasma the- deal with more fundamental plasma ory and modelling through to novel science, including the important fabrication techniques and applica- topics of transport in plasmas and Plasmas in action tals of plasma science that underpin tions in key industry sectors. plasma theory. Plasma-based this technological advancement.” “The field of low-temperature Despite the technological success actuators could be They also underline the importance plasmas is exceptionally interdis- of low-temperature plasmas, the edi- useful for enhancing of training young scientists and engi- ciplinary with grand-challenge tors point out that fewer research combustion inside neers in the fundamentals of plasma level scientific questions that have groups are focusing on these more aeroplane engines. science. “The field of low-tempera- a dynamic range that is perhaps fundamental studies. “There are ture plasmas depends on nurturing greater than any other field of physi- many root causes for this trend, one and supporting new generations of cal science,” write the editors, Peter being that funding is increasingly scientists and engineers involved in J Bruggeman, Uwe Czarnetzki and being focused on applications,” they plasma science, modelling and diag- Mark J Kushner, in their introduc- caution. “If this trend continues una- nostics.” they write. “The training of tion. “While the field is extremely bated, the health of the low-temper- this next generation of scientists and diverse in its applications and ature plasma field is at risk. As the engineers in the fundamentals of related science, common to all sub- field moves forward and the techno- plasma science becomes an increas- fields is the requirement to control logical advances emerging from the ingly challenging task particularly in and understand non-equilibrium field continue to provide societal view of the growing interdisciplinary plasma kinetics and the interactions benefit, we should also continue to nature of the field.” of plasmas with matter.” make investments in the fundamen- J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 323001

Nano Futures cal technique called NETT (which posed nanocones merge into a flat stands for nanoimprint, exposure, background and become black or and thermal treatment). Described inactive pixels. Nanopatterning achieves in the journal Nano Futures, the pro- The NETT procedure has so far cess starts with a quartz stamp pat- achieved an image resolution of structural colour at low cost terned with a periodic arrangement approximately 338 pixels per inch, of sub-micron-sized, cone-shaped which is close to the resolution limit Paper and pigments used to record pits. Three configurations of pits are of the human eye. At the moment, text and images can degrade in dec- repeated in bands across the surface however, colour fidelity is preserved ades, while long-lifetime forms of of the stamp, corresponding to red, only for a viewing angle of about 5°, information storage, such as Blu-ray green and blue for a given set of view- an issue that that the team plan to discs, can be made obsolete by tech- ing and incident angles. address in future research. nological changes. Now, Hao Jiang Flying high This master stamp is then pressed “The next phase of development and colleagues at Simon Fraser Uni- Nanopatterned pixels into a photoresist layer to create a will use plasmonic colours, which are versity in Burnaby, Canada, have could enable long- repeating pattern of the three nano- angle-independent, so that the view- developed a flexible, low-cost tech- lifetime colour cone types. Regions of different col- ing angle will be very wide, at least up nique to print structural colour in a displays. ours can be created by patterning to 60°,” says Jiang. Plasmonic colours long-lived epoxy. The method can be the photoresist layer with a UV laser require the fabrication of metallic used to make eye-readable records and then curing the surface in a two- nanoholes and nanodisks, for which that should last for centuries. step baking process. This preserves the NETT technique can also be The Canadian group, led by the structure of the nanocones in applied. Bozena Kaminska, devised an opti- the irradiated areas, while the unex- Nano Futures 1 025001

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Manufacuring and materials processing.indd 26 01/11/2017 12:22 Materials: from research to technology and innovation Manufacturing and materials processing iopscience.org/materials

Nanotechnology Flexible and Printed Electronics Electrolytic cleaning Smart paper benefits from low-cost printing tackles graphene residues Using paper as a substrate for manufacturing process for functional The pesky residues left behind when printed electronics has many obvi- composite papers that incorporate transferring graphene grown by ous advantages: it is cheap, flexible zinc oxide nanowhiskers to provide chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and biodegradable, and it can be dis- photosensing properties. Xxxxxx have remained a challenge for this posed of easily through composting The resulting photosensors offer Xxxxx potentially scalable approach to or incineration. Many paper-based high sensitivity over a wide range high-quality graphene produc- products could also benefit from of irradiances, and also show short tion. Now, in new work reported in added functionality or intelligence, response times and long-term stabil- Nanotechnology, researchers at West which has motivated research into ity. “To the best of our knowledge, Virginia University in the US have “throw-away” paper electronics for this is the first example of pilot paper demonstrated a simple electrolytic applications such as signage, energy machine production of an optoelec- cleaning method for removing these harvesting and storage, and sensors tronic paper,” the authors write in PMMA contaminants. for food spoilage and bioanalytics. their abstract. “This demonstrates the Thermal annealing is widely A recent focus issue of the jour- potential for large-scale paper manu- used to remove PMMA once it has nal Flexible and Printed Electronics, facturing of active smart paper from been used to transfer graphene lay- reveals how researchers are attempt- low-cost industrial bulk materials.” ers from its growth substrate, but ing to exploit paper as a substrate for the residues have been linked to electronic devices. The three guest SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE p-doping and reduced carrier mobil- editors, Ronald Österbacka from ity. In their study, Jianbo Sun, Harry O Åbo Akademi University in Finland, Photoconductive zinc oxide-composite Finklea and Yuxin Liu, used Raman Elvira Fortunato from the Universi- paper by pilot paper machine spectroscopy to reveal that the residues dade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and manufacturing after thermal annealing were conju- Andrew J Steckl from the University Mats Sandberg et al gated unsaturated carbon systems left of Cincinnati in the USA, point out Flex. Print. Electron. 1 044003 behind as the PMMA was heated off. that “the devices need to include all They then showed that they types of electronic components for Non-volatile aluminum oxide resistive could remove these residues using self-powered operation, as well as memory devices on a wrapping paper a cathodic electrolytic cell, similar active and passive circuit compo- substrate to methods for cleaning rust from nents, transistors and logic circuits, Jingon Jang et al iron and other conducting surfaces. input and output elements, and so on.” Gas bubbles released during the Equally important are effective Flex. Print. Electron. 1 034001 electrolysis were found to strip the production technologies, including Printable cellulose-based residues from the graphene surface, printing processes that enable low- and testing the graphene in simple cost and fast-throughput pattern- electroconductive composites for sensing field-effect transistors demonstrated ing, as well as fabrication techniques elements in paper electronics a significant improvement in its elec- designed specifically for paper-based R Barras et al tronic properties. substrates. As an example, research- Flex. Print. Electron. 1 014006 Nanotechnology 28 125703 ers in Sweden describe a pilot-scale

Nano Futures the structures can be controlled by structures of concentric rings can be design. The research team, led by formed by templating circular pits. Block copolymers Caroline Ross from the Massachu- “All we have to do is make the pits setts Institute of Technology, also and nature takes care of the rest,” modelled the self-assembly process says Ross. “But the emphasis in this spiral under control to predict the geometries resulting paper was to make spirals and to do The simplicity of “bottom up” self- Flying high from different parameters. this we needed to break the symme- assembly has long vied with the Nanopatterned pixels Block copolymers are long mole- try of the circular pit.” extreme control of more painstak- could enable long- cules in which a strand of one polymer The researchers introduced ing “top down” lithography tech- lifetime colour is joined with one or more other poly- notches on the edge of the pit to force niques for fabricating structures displays. mers. These two polymers form dif- a spiral to form. An asymmetric notch at the nanoscale. Now, however, an ferent domains within the material, could also be used to control the direc- international research team from the from which microstructures emerge: tion of the spiral, while a deeper notch US, Singapore and Korea has shown an even ratio of two polymer types produced double spirals. The results how templated block copolymers can can lead to interlacing lamellae struc- could ultimately simplify the fabrica- deliver an impressive level of control tures, while a less balanced ratio can tion of complex structures for pho- over the self-assembly process. generate spheres or cylinders within a tonics and electronics, but this work Reporting their results in the jour- matrix of the dominant polymer. was not motivated by a specific appli- nal Nano Futures, the researchers Simple templates can then be used cation. “We were more interested in used templated block copolymers to impose long-range order on the the science behind the self-assembly,” to create reproducible arrays of flat formation of these structures. As an explains Ross. spirals, where even the chirality of example, doughnuts and “bulls-eye” Nano Futures 1 015001

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Manufacuring and materials processing.indd 27 01/11/2017 12:24 materials Coming soon A new-look Physics World website More content, more writers, more coverage. Covering a broader range of science news than ever before, the redesigned Physics World website will have its own dedicated materials science channel to bring you the latest breakthroughs and news. physicsworld.com Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Optics and electronics Nanoparticle shape controls properties Advances in silicon transistor tech- SiGe duo their phase diagrams as particle size nology have sustained Moore’s Law Gregory Guisbiers decreased – and a correspondingly for decades, but the physical limits and Brandon large increase in their band gap. of silicon now require alternative Bonham. Yet more surprising was that the transistor materials for progress to miscible–immiscible phase transi- continue. Researchers at the Univer- tion stayed largely constant across sity of Texas at San Antonio in the US all nanoparticle shapes and sizes, are now investigating how new tricks barely differing from that of the might be coaxed from nanostruc- bulk material. “Consequently,” says tured silicon–germanium (SiGe). Guisbiers, “the region where the SiGe has already been adopted in SiGe (randomly mixed) can be syn- mixed-signal and analogue circuits thesized is reduced at the nanoscale due to its narrower band gap and affect SiGe’s thermal and optical compared to the bulk scale. People shorter response time than silicon. properties, as well as the miscible– may think that the phase diagram Furthermore, says lead researcher immiscible phase transition. was just going to be shifted down- Gregory Guisbiers: “SiGe can be One finding from the study was ward to a lower temperature in the easily integrated into the existent Si expected: moving from the bulk same manner for all the phase tran- technology because SiGe is totally material to a nanoparticle causes sitions, but this is not the case.” miscible with Si all over its composi- the phase diagram to shift down- In the near term, Guisbiers and tion range. This allows the mismatch wards, and the smaller the particle, Bonham’s new results will help stress with the silicon wafer to be con- the greater the effect. One addi- researchers synthesize SiGe nano- trolled by tuning the composition of tional consequence is that smaller particles with sizes, shapes and the alloy.” particles of SiGe have a wider band compositions relevant to their But device engineers need a bet- gap for a given composition. experiments. Eventually, transistors ter understanding of how the alloy Less expected was the discovery consisting of single SiGe nanopar- behaves at the nanoscale. Writing that the magnitude of the size effect ticles with specially tuned electrical in Nanotechnology, Guisbiers and was controlled strongly by the shape properties may allow Moore’s Law his PhD student Brandon Bonham of the nanoparticle, and in particular to continue to hold, even when the describe how they used the prin- by the number of facets. Cubic and possibilities of pure-silicon have ciples of nanothermodynamics to tetrahedral nanoparticles showed been exhausted. predict how particle size and shape a much greater downward shift in Nanotechnology 28 245702

2D Materials Germanane FET offers promise for optoelectronics Recent experimental work has pro- Bettadahalli Nandishaiah and his Germanane promise moted germanane from great in team explain how they isolated ger- The first field-effect theory to truly promising in practice. manane using a similar approach to transistor to be made Synthesized for the first time only that used for its first reported syn- from the emergent a few years ago, investigations on thesis, through the topochemical 2D material. the two-dimensional material have deintercalation of CaGe2. Various revealed excellent charge transport characterization techniques con- properties and a useful electronic firmed that the sample was indeed bandgap. Now, researchers at the germanane – a hexagonal lattice of Further electronic studies showed University of Groningen in the germanium with hydrogen covalently good charge transport in all doped Netherlands and the University of bonded to each germanium atom. regions of the device, with carrier Ioannina in Greece have fabricated The team then cleaved the result- mobilities of up to 150 cm2/V s at the first field-effect transistor to be ing flakes to thicknesses ranging room temperature. Tests also con- made from germanane, further high- from 15 to 90 nm, and placed them firmed that the FET shows ambipolar lighting its promising electronic and on top of a 300 nm Si/SiO2 substrate. transport properties with enhanced optoelectronic properties. Standard electron-beam lithography conductivity under illumination at the Reporting their results in the jour- was then used to fabricate Ti/Au con- bandgap wavelength of 650 nm. nal 2D Materials, Madhushankar tacts to the device. 2D Mater. 4 021009

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Optics and electronics.indd 23 01/11/2017 12:25 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Optics and electronics

Nano Futures Soft lithography yields big results for plasmonic filters While colours derived from pho- Scaling up minium surface. They also tailored tonic interactions with nano- Plasmonic the thickness of the metal array and structures are more stable than nanoarrays cover coating for improved performance, the chemical colour sources in larger areas. and identified the plasmon modes polymers and dyes, nanostructure using frequency-domain numerical arrays are prohibitively expensive to simulations. produce over large areas. Now, how- Structures produced by this kind ever, a team of German research- of soft imprinting approach can be ers has devised a soft lithography prone to defects, but Rumler sug- approach that increases the area of gests that photonics applications previous nanophotonic arrays by a such as camera filters can be quite factor of 23. tolerant to small imperfections. The “This might open the way for real refractive index sensitivity of the applications,” says Max Rumler, a deal with square millimetres or a plasmonic colour filters could also be PhD student working with supervi- centimetre at the most, so I thought applied to detect bacteria and other sor Lothar Frey at the University I would try and increase the area for substances in biotech sensors. of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the these,” Rumler adds. Future work will aim to calculate Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated The researchers optimized their the defect density and ways of con- Systems and Device Technology. soft lithography approach to pro- trolling and reducing it. “Increased The new approach filters light duce aluminium colour filters with contact area usually means larger colours using “plasmons”, the wave- an active area of 145 cm2. A master separation forces so I would suggest length-dependent quantized collec- stamp made from silicon was used looking into this as the main source tive responses of electrons in metal to imprint the array into a polymer of defects, which then limits the life- nanostructures. “The effect is well resist, which is then etched to trans- time of the mould,” says Rumler. known but lots of publications only fer the array structure onto the alu- Nano Futures 1 015002

2D Materials yang Technological University, Sin- Stacked layers offer gapore, and collaborators at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the US and CINTRA CNRS in Singa- tunable electronics pore, have achieved the same tun- The electronic and optical properties able response by stacking layers of of few-layer molybdenum disulphide MoS2 with alternating orientations. (MoS2) have been shown to change The degree of rotation between the depending on how the component layers determines whether certain layers are arranged. Researchers sites within the structure are vacant in Singapore and the US have used or occupied by an atom. Multilayered tronic and optoelectronic properties this stacking-modulated effect to Reporting the work in 2D Materi- material: of the different junction types. All fabricate a pure-MoS2 structure that als, the team used chemical vapour Stacked layers of three junctions showed current rec- demonstrates current rectification deposition (CVD) to create junc- MoS2 yield interesting tification behaviour, though this was and an asymmetric photoresponse. tions formed by the interfaces optoelectronic weaker in the AA-AB configuration. They believe the technique could be between differently stacked MoS2 properties. Shen’s team also found an asym- used to produce future generations bilayers (AA and AB). The group metric photoresponse in every type of single-material electronic and also used the same technique to of junction, with negligible photo- optoelectronic devices. combine a monolayer (1L) with current at zero bias, and a greater The peculiar attributes of 2D each type of bilayer arrangement, photocurrent at forward bias. transition metal dichalcogenides resulting in either AA-1L or AB-1L “These MoS2-based homojunc- (TMDs) are increasingly being trilayers. tions are intrinsically formed by exploited to produce microelec- Although the MoS2 monolayer one-step chemical CVD growth tronic devices. To meet the needs of initially deposited has a single crys- without any heavy doping or specific applications, the properties tal structure throughout, the layers mechanical transfer strategies, of these materials – such as the band laid down on top contain distinct which guarantees a chemically gap, photoresponse, or charge car- phase domains. By carefully manip- homogeneous character and strong rier mobility – can be tuned by using ulating the deposition process, Xia coupling among the layers,” different numbers of layers, apply- and colleagues were able to produce explains team member Xia. “Our ing mechanical strain, or by intro- flower-shaped structures in which finding demonstrates the promise ducing dopants. the AA-1L, AB-1L and AA-AB of using stacking-modulated 2D Using MoS2, one of the more junctions were all present. materials for future electronics and commonly studied 2D TMDs, Ze The group then fabricated field- optoelectronics.” Xiang Shen and colleagues at Nan- effect transistors to test the elec- 2D Mater. 4 035011

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Optics and electronics.indd 24 01/11/2017 12:27 NEW TECHNOLOGY NEW SCIENCE

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Detectors have long been a limiting factor in electron microscopy experiments, but we have now entered an exciting phase with new detector technology coming into play. In recent years, one of the most dramatic advances in structural biology has been in the deployment of backthinned CMOS direct detectors to attain near-atomic-resolution molecular structures with electron cryo- microscopy (cryo-EM). Here we discuss the hybrid pixel detector (HPD) technology pioneered by the high-energy physics community at CERN, and its relevance to the materials science community. Direct detection HPDs consist of a thick, highly resistive pixelated semiconductor sensor bonded to an adjacent readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that processes the The Medipix3RX sensor. signal. Incident electrons generate charge in the sensor, which diffuses under an applied continuous read/write acquisition mode with Radiation hard bias to the CMOS circuitry of the individual zero detector dead time. With a design originating in particle tracking pixels via an array of micro-bump bonds. in high-energy physics, the Medipix3 chip Specifically, we discuss the MERLIN hybrid Rapid readout is extremely robust, able to withstand large pixel detector consisting of a Medipix3 chip MERLIN provides high versatility with a variety doses of radiation without impact to its developed at CERN, and readout electronics of intrinsically fast and large dynamic range performance. An active detector thickness developed at Diamond Light Source. In the acquisition options, namely: 14,400 fps@1 of up to 500 µm absorbs incident electrons Medipix3 chip, each pixel contains more than bit depth, 2,400 fps @ 6 bit depth, 1,200 fps with energies up to 300 keV and ensures 1100 transistors within its 55 micrometre @12 bit and 600 fps@24 bit depth. These no radiation exposure is received by the pitch, enabling on-chip counting of incident readout modes are unbinned and therefore counting circuitry. 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In particular, is comprised of an amplifier – which amplifies allows an impressive 16.7 M counts per pixel. the system is able to count electron hits the electric charge pulse generated in the in periods of less than a few hundreds of sensor by an incoming particle, a discriminator Improved MTF with charge summing mode nanoseconds. The MERLIN detector can also – that generates a digital pulse signal if the When an electron strikes near the edge of be “gated” via an external trigger, providing incoming charge pulse exceeds an adjustable a pixel, the resulting charge may leak into counting during a temporal window of the predefined threshold, and a digital counter – neighbouring pixels, thus reducing the user’s choice. These extremely short counting which counts the number of generated digital modulation transfer function (MTF). MERLIN periods and external triggering can be pulses. 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MATS17_QuantumComposers_advertorial_3.indd 1 26/10/2017 13:21 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Magnetism and spin Spin current seen in topological insulator Emerging research in spintronics behave as insulators but have a Spin current looks set to underpin a new revolu- spin-polarized metallic surface that Experiments show a tion in electronic devices and com- allows a spin current to flow. direct link between puting. In a recent letter in Journal However, complete control of circularly polarized of Physics: Condensed Matter, Davide these spin currents has proved dif- light and electron Bugini and his team at Politecnico di ficult to achieve. Ultrashort light spin. Milano investigate the properties of pulses seem to offer the best option, the topological insulator Bi2Se3, and since circularly polarized light have reveal promising results for opto- been found to control spins with spintronic devices. extremely fast response times. “Faster and more power-efficient Bugini and his team have now devices are imperative, but our tech- reported the first experimental evi- nology is currently approaching the dence of a direct coupling between fundamental scaling limit,” com- circularly-polarized ultrashort mented Bugini. “A breakthrough is light pulses and the spin-polarized needed for the next-generation of population of unoccupied surface computational and storage devices.” states of Bi2Se3. Using time- and Bugini explains how scientists are angle-resolved photoemission trying to add an additional degree of spectroscopy, the researchers were optical coupling to an empty spin- freedom to the electronic charge – able to track the movement of flow polarized topological state,” said the “information carrier” in today’s spin-polarized electrons in momen- Bugini. “Our fascinating results are electronics devices – by exploiting tum space – in other words, a light- just a preview of the next-generation electronic spin, a purely quantum induced spin current. ultrafast opto-spintronic devices that property. In this move towards spin- “We provide evidence of a tran- promise to revolutionize our elec- tronics, much attention has focused sient spin-current in topological tronic technology.” on topological insulators, which insulators triggered only by direct J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 30LT01

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics magnons to be converted into spin currents, and vice versa, includ- ing the direct and inverse spin Hall Magnonics promises faster processing speeds effects. “On the other side, the ultra- fast demagnetization and all-optical Electronic devices may have enabled Spin in action switching via ultrafast laser sources the information revolution, but our Magnons could promise a wealth of possible inter- continuing demand for ever faster enable an actions between magnons and pho- processing speeds is driving research information tons,” they write. into alternative architectures. This revolution. has stimulated researchers to inves- tigate the potential of magnons – SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE quantized spin waves in magnetic Spin currents and magnon dynamics materials – as a new form of infor- in insulating magnets mation carrier. The wavelengths of Kouki Nakata et al these spin waves can be as small as J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 114004 a few nanometres, orders of magni- magnonics to become a powerful tude smaller than electromagnetic bridge technology closing the gap on Spin-Hall magnetoresistance in waves, while their transport proper- the time- and length-scale between ties can be reconfigured on a sub- charge and photon physics,” write multidomain helical spiral systems nanosecond timescale. guest editors Helmut Schultheiß of A Aqeel et al A recent special issue of Journal of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden- J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 174006 Physics D: Applied Physics explores Rossendorf and Andrii Chumak of this emerging research field, now the Technische Universität Kaiser- Magnonic crystals for data processing known as magnonics. “Recent slautern in their introduction. A V Chumak et al developments in spintronics as well Schultheiß and Chumak highlight J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 244001 as photonics show the potential of the various phenomena that allow

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Magnetism and spin.indd 29 01/11/2017 12:28 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Magnetism and spin

Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics Light pulses reveal New horizons for modern magnetism spin dynamics Leading experts in magnetism prehensive update of an earlier road- Ultrafast magnetism has become have combined their knowledge map published in 2014. Different a diverse field of research since it and expertise to produce a for- authors have brought new perspec- emerged from pioneering publica- ward-looking roadmap for novel tives on key topics, while the updated tions about 20 years ago. Magnetic magnetic materials and devices, version also reflects a rapidly chang- materials subjected to femtosecond as well as their potential applica- ing research landscape. While devel- laser pulses have revealed funda- tions. Published in Journal of Phys- opment in the field was once driven mental insights into spin dynamics ics D: Applied Physics, the roadmap by hard disk-drive technology, mag- in ferromagnetic materials, and how offers an important reference point netism and magnetic materials are electrons, photons and phonons for emerging research directions in now becoming increasingly impor- interact on the nanoscale to produce modern magnetism. tant in energy generation and other a range of magnetic phenomena. At The roadmap consists of 14 sec- technological fields. the same time, researchers have pro- tions, each written by an expert More attention is also focusing on posed novel concepts for applications in the field, covering key topics in complex topologies of magnetically ranging from ultrafast spintronics to magnetic materials; the underlying ordered states, with promising appli- magnetic recording. physics of magnetic phenomena; and cations now emerging for the theo- A recent special issue of Journal of device development for applications retical concepts that were recognized Physics: Condensed Matter showcases in non-volatile memories, spintron- by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. recent advances in this rapidly mov- ics, energy, and biomedicine. “The “The interconnecting roles of having ing field. “This special issue aims to 2017 Magnetism Roadmap provides suitable magnetic materials, under- present state-of-the-art research a framework that will enable the standing the underlying physics of into non-equilibrium magnetization reader to judge where each subject their behaviour, and utilizing them dynamics in magnetically ordered and magnetism research field stands for applications and devices is well solids driven by femtosecond laser today, and which directions it might illustrated, thus giving an accurate pulses,” write the guest editors, Uwe take in the foreseeable future,” write snapshot of the world of magnetism Bovensiepen and Andrea Eschenlohr the authors in their introduction. in 2017,” write the authors. from the University Duisburg-Essen, The 2017 edition provides a com- J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 363001 Germany, in their introduction. Bovensiepen and Eschenlohr Superconductor Science and Technology highlight some of the new topics THE WINNERS that have been developed in both New award recognizes 1st prize theory and experiment, including Ibrahim Kesgin, Argonne National sophisticated models and ab-initio early career researchers Laboratory descriptions of spin dynamics and laser-induced femtosecond spin cur- A new annual award has been intro- High-temperature superconducting rents. All-optical magnetic switch- duced by the journal Superconduc- undulator magnets ing in tailored materials is another tor Science and Technology (SUST) Supercond. Sci. Technol. 30 04LT01 important focus for research, along to mark its 30th anniversary. The with novel methods for time-resolved Jan Evetts SUST Award, named in 2nd prize probing of magnetization dynamics. memory of the journal’s founding Qing-Yuan Zhao, Massachusetts Editor, recognizes the best papers Institute of Technology SOME ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE published in the journal by early A nanocryotron comparator can career researchers. connect single-flux-quantum circuits to Spin polarisation of ultrashort spin current “Our Editorial Board and conventional electronics pulses injected in semiconductors our team at IOP Publishing are ded- M Battiato icated to supporting early career Supercond. Sci. Technol. 30 044002 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 174001 researchers,” said SUST publisher 3rd prize Lucy Smith. “We are delighted to Min Zhang, Bath University Quantum mechanical interpretation of announce the winners of the 2017 A New Ring-shape High Temperature the ultrafast all optical spin switching award.” Mitsuko Murakami et al ● The submission window for Superconducting Trapped Field Magnet J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 184002 the 2018 award will be open from Supercond. Sci. Technol. 30 094002 1 October 2017 until 31 March 2018. Femtosecond single-shot imaging and control of a laser-induced first-order We welcome your submissions of Letters and regular papers to ™ phase transition in HoFeO3 Superconductor Science and Technology . D Afanasiev et al J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 224003 Visit iopscience.org/sust for more information.

31

Magnetism and spin.indd 30 01/11/2017 12:29 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials News from IOP Publishing

option for existing and new authors, and the first fully open access journal in the prestigious Journal of Physics Open access journal takes series,” says Daniel Keirs, associate director, journals, at IOP Publishing. “With Journal of Physics Communi- cations, we aspire to help scientists interdisciplinary approach communicate new results as widely and openly as possible, and over the coming years we look forward to A new multidisciplinary open-access Journal of Physics Communications serving authors from across the full journal that offers researchers an is guided by a seven-strong senior spectrum of research.” accelerated and innovative way to editorial panel, who will work closely As an open access title, Journal publish their work has been launched with the in-house editorial team to of Physics Communications will be by IOP Publishing. Known as ensure that the journal meets its aim permanently free to read for anyone, Journal of Physics Communications, of high-quality peer review, rapid with the first articles having already it welcomes the submission of papers publication and inclusive coverage been published. The article publi- from all areas of research relating to of all physics research. The editorial cation charge (APC) will be £1000, physics. It has a particular interest in panel will provide final arbitration $1495 or €1200, which in some cases interdisciplinary studies that may not for scientific disputes and advice on will be discounted to help authors fit the narrower scope of traditional emerging subjects. from less developed countries. The journals, and all authors will benefit “We are excited about the launch APC will also be waived for the first from a fast, inclusive and transparent of this important addition to our 150 articles accepted for publication peer-review process. programme, which is an innovative in the journal.

Peer review under the spotlight Journals mark Throughout 2017, IOP Publishing major milestones has been testing the merits of so- called double-blind peer review, in Some of our most established titles which the referee does not know who have celebrated significant anniver- has submitted the article. Authors saries in 2017. The prestigious Journal submitting papers to two journals of Physics series marked its 50th anni- – Biomedical Physics & Engineer- versary with a year-long programme ing Express and Materials Research of events and workshops across the Express – have been offered the world, while Superconductor Science option of choosing double-blind and Technology celebrated its 30th review or the more conventional review. According to Simon Har- year with the introduction of a new single-blind approach, where the ris, one of three managing editors award for early-career researchers authors don’t know the identity of the who oversee the peer-review pro- (see p31). reviewer, but the reviewer knows who cess at IOP Publishing, peer-review Two other journals, Modelling and has submitted the article. times have on average been slightly Simulation in Materials Science and The response from the commu- shorter for double-blind articles Engineering and Smart Materials and nity has been very positive, with than single-blind ones. Structures, are celebrating their silver around one in five authors choosing The pilot scheme will run until jubilee, while it is also the 10th year the double-blind option when sub- the end of 2017. “At the end of the of Applied Physics Express (APEX), mitting to both journals. In a survey year-long pilot, we’ll let the commu- which we publish in partnership with of authors who submitted their arti- nity know what we’ve learned, and The Japan Society of Applied Physics. cles for double-blind peer review, whether or not we plan to continue 95% of respondents rated the over- with the double-blind option on our all experience at better than 8 out of journals,” says Harris. “We will con- 10, with an average score of 9.5. tinue to monitor the take-up rate of The vast majority of respondents, the double-blind option, authors’ around 85%, said they chose the satisfaction with the process, and double-blind option because they any effects on overall publication think it is the fairest system of peer times.”

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NewsIOP.indd 31 01/11/2017 12:30 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials News from IOP Publishing Ten Physics World Discovery ebooks released IOP Publishing has launched a new resource for the physics community. Space The Dark Quantitative Complex Proton Beam Entitled Physics World Discovery, Weather Universe Finance Light Therapy these short-form ebooks provide readers with succinct but expert introductions to some of the hottest Mike Hapgood introduces the Catherine Heymans presents Jessica James describes the Jeff Secor, Robert Alfano Harald Paganetti describes physics of space weather, and the cosmological toolkit of development of the mathematics and Solyman Ashrafi review the the use of proton beams in how ongoing research is helping observations to uncover the nature of finance and the contributions fundamental physics and the the treatment and management topics in physics. Physics World Dis- to mitigate its risks for critical of dark matter and dark energy. that physicists have made to it. burgeoning applications of complex of cancer. covery titles replicate the style and infrastructures on Earth. light beams. editorial approach of Physics World, providing clear and accessible texts physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery from leading voices across the scien- tific community. What’s Next for Quantum From Particle Energy Storage Multi-Messenger The first 10 publications in the Particle Physics? Simulation Physics to Systems Astronomy Medical Physics World Discovery collection Applications have been published, with topics including quantitative finance, pro- Martin White reviews our current Chad Orzel explains how Manjit Dosanjh explains how David Elliott reviews developments Imre Bartos and Marek Kowalsk knowledge of particle physics manipulating cold atoms with pioneering technologies developed in energy storage systems, which exploring the universe by combining ton beam therapy, complex light, and surveys the hot topics at the lasers helps us understand the for particle physics are now enabling will play an increasingly important information from electromagnetic research frontier. quantum behaviour of electrons major advances in both medical role in balancing energy supply radiation, gravitational waves, space weather, the dark universe and in condensed-matter physics. diagnosis and cancer therapy. and demand. neutrinos and cosmic rays. multi-messenger astronomy. The Physics World Discovery collection physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery physicsworld Discovery will grow throughout 2017 and 2018, the University of Edinburgh in the “create engaging material that helps with each title freely available to the UK, the author of The Dark Universe. readers of all levels to understand the global research community on the “Thanks to Physics World’s reach importance of research in the physi- IOPscience platform, where IOP Pub- and strong reputation for presenting cal sciences, and how it connects lishing’s journals, ebooks and Physics physics in a way that is easy to under- to broad societal issues”. Hutchins World content can also be found. stand, I was delighted to contribute adds that Physics World Discovery “The Physics World Discovery to the Discovery series by writing is “straightforward for authors to series provides exciting and acces- about observational techniques to write, published rapidly, and allows sible material to educate students study dark matter and dark energy.” an interested reader to grasp new and others about the latest chal- Jamie Hutchins, publishing direc- concepts and trends quickly”. lenges in fast-moving research tor at IOP Publishing, thinks Phys- ● View the Physics World fields,” says Catherine Heymans ics World Discovery is an “exciting Discovery collection at from the Institute for Astronomy at experiment”, which allows authors to physicsworlddiscovery.org.

names. By connecting this identi- REWARDS FOR REVIEWERS fier to all their research activities, This year has seen the introduction of IOP Opening up to ORCID publications, and affiliations, sci- Publishing’s Reviewer Awards, designed entists can be sure that they will be to celebrate the contributions of the very Ensuring that researchers get full fully recognized for all their work. best reviewers across the previous year. credit for their work is an important Several major funders are also now The editors of each journal have selected priority for IOP Publishing, which requiring ORCID IDs as part of one person to receive the Reviewer of means that we are now requiring all their grant application process. the Year Award, based on the quality, corresponding authors to include “It is extremely important that quantity and timeliness of their reports, ORCID identifiers when submitting researchers are correctly recognized while a number of other excellent referees their work to our journals. ORCID for their work, whether as an author, IDs will be collected for all titles reviewer or editor, and that the com- have been recognized with Outstanding owned by IOP Publishing during munity is able to cite work without Reviewer awards. All the award winners are the submission process, allowing confusion,” says Jamie Hutchins, listed in full on the individual journal pages researchers’ ORCID records to be Publishing Director for IOP Publish- on IOPscience, and more than 1400 of automatically updated when their ing. “ORCID identifiers make this the 27,000 researchers who reviewed for articles are published. easier, by removing the confusion that IOP last year received an award. Winners Open Researcher and Contribu- can be caused by similarities between came from 140 countries, with Ecole tor ID, known as ORCID, is a not- researchers’ names, name changes, Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in for-profit organization that provides movement between institutions, France and the University of Cambridge in scholars with a unique digital iden- inconsistencies in abbreviations, and the UK picking up the most awards, with tifier that distinguishes them from cultural differences in how names eight and seven respectively. other researchers with similar are presented.” IOP Publishing wishes to thank all our reviewers, and to recognize the essential Prepare your paper for publication with expert editing and rigour and validation they provide for all translation services from IOP iopeditingservices.editage.com our published papers.

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NewsIOP.indd 32 01/11/2017 12:31 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Materials science journals

IOP’s materials portfolio extends to more than 20 journals, as well as award-winning journalism and ebooks programmes, dedicated to providing the community with the essential content across all areas of materials science. Last year, the portfolio published more than 7000 articles and received nearly 200,000 citations. We offer a range of publication options to suit your needs, and once published, we will ensure that your work gets the attention it deserves.

To find out further information about our materials science journals, visit iopscience.org/materials.

2D materials Thin films Biomaterials and surfaces

Energy Superconductors materials

Materials Soft matter manufacturing Materials and processing

Materials Smart modelling and materials simulation

Semiconductors Metamaterials

Nanomaterials

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Materials journals.indd 34 01/11/2017 12:32 Materials science: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Materials science journals

2D Materials™ Advances in Applied Physics Biofabrication™ Express 6.937 Natural Science: Impact Factor 5.240 Nanoscience and Impact Factor 2.667 Nanotechnology

Bioinspiration & Biomedical Chinese Physics B Chinese Physics ™ ™ Biomimetics Materials Impact Factor 1.223 Letters Impact Factor 2.939 Impact Factor 2.469 Impact Factor 0.800

EPL Flexible IOP Conference Japanese Journal of Applied Physics Impact Factor 1.957 and Printed Series: Materials ™ Electronics Science and Impact Factor 1.384 Engineering™

Journal of Journal of Physics Journal of Journal of Physics Micromechanics Communications™ Physics: D: Applied and Condensed Physics™ ™ ™ Microengineering Matter Impact Factor 2.588 Impact Factor 1.794 Impact Factor 2.649 NEW FOR 2017

Journal of Materials Methods and Modelling and Semiconductors Research Applications in Simulation in Express™ Fluorescence™ Materials Science ™ Impact Factor 1.068 Impact Factor 2.656 and Engineering Impact Factor 1.891

NEW LAUNCH Multifunctional Nano Futures™ Nanotechnology™ New Journal of Materials™ Physics iopscience.org/mfm Impact Factor 3.440 Impact Factor 3.786

NEW FOR 2018 NEW FOR 2017 Physica Scripta™ Quantum Science Reports on Semiconductor ™ Impact Factor 1.280 and Technology Progress in Science and Physics™ Technology™ Impact Factor 14.311 Impact Factor 2.305

Smart Materials Superconductor Surface Translational and Structures™ Science and Topography: Materials ™ Impact Factor 2.909 Technology™ Metrology and Research ™ Impact Factor 2.878 Properties

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MATS17_p36.indd 1 27/10/2017 10:21 Materials: from research to technology and innovation iopscience.org/materials Adding value to IOP authors

In response to feedback from researchers, IOP Video abstracts allow authors to personally present Publishing has launched a new service to allow the importance of their work, and also offer an accepted articles to be made available online opportunity to integrate live demonstrations within 24 hours. This offers multiple benefits for of both experiments and simulations into the our authors and readers, allowing research to be accessed and journal article. Authors are invited to submit their videos to 2D cited earlier than ever before. Visit iopscience.org/accepted- Materials, New Journal of Physics, Reports on Progress in Physics, manuscripts for more information. and Methods and Applications in Fluorescence.

IOP Editing Services has IOP Publishing has partnered with Publons, partnered with Editage to offer a reviewer recognition service that enables authors comprehensive support referees to track, verify and showcase the for manuscript preparation, reviews they submit through the Scholar One including English-language editing, translation services, system. Reviewers for participating journals have the option plagiarism checking and a technical review service. The to add a verified record of each review to their Publons profile, service is available to all authors, regardless of where they even if the manuscript is never published. By default, only the wish to publish, and a range of pricing and delivery options name of the journal and the year of the review are displayed on are available. Each manuscript will be assigned to an editor Publons to protect the anonymity of the reviewer. or translator who specializes in the relevant discipline, and a stringent two-level check will ensure that the edited manuscript meets international publication standards. Visit IOP Publishing is now offering authors the http://iopeditingservices.editage.com for more information. choice of single- or double-blind peer review on Materials Research Express and Biomedical Physics & Egineering Express as part of a pilot Article level metrics allow authors to scheme that will run to the end of 2017. monitor the wider impact of research Feedback from the research community suggests that there articles published in IOP’s journals. The tools provide article- is a growing demand for the double-blind review option level information on the number of downloads and citations, as (in which the reviewer does not know the identity of the well as shares and bookmarking through social media. All the author), and through this pilot scheme we aim to gain data are updated on a weekly basis, and can be accessed from specific insight into uptake in the broad area of materials the abstract page by any article on IOPscience. science.

SUPPORTING OPEN ACCESS Green S All materials science journals published by IOP S E C When you decide to follow the green route you are able to place

C Publishing offer open-access publishing options. As A

N

E

P the accepted version of your article into an institutional or subject O an author there are two main routes to making your article available on an open access basis, commonly repository after a 12-month embargo period (with some reuse known as green and gold open access. IOP offers restrictions). authors both options to help best meet the needs of your personal circumstances. Whichever option you choose, you can be confident that you can continue to publish your work in top-quality journals, while also Gold meeting the requirements of funder and university policies on open When you select gold, an article publication charge is paid in return access. for full immediate open access to the version of record of your article. Many university and funder policies on open access have a Referee rewards to help pay for gold open access requirement for authors to publish under a CC BY licence. All articles IOP has a referee reward scheme in place that offers referees a 10% published on a gold open access basis with IOP Publishing use this credit towards the cost of publishing on a gold open access basis licence as standard. every time you review an article for one of IOP’s journals.

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Adding value.indd 37 01/11/2017 12:46 Materials: from research to technology and innovation Adding value to IOP authors iopscience.org/materials

IOP Publishing in the news As part of our ongoing commitment to help gain recognition for authors and their work, we regularly highlight published articles to the news media, resulting in a broad range of print, online and broadcast coverage.

Here are just a few examples of materials science articles published in IOP Publishing journals that have made the headlines:

HEADLINE ARTICLES Nanomaterials help spiders spin the toughest stuff Researchers from the UK and Italy used carbon nanotubes and graphene to allow spiders to produce silk three times tougher and 10 times stronger than normal. • iNews • ZDNet • New Atlas • Yahoo News • Sydney Morning Herald Emiliano Lepore et al 2017 2D Mater. 4 031013

Colour-shifting electronic skin could have wearable tech and prosthetic uses Chinese researchers developed a new type of user-interactive electronic skin, with a colour change perceptible to the human eye, and achieved with a much-reduced level of strain. It has applications in robotics, prosthetics and wearable technology. • ScienceDaily • BreakingNews.ie Tingting Yang et al 2017 2D Mater. 4 035020

Solar cell breakthrough paves the way for new applications An international scientific collaboration has successfully integrated a sub-micron thin, nanophotonic silicon film into a crystalline solar cell for the first time. • The Engineer • PV Magazine • Phys.org Valérie Depauw et al 2017 Nano Futures 1 021001

Guides for authors, referees and copyright Introductory guide Introduction to Introduction to for authors refereeing copyright and licensing

Introductory guide for authors INTRODUCTION / CONTENTS CHOOSING WHERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PAPER WRITING AND FORMATTING PEER REVIEW PROCESS REVISING AND RESPONDING TO REFEREE REPORTS / ACCEPTANCE PUBLICATION PROMOTING YOUR PUBLISHED WORK / COPYRIGHT AND ETHICAL INTEGRITY FAQs / PUBLISHING GLOSSARY authors.iop.org

iopscience.org/author-guide iopscience.org/referee-guide iopscience.org/copyright-guide

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Materials_AZ_EN_MSIG_8.125x10.875inch_v1.indd 1 06.02.17 18:28 calcium carbonate nanoparticles europium phosphors dielectrics catalog: americanelements.com palladium nanoparticles carbon nanoparticles

liquids 1 1 zinc nanoparticles optoelectronics silicon nanoparticles2 2 H He 1.00794 4.002602 Hydrogen Helium

3 2 4 2 5 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 9 2 10 2 1 2 99.999% ruthenium spheres copper nanoparticles3 4 5 6 7 8 rod Li Be B C N O F Ne 6.941 9.012182 10.811Lorem12.0107 ipsum14.0067 15.9994 18.9984032 20.1797 Nd:YAGLithium Beryllium surface functionalized nanoparticles Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon solid 11 2 12 2 13 2 14 2 15 2 16 2 17 2 18 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar 22.98976928 24.305 26.9815386 28.0855 30.973762 32.065 35.453 39.948 yttriumSodium Magnesium iron nanoparticles silver nanoparticlesAluminum Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon metals 19 2 20 2 21 2 22 2 23 2 24 2 25 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 31 2 32 2 33 2 34 2 35 2 36 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 10 11 13 13 14 15 16 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 K 1 Ca 2 Sc 2 Ti 2 V 2 Cr 1 Mn 2 Fe 2 Co 2 Ni 2 Cu 1 Zn 2 Ga 3 Ge 4 As 5 Se 6 Br 7 Kr 8 39.0983 40.078 44.955912 47.867 50.9415 51.9961 54.938045 55.845 58.933195 58.6934 63.546 65.38 69.723 72.64 74.9216 78.96 79.904 83.798 medicinePotassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton crystals 37 2 38 2 39 2 40 2 41 2 42 2 43 2 44 2 45 2 46 2 47 2 48 2 49 2 50 2 51 2 52 2 53 2 54 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 8 8 9 10 12 13 13 15 16 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 Rb 1 Sr 2 Y 2 Zr 2 Nb 1 Mo 1 Tc 2 Ru 1 Rh 1 Pd Ag 1 Cd 2 In 3 Sn 4 Sb 5 Te 6 I 7 Xe 8 rhodium85.4678 sponges87.62 88.90585 91.224 92.90638 95.96 (98.0) 101.07 102.9055 106.42 107.8682 112.411 114.818 118.71 121.76 127.6 126.90447 131.293 Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon cone site

55 2 56 2 57 2 72 2 73 2 74 2 75 2 76 2 77 2 78 2 79 2 80 2 81 2 82 2 83 2 84 2 85 2 86 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 Cs 1 Ba 2 La 2 Hf 2 Ta 2 W 2 Re 2 Os 2 Ir 2 Pt 1 Au 1 Hg 2 Tl 3 Pb 4 Bi 5 Po 6 At 7 Rn 8 vanadium 132.9054 137.327 138.90547 178.48 180.9488 183.84 186.207 190.23 192.217 195.084 196.966569 200.59 204.3833 207.2 208.9804 electrochemistry(209) (210) (222) Cesium Barium Lanthanum Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon

87 2 88 2 89 2 104 2 105 2 106 2 107 2 108 2 109 2 110 2 111 2 112 2 113 2 114 2 115 2 116 2 117 2 118 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 18 18 18 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 8 8 9 10 12 11 13 14 15 17 18 18 Uut 18 18 Uup 18 18 Uus 18 Uuo 18 tantalumFr 1 Ra 2 Ac 2 Rf 2 Db 2 Sg 2 Bh 2 Hs 2 Mt 2 Ds 1 Rg 1 Cn 2 3 Fl 4 5 Lv 6 7titanium8 (223) (226) (227) (267) (268) (271) (272) (270) (276) (281) (280) (285) (284) (289) (288) (293) (294) (294) Francium Radium Actinium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Ununtrium Flerovium Ununpentium Livermorium Ununseptium Ununoctium thin lm quantum dots aluminum nanoparticles nickel nanoparticles 58 2 59 2 60 2 61 2 62 2 63 2 64 2 65 2 66 2 67 2 68 2 69 2 70 2 71 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 32 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 Ce 2 Pr 2 Nd 2 Pm 2 Sm 2 Eu 2 Gd 2 Tb 2 Dy 2 Ho 2 Er 2 Tm 2 Yb 2 Lu 2 140.116 140.90765 144.242 (145) 150.36 151.964 157.25 158.92535 162.5 164.93032 167.259 168.93421 173.054 174.9668 diamond micropowderCerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium ceriumThulium Ytterbium polishingLutetium powder 90 2 91 2 92 2 93 2 94 2 95 2 96 2 97 2 98 2 99 2 100 2 101 2 102 2 103 2 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 18 20 21 22 24 25 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 32 10 9 9 9 8 8 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Th 2 Pa 2 U 2 Np 2 Pu 2 Am 2 Cm 2 Bk 2 Cf 2 Es 2 Fm 2 Md 2 No 2 Lr 3 232.03806 231.03588 238.02891 (237) (244) (243) (247) (247) (251) (252) (257) (258) (259) (262) refractoryThorium metalsProtactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium macromolecules tungsten carbide single crystal silicon gadolinium wires nano gels erbium doped ber optics atomic layer deposition anti-ballistic ceramics nano ribbons neodymium foil TM nanodispersions advanced polymers Now Invent. ultra high purity materials alternative energy europium phosphors platinum ink sputtering targets Experience the Next Generation of Material Science Catalogs solar energy LED lighting metamaterials As one of the world's rst and largest manufacturers and distributors of nanoparticles & cermet anode nanotubes, American Elements’ re-launch of its 20 year old Catalog is worth noting. silicon rods In it you will nd essentially every nanoscale metal & chemical that nature and current super alloys technology allow. In fact quite a few materials have no known application and have yet zirconium to be fully explored. biosynthetics nickel foam But that's the whole idea! CIGS laser nanofabrics iron ionic American Elements opens up a world of possibilities so you can Now Invent! photovoltaics spintronics www.americanelements.com crystal growth rare earth dysprosium pellets palladium shot gadolinium wire ©2001-2017.AmericanElementsisaU.S. RegisteredTrademark.

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