Journal of Materials Science

Indhumathi, R.; Priya, A. Sathiya; Aepuru, Radhamanohar; Shanmugaraj, Krishnamoorthy

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10728-6pmid: N/A

MXenes are two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides, often terminated with functional groups such as oxygen, hydroxyl, or fluorine, which enhance their hydrophilicity. These materials are derived from the selective etching of 'A' element atomic layers from MAX phases in acidic solutions containing aqueous fluoride. The unique chemistry and morphology of MXenes enable their use in a variety of applications, including energy storage, electromagnetic interference shielding, antibacterial activity, water nanofiltration, reinforcement, nuclear waste management, and catalysis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis of MXenes, their structure, intercalation, delamination, and properties, offering a thorough understanding of the relationship between their nanostructure and electrochemical performance. This understanding is crucial for advancing the study of 2D MXenes in energy harvesting applications. MXene-based energy devices have garnered significant attention in fields such as medicine and industry. However, there are challenges in developing MXene-based sensors, solar cells, photodetectors, batteries, and supercapacitors with high sensitivity, mechanical stability, and long lifetimes. In this work, we present the methods of MXene preparation, computational analyses, and the resulting morphology and electrical properties. The findings from both computational and experimental approaches influence their applications. Specifically, MXene-based sensors exhibit high sensitivity, solar cells demonstrate high efficiency, and batteries offer long lifetimes and excellent mechanical stability. These exceptional properties make MXenes highly suitable for use in advanced wearable devices.Graphical abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Ara, Ismat; Bajwa, Dilpreet; Raeisi, Amirmohammad

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10775-zpmid: N/A

Metal-based additive manufacturing (AM) has gained particular attention because of its potential for tailoring alloy systems. The flexibility in design and material properties makes the AM technology promising for individual customer-specific applications, such as biomedical implants. Due to its extensive range of applications, 316L austenitic stainless steel is one of the most common iron-based alloys. One of the challenges with 316L as a biomedical implant is to ensure resistance to damage by wear-assisted pitting and corrosion. There is limited research on the wear behavior of AM-processed 316L, whereas plenty of studies have been done on the tribological behavior of conventional 316L. This review aims to extensively explore the state of the art regarding the wear behavior of the AM-processed 316L at different processing and experimental conditions and correlate the wear behavior with its corresponding material properties. Additionally, potential post-processing treatments are discussed to improve the wear behavior of the alloy further. The accumulated knowledge from this review can be applicable to analyze the wear characteristics of AM 316L, paving the way for further improvement for its successful application as biomedical implants.Graphical abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Piracha, Sanwal; Batool, Sana; Zhang, Yifei; Miao, Yu-Xin; Li, Gao; Hasan, Murtaza

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10808-7pmid: N/A

Impactful uses of nanomaterials are essential for addressing global energy and environmental issues, primarily via photocatalytic sustainable water splitting, which provides a sustainable pathway for the creation of hydrogen, and dye degradation, which breaks down hazardous dye wastewater pollutants. The scalable characteristics of nanomaterials, particularly their precise bandgap energy, increased surface area, and effective charge separation capability, have made them significant contributors. The present review examines four different kinds of nanocomposites that have shown enormous potential in water splitting and dye degradation: those based on zinc, iron, titanium, and cerium. Zinc oxide's photocatalytic activity shifted from the ultraviolet to the visible spectrum when dopants were added or when it was mixed with other oxides, such as copper. When combined with substances like graphene, iron oxide—which is well-known for producing hydroxyl radicals—becomes very efficient at water splitting and dye degradation. Despite being limited by UV light, titanium dioxide performs better when paired with reduced graphene oxide or silver particles, which boosts its effectiveness in both processes when exposed to visible light. Lastly, cerium oxide's distinct redox characteristics enable it to create efficient heterojunctions with substances like ZnO and TiO₂, improving charge transfer and lowering recombination. Moreover, this review provides attention to their dual use and guides how to optimize photocatalytic efficiency for environmental remediation and sustainable energy generation.

Wang, Yifan; Dong, Wenjian; Yan, Xuefeng; Li, Xia; Yu, Liangmin

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10725-9pmid: N/A

Tin-free self-polishing antifouling coatings are prevalent today. However, its high Cu2O content endangers the marine environment. Leveraging the fluorescent properties of coating to prevent fouling is an environmentally friendly antifouling coating development. In this paper, four unreported fluorescent structural carbazole amide derivatives (FSCAD) were synthesized by Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction. Their fluorescence, antibacterial, and algal inhibition properties were examined. The fluorescent properties test results showed that the four FSCAD exhibited high fluorescence properties. The results of antibacterial test and anti-algae growth test showed that the maximum bacterial inhibition rate can reach 90%, and the growth inhibition rate of three kinds of microalgae can reach more than 75%. It was added to the antifouling coating system as an antifouling agent instead of the traditional antifouling agent Cu2O. The abrasion rate, contact angle, surface morphology, and roughness of the coatings were determined by dynamic simulation experiments, and the antifouling properties of the coatings were evaluated by the anti-algae sedimentation test and marine environment antifouling experiments. The results of dynamic simulation experiments showed that adding FSCAD does not affect the wettability and surface state of the coating. Anti-algae sedimentation test exhibited that marine antifouling coatings with FSCAD showed excellent inhibition on the sedimentation of microalgae. The anti-fouling performance of the coating was tested in the marine environment antifouling experiments. The results showed that the coating exhibited excellent anti-fouling performance, with minimal biofouling was attached to the surface of the coating. Especially, the antifouling performance with compound A was better than that of chlorothalonil.Graphical abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Zhang, Wen; Xu, Yucheng; Lin, Jian

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10806-9pmid: N/A

MnO2 has been proven to be highly reactive to HCHO, but the form of powder limits its application. The problems of easy agglomeration and difficult recovery of MnO2 powder can be solved by loading it onto fibrous materials, and improved its catalytic efficiency. However, the loading amount and stability are the challenges encountered in application. In this study, MnO2 nanosheets were in-situ grown on lignin fiber (LFs) pads by a simple impregnation method, and the morphology and chemical structure of the synthesized MnO2-LFs composites were characterized. The results show that the fibers prepared by centrifugal spinning have a smaller diameter than traditional fibers, allowing for more MnO2 loading. Due to the presence of abundant functional groups on the LFs surface, strong Mn–O and hydrogen bond interactions promote robust MnO2 anchoring, achieving uniform distribution of MnO2 on the LFs surface. Subsequently, δ-MnO2 formed on the LFs surface after 72 h of impregnation in KMnO4 solution exhibited the best HCHO degradation performance. After 2 h of reaction, the HCHO removal rate was as high as 80.14%, and it had good stability and reusability. Therefore, LFs are expected to be used as carrier materials for MnO2 in the purification of indoor air HCHO.

Yang, Lei; Lu, Lin; Chen, Xiaoyan; Qiao, Yingjie

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10733-9pmid: N/A

Carbon fiber-reinforced composites (CFRCs) as the load-bearing structural component are widely used in the military and industrial fields. However, CFRCs undergo the severe oxidation in high-temperature oxygen environments, seriously affecting their service safety. In current work, SiO2 and TiO2 coatings are selected to synthesize on the CFRCs surface for improving their anti-oxidation by a liquid-phase deposition technique. The deposition technique is simple, controllable, and reproducible. The formation process, microscopic morphologies, chemical bonding, and molecular structure of SiO2 and TiO2 on the CFRCs surface are systematically investigated. A series of characterizations, namely X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectrum, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, demonstrate that SiO2 and TiO2 coatings are successfully synthesized on the surface of CFRCs, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy and elemental distribution show that CFRCs are evenly loaded with SiO2 or TiO2 particles on the surface. TiO2 particles grow faster and the synthesized particles are finer with the particle diameter of 200 ~ 300 nm in comparison with 400 ~ 500 nm of SiO2 particles, under the same synthesis conditions. In addition, an isothermal oxidation test is conducted for the CFRCs modified by SiO2 or TiO2 at 1273 K for 30 min. The weight loss rate of modified composites is lower than 62.12% of bare sample. Among them, the composites modified by SiO2 or TiO2 at 70 °C for 3 h possess the lowest weight loss rate of 34.24 and 37.32%, respectively, indicating that the modification of SiO2 and TiO2 all can improve the oxidation resistance of CFRCs.Graphical abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Sahu, Ratanlal; Gupta, Antrakrate; Mittal, Divyansh; Chatterjee, Parthapratim; Jha, Shikhar Krishn

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10772-2pmid: N/A

Out of an astronomical number of combinations in the materials design space, the quest for high-performance novel composites is pacing up. Composite designing needs predictive advanced tools and techniques to complement advanced manufacturing techniques and avoid costly experimental trials, complex modeling, and simulations. Current work focuses on developing an unsupervised material science-informed deep learning model architecture, Graph-GAN, for end-to-end prediction of deformation fields from the unseen composite designs accurately without any spatial data loss. The rate-independent J2 plasticity model for small deformations (5%) is modified for computing deformation fields in synthetically generated biphasic 2D microstructures in a python-based platform for ground-truth dataset generation. Graph-GAN performed impeccably well over typical traditional generative adversarial networks (image-to-image translations) with RMSE < 0.06 for prediction in the test dataset with regular circular geometries and RMSE < 0.07 for unseen microstructures with irregular and arbitrary geometries for the secondary phase. For the first time, this work presents the integration of graph convolutional networks (GCNs) into generative adversarial networks (GANs) for predictive materials science using machine learning. This approach paves the way for numerous opportunities for experts across various disciplines to explore similar methodologies.Graphical abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Acuna-Porras, C.; Roble, M.; Gutiérrez-V, F.; Chamorro, C.; Cancino, K.; Calderon, M.; Morales, Gustavo M.; Diaz-Droguett, D. E.

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10773-1pmid: N/A

In this study, hydrogels composed of self-assembled graphene oxide (GOH) sheets reinforced with copper particles (Cu-GOH) were synthesized via hydrothermal treatment of a graphene oxide (GO) solution. The metallic copper particles (CuP) were obtained by a green method using a plant extract as reducing agent (Spinacia oleracea). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization revealed a porous structure in both GOH and Cu-GOH, with effective integration of CuP into the Cu-GOH structure. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of C, O, and Cu as primary elements, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated slight oxidation of CuP after the hydrothermal reaction (17 wt% of Cu2O), evidenced by weak Cu2O diffraction peaks. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated a mean chemical reduction in GOHs and Cu-GOHs compared to GO, resulting in alterations in the composition of oxygenated functional groups. Specifically, there were mean reductions in the C–OH/C–O (87%), C=O (68%), and COOH/COO– (72%) bonds. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy assessed the methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity and performance of the GOH and Cu-GOH samples, while water loading/unloading cycles evaluated the hydrogels’ resistance. Cu-GOH composites demonstrated enhanced resistance to water loading/unloading cycles compared to GOH, enduring more cycles before structural disintegration. Regarding MB adsorption, Cu50 and Cu100-GOH samples reached a removal rate of 95% within the studied time range, whereas GOH only absorbed around 85% in the same time, highlighting the beneficial role of CuP inclusion in the GOH structure and achieved complete removal of MB from water (95%) within the studied time range, whereas GOH absorbed approximately 85% of MB, highlighting the beneficial role of CuP inclusion in the GOH structure.

Liu, Chuanxu; Lan, Xiangyu; Wang, Yuanzhu; Li, Wenjun; Ding, Juan; Pu, Yang

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10787-9pmid: N/A

Even with the current advancement, the treatment of industrial and aquaculture wastewater containing organic and inorganic pollutants is still one of the research focuses, and the development of photocatalysts degrading those contaminants under visible light has been considered an essential strategy. In this study, we reported a novel multifunctional photocatalytic material (nHAP-Ag3PO4) composed of natural nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAP) from salmon processing by-products, fish bones, with an in-situ Ag3PO4 loading, by a body-centered cubic structure. Under visible light irradiation, with organic dyes, tetracycline (TC) and Pb(II) as simulated water pollutants, it was found that nHAP-Ag3PO4 had an excellent degradation rate for organic dyes and TC, reaching more significant than 95%, and stabilities towards them, for which the degradation rate remained higher than 83% after three cycles. Additionally, it exhibits efficient adsorption capability of heavy metal ions by adsorbing 180 mg/g for Pb(II) within 100 min, which is approximately three times that of pure nHAP. Furthermore, the nHAP-Ag3PO4 composite also possesses high-efficiency polyphenol oxidase (PPO) mimicking activity, compared with natural laccase, nHAP-Ag3PO4 possesses a similar substrate affinity and a higher reaction rate. This work provides a tremendous potential versatile material for future practical applications in the disposal of wastewater.Graphical abstractA novel nHAP-Ag3PO4 nanoparticle was constructed to improve the stability and dispersion of Ag3PO4, contributing to the excellent photodegradation ability of organic pollutants, good heavy metal adsorption ability and high PPO-like activity.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Suo, Haoyuan; Yiheng, Wei; Zhaohui, Wei; Cheng, Hui; Luo, Bin

doi: 10.1007/s10853-025-10804-xpmid: N/A

Mechanical degradation of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites (CFRP) under marine environment has become an increasing important concern due to its significance to reliable service. This paper aims to establish models to investigate the mechanical degradation of CFRP under marine environment, in which the evolution of component materials properties, initiation and growth of internal microcracks and delamination damage were considered. A representative volume element with randomly generated fibers was established to calculate the mechanical properties before and after environment aging. The microcracks induced by environment aging were described by a defect hypothesis, and a two-dimensional tensile model was developed to determine the numbers and size of the defects. Then the moisture absorption behavior and hygrothermal residual stress were investigated by three- and two-dimensional models. Finally, the evolution of interlayers properties was revealed by a specimen-sized interlaminar shear model according to the traction–separation cohesive law. The results show that the cracks inside the material can lead to nonlinear changes of mechanical properties. Moisture distribution in composite laminate is not affected by the ply orientation, while the hygrothermal stress is closely related to the layup sequence and significant stress concentration can be observed in the fiber–matrix interface. The evolution of interlaminar shear performance can be well explained by the degradation factors of interlaminar strength and fracture energy.Graphical abstract[graphic not available: see fulltext]