Estimation of additional sintering pressure induced by curvature reversal and the effect of surface energy during pore shrinkageOh, Kyung-Sik
doi: 10.1007/s43207-026-00638-xpmid: N/A
The additional sintering pressure induced by curvature reversal during pore shrinkage was calculated. During the calculation, the grain size (1 μm) and the dihedral angle (φ = 150°) were kept constant, and the sintering pressure was evaluated assuming surface energies of 0.9, 1.0, and 1.1 J/m² as a spherical pore with an initial radius of 5 μm shrank to 0.5 μm. By tracking the radius of curvature of the grains during pore shrinkage, the point of curvature reversal (pore radius of 1.935 μm) was identified. A comparison of the increase in sintering pressure before and after curvature reversal showed that, with an increase in surface energy (0.1 J/m²), the magnitude of pressure increase after curvature reversal reached 480 kPa at a pore radius of 0.5 μm, which is significantly larger than the 40 kPa observed at a pore radius of 5 μm before curvature reversal. The effect of curvature reversal on the increase in sintering pressure was quantified by comparison with a regression curve obtained under conditions without curvature reversal. As a result, up to 0.9 MPa of additional sintering pressure was found to be induced by curvature reversal, corresponding to 18% of the total sintering pressure. This increase in sintering pressure due to curvature reversal arises from the reversal in the direction of the shrinkage pressure generated by surface tension, changing from acting outward to inward on the pore. The pore radius during the curvature reversal process was explained by constructing the microstructure based on curvature.
Functional mesoporous thin films: synthesis, properties, and applicationsZhou, Yi; Guo, Yanna; Yamauchi, Yusuke; Sugahara, Yoshiyuki
doi: 10.1007/s43207-026-00632-3pmid: N/A
Functional mesoporous thin films, which are characterized by high surface areas, tunable pore sizes, and ordered nanostructures, have emerged as essential materials for a diverse range of applications. In recent years, many major advances have been achieved in the development of new synthetic strategies and exploration of new applications for mesoporous thin films. This review summarizes the developments in the field of mesoporous thin films, providing a comprehensive overview of recent advances in their synthesis, properties, and applications. General fabrication methods, such as chemical solution deposition, electrodeposition, and other new methods, are discussed in detail. The literature concerning the mechanical, thermal, optical, and electronic properties of mesoporous thin films is reviewed, with an emphasis on their role in determining material performance. Several typical mesoporous thin film types are examined, including silica, metal oxides, metals, carbon, and polymers. Finally, the applications for mesoporous thin films in electrocatalysis, energy storage, magnetic devices, sensing, and photocatalysis are described, affording insights into future directions for their design and application.
Investigation of physical aspects and hydrogen storage capacity of Na2CuXH6 (X = P, As) for hydrogen storage applicationsZelai, Taharh
doi: 10.1007/s43207-026-00636-zpmid: N/A
This study explores the structural, hydrogen storage, optoelectronic, and mechanical properties of double perovskite hydrides Na2CuXH6 (X = P, As) for hydrogen storage prospects. The structural and thermodynamic stabilities are assessed through formation energy calculations and tolerance factor analysis. The hydrogen storage performance is evaluated in gravimetric and volumetric capacities, along with desorption temperatures. The gravimetric storage capacities are determined to be 4.13% and 3.17% along with desorption temperatures of 236.18 K and 258.37 K for Na2CuPH6 and Na2CuAsH6, respectively. The electronic properties have been estimated to ascertain the energy gap and the contribution of states to the electronic structure. Both hydride materials under study have shown metallic behavior. The optical characteristics, including absorption, energy loss, light-conducting capabilities, and reflectivity, are elaborated to predict their impact on hydrogen storage capacity. These DPHs have high dielectric constants due to metallic behavior. The mechanical aspects are evaluated to determine ductility/brittleness, anisotropy, lattice conductivity, hardness, and phase stability. Furthermore, thermodynamic properties are studied at a pressure range from 0 to 15 GPa. Finally, this research ensures that double perovskite hydrides Na2CuXH6 (X = P, As) are important materials for H2 storage.
Evolution of thermoelectric transport properties and severe bipolar effect in homologous layered Pb1−xSnxBi6Te10 solid solution systemChang, Gyujin; Kim, Woojae; Lee, Gwan Hyeong; Park, Jaewoo; Ju, Chanwoo; Kim, Yunjae; Ha, Seungwoo; Joo, Sung Ho; Kim, Sang-il
doi: 10.1007/s43207-026-00637-ypmid: N/A
Both PbBi6Te10 and SnBi6Te10 are layered homologous tellurides that share an identical structural phase. Herein, the thermoelectric transport properties of a series of (Pb1−xSnx)Bi6Te10 (x = 0, 0.15, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.85, and 1) compositions were systematically investigated to clarify how Sn alloying modifies carrier transport and band structure. With increasing Sn content, the electrical transport exhibits a crossover from metallic-like to semiconducting-like behavior, accompanied by a strong suppression of the Seebeck coefficient at high temperatures for x = 0.7–0.85. As a result, the power factor decreases monotonically despite the partial recovery of electrical conductivity at elevated temperatures. Single-parabolic-band analysis shows that the Hall carrier concentration shifts toward the SPB-predicted optimization regime with Sn alloying; however, the maximum attainable power factor decreases systematically, indicating that the performance degradation originates from an intrinsic reduction of transport quality rather than off-optimal carrier concentration. This interpretation is supported by the pronounced reduction in weighted mobility and thermoelectric quality factor. Furthermore, two band analysis reveals progressive bandgap narrowing by Sn alloying, which enhances high-temperature minority-carrier contributions and leads to severe bipolar transport. Consistently, the thermal conductivity shows a crossover behavior, where Sn-rich compositions exhibit increased high-temperature thermal conductivity due to additional bipolar heat transport. Consequently, the thermoelectric figure of merit zT exhibits a maximum value of 0.37 at 550 K for PbBi6Te10 and it gradually suppressed as the Sn content increases. Ultimately, this study reveals that unlike conventional alloying strategies, isovalent Sn substitution in this narrow-gap homologous system inherently triggers a detrimental trade-off: it severely degrades the intrinsic mobility and narrows the band gap to induce catastrophic bipolar effects.
One-dimensional Y2Zr2O7: Er/Ho nanofibers with tunable emission, along with their temperature sensing properties and anti-counterfeiting applicationsHao, Chenguang; Gao, Yuefeng; Yu, Hongquan; Xu, Sai; Chen, Baojiu; Cheng, LiHong; Xu, Xiaoguang
doi: 10.1007/s43207-026-00642-1pmid: N/A
One-dimensional Y2Zr2O7:Er3+/Ho3+ nanostructures have been successfully synthesized via a conventional electrospinning technique. Their diameters are in the range of 200–300 nm. The Y2Zr2O7:Er3+/Ho3+ nanostructures exhibit variable emissions under different excitation wavelengths. Under 377 nm excitation, the Y2Zr2O7: Er3+/Ho3+ nanostructures demonstrated dominant green emission at 545 nm. When excited at 1550 nm, the nanostructures exhibit dominant red emission at 667 nm. Under 980 nm excitation, the Y2Zr2O7:Er3+/Ho3+ nanostructures exhibit a tunable emission from green to yellow to red by varying the ratio of Er3+ to Ho3+. These results indicate their potential applications in multi-mode anti-counterfeiting and information encryption. In addition, the temperature sensing properties of the Y2Zr2O7:Er3+/Ho3+ nanostructures are also investigated. The maximum values of Sa and Sr are 0.59 K− 1 and 0.94 K− 1 at 303 K for Y2Zr2O7:0.02Er3+/0.05Ho3+, which are higher than those reported for other phosphors.
Recent advances in NiM₂O₄ (M = Co, Mo, Mn, Fe) spinel-type materials for high-performance supercapacitorsChoi, Ji-Yeoung; Ju, Young-Wan
doi: 10.1007/s43207-026-00646-xpmid: N/A
Supercapacitors are attracting attention as next-generation energy storage devices due to their high power density, fast charging and discharging speed, and excellent cyclical stability; however, their low energy density remains a major limitation to commercialization. This study reviews the latest research trends of Ni-based NiM2O4 (M = Co, Mo, Mn, Fe) Spinel-type materials as a promising electrode material to address this problem. The NiM2O4 Spinel structure provides abundant redox active sites and multiple oxidation states, exhibiting superior electrochemical activity over single metal oxides. We evaluate the unique characteristics and limitations of NiCo2O4, NiMn2O4, NiFe2O4, and NiMoO4, highlighting recent engineering strategies to mitigate these challenges. These include nanostructural tailoring to expand surface area, heteroatom doping and defect engineering to enhance conductivity, and the construction of carbon-based composites to improve structural stability. Finally, we outline the key challenges hindering the commercialization of NiM2O4-based electrodes and propose research directions to maximize the performance of next-generation energy storage systems.