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We present a theory giving the standard roughness metrics R a and R q of stochastic fibrous materials in terms of their porosity and the thickness of the constituent fibres. Our treatment shows also that R a and R q are linearly dependent on each other with gradient depending on the skewness of the surface depth profile. Comparison of our theory with experiments on laboratory-formed paper samples and with data from the literature for industrially manufactured paper and carbon fibre nonwovens for use in fuel cells is excellent. The theory has applicability to generic families of stochastic fibrous materials and has relevance, for example, to printing of devices on paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professor Grimes summarizes the winning paper and the two runners-up:"Machine learning is certainly of great current interest to address the multivariable materials design challenge. 10.1007/s10853-022-07499-9 5 Wang Z, Lai A, Schuh CA, Radovitzky R. Phase transformation and incompatibility at grain boundaries in zirconia-based shape memory ceramics: a micromechanics-based simulation study. The winner of the 2022 Robert W. Cahn Best Paper award is "Machine learning guided alloy design of high-temperature NiTiHf shape memory alloys" by Udesh M.H.U. Kankanamge, Johannes Reiner, Xingjun Ma, Santiago Corujeira Gallo, and Wei Xu. [Extracted from the article]

As the development of dual-ion batteries (DIBs) is limited by the capacity of anions intercalation, we put forward an innovative design idea of DIB. Compared with the traditional graphite cathodes, few-layered reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has a large specific surface area and can greatly improve the utilization ratio of carbon layers for fast redox reaction process. In addition, the carbon paper current collector with porous network structure facilitates the uniform distribution of active materials, rapid penetration of electrolyte and fast migration of ions, and also relieves the volume strain caused by PF6− intercalation/de-intercalation. Under the effects of the above two aspects, the lithium-rGO DIB demonstrates significantly enhanced electrochemical performance compared with conventional DIBs. It possesses an ultra-high discharge capacity of 405 mA h g−1 with a coulombic efficiency of > 98% after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1 in the voltage range of 3.0–5.0 V. The detailed mechanism of electrochemical performance enhancement is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and cost-effective modified sol–gel synthesis is employed to synthesize flexible silica-cellulose hybrid aerogels (SCHA) using recycled cellulose fibers (RCF). The effect of cellulose fiber concentrations and ambient temperature conditions on the thermal, acoustic, and oil absorption characteristics was quantified comprehensively. The experiments were conducted by considering the range of weight fractions from 1–4 wt.% from waste tissue paper with a cross-linker and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as silica precursors. The SCHA aerogels were modified by a silylating agent with surface hydroxyl groups to achieve superhydrophobic behavior with a water contact angle (WCA) as high as 168°. The synthesized aerogels were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Test (BET) to identify the physical morphology. An excellent oil absorption capacity of 24.8 g.g−1 was also noticed with 4 wt.% of cellulose concentration in hybrid aerogel retained up to 5 cycles with an absorption capacity of 6.4 g.g−1. The average thermal conductivity of hybrid aerogels was estimated in the range of 0.038–0.032 W/m K. Slight enhancement in the thermal conductivity is noted with the increase in wt.% of cellulose to the silica aerogel. However, about 40–50 °C improvement in thermal degradability (as concluded from Thermogravimetric Analysis) with a minimum weight loss was observed in hybrid aerogel over cellulose aerogel. A comparatively high sound absorption coefficient of 0.453–0.628 at low frequency (1500 Hz) and 0.86–0.94 at high frequency (3600 Hz) was achieved with an average thickness of 8 mm compared to cellulose aerogel. The compressive Young's modulus of hybrid aerogels was also enhanced by 94.12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were deposited via dropcasting and dried using vacuum filtration. Because of the slightly larger pore size (5–10 µm) of the paper substrate used as compared to the length of the nanotubes (0.5–2 µm), a variety of MWNT networks were formed both on the surface and through the thickness of the paper. Using a combination of impedance spectroscopy, equivalent circuit modeling, and microscopy techniques, it was possible to describe in detail how the electrical properties change as a function of how the MWNTs are distributed on the porous substrate by varying the number of deposited layers (1–20) as well as the dispersion concentration (0.1–5 mg/mL). In the in-plane, four different electrical responses were observed and modeled: (1) a substrate dominated spectrum representing unconnected MWNTs, (2) one that included bundle and junction responses as well as some inductances representing sparsely distributed MWNT networks, (3) followed by a parallel RL circuit for partially connected MWNT networks, and (4) finally a series RL circuit for fully connected MWNT networks. In the thru-plane, only two different electrical responses were observed and modeled. The results for the in-plane and thru-plane properties were used to generate percolation curves that show that electrical conductivity can change as much as 10 orders of magnitude for the same exact MWNTs. These results indicate that not only do the characteristics of the nanotubes themselves play a role but also the structure of the underlying substrate and the details of how the films are deposited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper is a widely used packaging material and is nowadays regaining importance, e.g., as bio-based and biodegradable material. Moreover, new technologies such as polymer-fiber composites, printed electronics and the deep drawing of paper are developing. The process stability and also the resulting quality of paper converting processes such as coating, metallization, printing, and the printing of electronics are highly affected by the hygroexpansion of paper. In order to reduce production instability and to choose and develop paper substrates with ideal characteristics, critical parameters need to be known. This paper offers an extensive overview of those parameters, starting at a molecular and microscopic level with the effect of the constituents and morphology of single fibers, before moving on to paper contents, chemical modifications and additives and finally concluding with paper production and fiber network modification. It was found that the major influences are single fiber sorption, inter-fiber contacts, microfibril angle, fiber morphology (length, width, curliness) and fiber orientation. This review gives new ideas and insights for technologists working in research, development and production optimization of paper-based products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of course, the paper complements the SEM imaging, which is intrinsic to the FIB, with imaging and diffraction in the TEM. The paper does also have a SharedIt link like all articles in JMS (https://rdcu.be/cWW0L) so it can be widely and immediately shared with readers; all papers published in JMS are free-to-read using the SharedIt link from the moment they appear online with their permanent DOI. The cover for the November 2022 issues of the Journal of Materials Science comes from the paper by Tunes et al. which appeared in issue #35 from September 2022 [[1]]. [Extracted from the article]

The hydrogel in this paper is designed to do just that, by using controlled release from a hydrogel to deliver the drug quickly and at a relatively high concentration to the interior of cancer cells. The paper describes the synthesis and in-vitro testing of a hydrogel composite that is designed to maximize toxicity to cancer cells by both efficiently delivering the cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) and overheating the cells with magnetically induced hyperthermia. This makes it highly desirable to develop a delivery system that can encapsulate the drug, bring the drug directly to the cancer cells then release the drug into the cancer tumor or cells. [Extracted from the article]

The June 2024 cover image of the Journal of Materials Science features a paper by Liss et al. titled "Recrystallization of bulk nanostructured magnesium alloy AZ31 after severe plastic deformation: an in situ diffraction study." The image is an artistic representation of nanostructured magnesium alloy AZ31 undergoing heating, showcasing the process of recrystallization in reciprocal space. The paper is part of a Special Issue on "Processing Bulk Nanostructured Materials," which includes a total of 28 articles covering various aspects of severe plastic deformation (SPD) in the processing of bulk nanostructured materials. The Special Issue aims to highlight the enduring significance and resilience of research in this field. Both the paper and the preface of the Special Issue have SharedIt links for easy sharing with readers. [Extracted from the article]

The May 2024 issue of the Journal of Materials Science features a cover paper titled "Role of stacking fault energy in confined layer slip in nanolaminated Cu" by Ji et al. The paper explores the deformation of metallic nanolaminates and acknowledges the contribution of Professor Hussein Zbib. The issue is dedicated to honoring Professor Zbib's memory and was conceived by Guest Editors Tariq Khraishi, Georges Ayoub, Sinisa Mesarovic, and Mutasem Shehadeh. The paper includes references to previous work but does not mention any measurements of the intrinsic stacking fault energy. The corresponding author is Professor Shuozhi Xu from the University of Oklahoma, and the last author is Professor I.J. Beyerlein, who has a background in research and was born in Los Alamos. The paper is freely accessible through the SharedIt link provided. [Extracted from the article]

The April 2024 issue of the Journal of Materials Science features a cover paper titled "Self-assembled NIPAM-PEG-NIPAM polymeric nanomicelles for the delivery of zinc protoporphyrin: a potential stimuli-triggered cancer treatment approach" by Bagheri-Meyabad et al. The paper, which is part of the "Materials for Life Sciences" Topical Collection, explores the use of nanomicelles for drug delivery. The corresponding author, Professor Rassoul Dinarvand, is based in Iran and has a strong research background in materials for life sciences. The paper is freely available online and includes supplementary information. [Extracted from the article]

Facile and robust immobilization of metal nanoparticles onto porous supporting matrix is an important issue in heterogeneous catalysis. This study reports a facile procedure for the synthesis and immobilization of small catalytic active silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on cellulose paper (CP), which possesses interconnected fibrous structure and can be employed as cost-effective supports. Amino groups were first introduced to CP, through a silane coupling technique, to provide stable anchoring centers for silver ions. Small-sized AgNPs without aggregation were facilely synthesized and stably immobilized onto the fiber surface of CP followed by NaBH reduction. The as-prepared AgNPs incorporating composites exhibited excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The rate constant of the catalytic reaction was calculated to be 1.46 × 10 s. More importantly, these amino-modified paper-based composite catalysts can be easily recovered and reused for at least six cycles due to their enhanced mechanical and catalytic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper was handled by our Editor Sophie Primig and is concerned with oxidation that occurs when a composite metal is fusion printed. The cover for the October 2022 issues of the Journal of Materials Science comes from the paper by Wang et al. [[1]], which appeared in issue #29 from August 2022. References 1 Wang R, Gu D, Zhang H, Guo M. High temperature oxidation behavior of laser powder bed fusion printed WC/Inconel 718 composites. [Extracted from the article]

We present theory for the shrinkage on drying of the cross-sectional area of cellulosic fibres and show that this depends on their initial moisture content only. For the linear shrinkage of cross-sectional dimensions, an additional parameter is required, which we estimate from comparison of the theory with experimental data from the literature. We proceed to combine our model of fibre shrinkage with probabilistic theory for fibre contacts in random fibrous networks to obtain a model for the unrestrained shrinkage of isotropic paper sheets. The expression obtained depends only on the moisture content of fibres and the extent of inter-fibre contact and exhibits good agreement with experimental data for laboratory-formed paper sheets. The results have relevance to the commercial manufacture of paper and potential for application to the study of cellulose nano-composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excellent mechanical and electrical properties of graphene-based paper-like materials are essential for applications in flexible conductors, energy-storage devices, etc. The graphene oxide (GO) supernatant separated by centrifugation and ultrasonication has been used to prepare graphene oxide paper and reduced graphene oxide paper (rGOP) with high strength and conductivity. However, this method has cumbersome steps and low supernatant concentration, which greatly increases time and energy consumption, and is not suitable for rapid batch preparation of high-strength and high-thickness rGOP. Herein, a high-speed mechanical shearing method has been used to efficiently exfoliate graphite oxide suspension into high-concentration GO slurry with large lateral size, and rGOP has been further prepared by blade coating and HI acid chemical reduction. Compared with the product prepared by ultrasonic exfoliation method, the average area of GO sheets obtained via the mechanical shear exfoliation method can reach around 16.31 μm2. As a result, the mechanical properties and conductivity of the prepared rGOP have been increased by 30% and 23.5%, respectively, with the tensile strength and electrical conductivity of 478.2 MPa and 208.4 S/cm being obtained. The developed method is of great significance for the large-scale production and emerging applications of lightweight and high-performance rGOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]