ABSTRACT Mechanical components made of aluminum suffer from severe friction, wear, biofouling, and corrosion, yet existing coatings often fail to maintain stable tribological performance under cyclic loading. In this study, a nature‐inspired multifunctional coating was fabricated on aluminum via co‐deposition of lignin, Fe 3+ , dopamine, and polyethyleneimine (PEI). The Fe 3+ ions coordinate with phenolic hydroxyl groups in lignin while simultaneously participating in Michael addition and Schiff‐base reactions with DA and PEI, forming a dense crosslinked network. With an optimal lignin content of 5 wt% (L 5 /DA/PEI), the coating exhibits a significantly reduced coefficient of friction (0.43–0.46) and superior wear resistance, attributed to the lubricating boundary film formed by oxygen‐containing groups in lignin. The same coating also demonstrates outstanding adhesion (96.97% residual area) and excellent corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl solution. Meanwhile, the coating with 10 wt% lignin (L 10 /DA/PEI) displays remarkable antimicrobial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , benefiting from enhanced Fenton‐like reactions that generate toxic hydroxyl radicals. The findings open new avenues for designing eco‐friendly, multifunctional protective surfaces for durable aluminum components under complex service environments.
ABSTRACT Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has evolved into a versatile platform for nanoscale characterization with atomic‐scale resolution. Recent advances in multimodal and intelligent SPM have extended conventional imaging by integrating complementary measurements, automated acquisition, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning–based analysis. These developments enable direct correlations between nanoscale structures and functional responses in complex interfaces, low‐dimensional materials, quantum systems, energy materials, and biological architectures. This review summarizes the principles, technological advances, and applications of multimodal SPM, including electrical characterization, nanospectroscopy, correlative structure–property mapping, autonomous microscopy, and quantum sensing. Representative applications in nanoelectronics, energy conversion, catalysis, quantum technologies, and functional materials highlight the potential of these approaches for revealing nanoscale phenomena. Finally, challenges and future opportunities, including multifunctional probes, AI‐driven autonomous experimentation, quantum‐enhanced sensing, and high‐throughput description, are discussed. The integration of advanced instrumentation, multimodal data fusion, and intelligent analysis is expected to establish SPM as a next‐generation framework for quantitative surface and interface characterization and accelerated materials discovery.
ABSTRACT The corrosion resistance of alpha and near‐alpha titanium alloys has resulted in their widespread application in extreme environments. Their corrosion behavior is often influenced by their microstructure, particularly intermetallic particles (IMPs), and even slight compositional variations can produce significant differences in microstructure and corrosion performance. This study examines the microstructure of two different source materials for each of ASTM Grade‐2 titanium (Ti‐2), ASTM Grade‐7 titanium (Ti‐7), and ASTM Grade‐12 titanium (Ti‐12). Field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (FESEM/EDX) and a field emission scanning Auger microprobe (FESAM) were used to investigate the relationship between the nominal composition and microstructure of each material. The IMPs on Ti‐2 were found to be enriched in Fe, with average compositions of Ti 4.6 Fe and Ti 5.5 Fe in the two Ti‐2 materials, respectively. For Ti‐7, no IMPs formed in the lower‐iron material, and Pd was distributed evenly through the Ti matrix. In the alloy with higher Fe content, the IMPs were predominantly composed of Fe and were only slightly enriched in Pd relative to the matrix. Pd was detected but could not be accurately quantified by AES due to low enrichment levels. The average IMP composition was Ti 4.8 FePd x . For Ti‐12, Ni, Mo, and Fe were present in the IMPs. The average IMP compositions for the Ti‐12 materials were Ti 5.2 NiMo 0.17 and Ti 3.4 NiFe 0.16 Mo 0.11 . Across all materials, an increase in Fe content was associated with an increase in average IMP size; Fe played a unique role that was not shared by other elements in driving IMP formation.
ABSTRACT Reliable n‐type and p‐type GaN materials, achieved by doping donor and acceptor atoms, are a prerequisite for the application of GaN‐based devices. Dopant profiling (i.e., the two‐dimensional distribution of dopants) is critical to the development, diagnosis, and electrical performance enhancement of GaN‐based devices. With the continuous increase in device integration density, the feature size has been scaled down to 3 nm and beyond, presenting a severe challenge to dopant profiling technology. The Scanning Electron Microscope offers unique advantages for dopant profiling, including fast imaging speed, high spatial resolution, and ease of operation. In this study, dopant profiling of multilayered p‐n GaN samples was performed by SEM. Plasma treatment, ultraviolet irradiation as well as air exposure were employed to study the influence of surface treatments on doping contrast of multilayered p‐n GaN samples. Combined with the surface elemental composition, surface band bending extent, and surface roughness before and after surface modification, the underlying mechanisms of surface treatments on p‐n GaN doping contrast were elucidated based on three doping contrast mechanisms, that is, the metal–semiconductor contact, the local electric field, and the surface band bending. This study will benefit the application of SEM for effective characterization of doped semiconductors, analysis of doping contrast mechanism, as well as quantitative analysis of dopants through SEM images.
ABSTRACT A new single Co 68 Fe 5 Si 12 B 15 metallic glass silk/epoxy composite (MGSEC) was prepared by vacuum defoaming and curing technology. The interfacial microscopic stress and properties of a Co 68 Fe 5 Si 12 B 15 metallic glass silk (MGS) and epoxy were studied by a combination of tensile experiment and finite element simulation. The surface roughness of the MGS, the equilibrium contact angle (θ equ ), and interfacial shear strength (ISS) of silk and epoxy were tested to study the bonding mechanism of the MGSEC interface. The Raman spectra technique is verified and first innovatively applied to the analysis of the tensile micro‐interface stress. It may develop into a new method for nondestructive testing and damage source location of composite. To further research the stress of the MGS, the finite element simulation of the tensile experiment of the single MGSEC was carried out by using the ABAQUS software. The crack of the MGSEC first appeared at its interface and then the MGS fractured. The numerical simulation results were consistent with the test ones. These study results are of reference significance in predicting both macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties of the composite and surface coating materials.
Natural gas pipelines face severe corrosion and hydrate deposition. Superhydrophobic coatings have potential but suffer from poor mechanical durability. Herein, a dopamine modification strategy is proposed, in which dopamine self-polymerizes on nano-ZnO to form a polydopamine (PDA) layer, improving epoxy compatibility and adhesion, thereby enhancing mechanical robustness and cohesion. A superhydrophobic coating (DZn) was fabricated by incorporating PDA-modified nano-ZnO into epoxy resin. DZn showed a water contact angle of 153.85 degrees and a hysteresis of 3.11 degrees. After 30 abrasion cycles, DZn retained its hydrophobicity, indicating excellent mechanical durability. DZn also achieved the highest adhesion grade (5B) and retained fouling-release capability under both acidic (pH = 1) and alkaline (pH = 13) conditions. EIS confirmed enhanced corrosion resistance, with an R c value of 9.18 & times; 109 Omega & centerdot; cm2 after 50 days of immersion, significantly higher than the control. This sustained R c indicates long-term stability of the trapped air layer, crucial for inhibiting hydrate nucleation and adhesion. This study demonstrates that dopamine modification effectively improves superhydrophobic coating performance, showing strong potential for internal pipeline protection against corrosion and hydrate deposition.
Documentation of sample handling and preparation methods at every step prior to and during surface analysis is critical to the reliability and reproducibility of surface analysis data. Yet, these data are often not adequately reported in the literature and may not be documented at all. General guidelines for proper sample handling are available, but specifics depend on the specific samples and the analysis objectives. ISO Standard 20579-2 describes information to be recorded by the analyst for samples undergoing surface analysis and includes informative annexes that justify and inform sample handling methods and processes. This paper summarizes the reporting requirements set forth in ISO 20579-2 and includes a checklist and an example reporting template that might be used for reporting the information. An Excel version of the template is available as Supporting Information for adaptation as appropriate for specific samples or laboratories.
The on-surface reactions of 2,7-dibromotriphenylene (DBTP) on Ag(110) and Au(110) surfaces have been systematically investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. On Ag(110), DBTP molecules form self-assembled structures upon mild annealing, and both the molecules and bromine atoms desorb at 385 K without covalent coupling. In contrast, on the reconstructed Au(110) surface, DBTP molecules undergo dehalogenative homocoupling upon thermal activation, leading to the formation of highly oriented polymer chains aligned along the direction. We identify the thermally induced transition from physisorbed lying-down configurations to chemisorbed standing-up geometries as the key factor enabling this directional growth. This study highlights the critical role of substrate topography and reactivity in governing molecular adsorption and steering on-surface polymerization pathways.
We established a cryogenic secondary ion mass spectrometry (Cryo-SIMS) system, in which all procedures-sample recovery, transport, and analysis-are performed under cryogenic temperatures. Using this system, we determined hydrogen concentrations in Fe-H alloys, which form only under high pressure and lose hydrogen upon decompression at ambient temperature. The hydrogen contents obtained were in good agreement with the X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements conducted under high pressure. The present cryogenic SIMS techniques can be applied to the determination of hydrogen isotopic composition of iron alloys, which is not possible with XRD analysis, but is important for understanding the origin of water on Earth.
Extrusion coating is a common method to produce materials for the packaging industry. One of the most important properties in extrusion-coated structures is adhesion between the substrate and the coating. Analyzing adhesion of samples produced by extrusion coating in a standardized way can be challenging, and especially, quantitative data are often hard to obtain. A commonly used method is visual adhesion evaluation. The object of this research is to present how different imaging methods can be used as a support to visual evaluation by obtaining more profound information. Other aspects looked into are the possibility of studying how adhesion is affected by adjusting process parameters during the coating process or using modified paperboard substrates. The samples studied in this research are different paperboard substrates coated with polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate. Optical microscopy, profilometry, and X-ray microtomography are used to image selected samples. The results show that versatile information can be obtained, for example, about the intensity of physical contact between the layers, the type of bonding occurred, and effects of the nature of the substrate surface.
ABSTRACT The increasing depletion of traditional energy resources requires the exploration for sustainable alternatives. This study provides a detailed investigation of lead‐free halide double perovskites Li 2 ScCuX 6 (X = F, Cl) using density functional theory (DFT) in the CASTEP code with GGA‐PBE functional and TB‐mBJ corrections. Structural optimization shows that both compounds are cubic and stable, with lattice parameters of 8.35 Å for Li 2 ScCuF 6 and 9.91 Å for Li 2 ScCuCl 6 . The negative formation energies of −2.217 eV/atom for Li 2 ScCuF 6 and −1.648 eV/atom for Li 2 ScCuCl 6 indicate their thermodynamic stability. Their Goldschmidt tolerance factors are 0.82 and 0.80, exhibiting structural stability. An electronic structure analysis shows that GGA‐PBE predicts metallic behavior for Li 2 ScCuF 6 , with a 0 eV bandgap, while Li 2 ScCuCl 6 is semiconducting with a bandgap of 1.874 eV. However, the more accurate TB‐mBJ correction reveals significant bandgaps of 1.10 eV for Li 2 ScCuF 6 and 1.76 eV for Li 2 ScCuCl 6 , demonstrating that both materials are semiconductors. Mechanical property assessment indicates ductile behavior with Pugh's ratios above 1.75, positive Cauchy pressures exhibiting ionic bonding, and anisotropic features. Optical characteristics represent of 4.58 (Li 2 ScCuF 6 ) and 4.07 (Li 2 ScCuCl 6 ), with Li 2 ScCuCl 6 indicating UV absorption (2.4 × 10 5 cm −1 at 4.90 eV) while Li 2 ScCuF₆ shows visible‐region activity. Phonon dispersion exhibit dynamical instability, while AIMD simulations at 300 K demonstrate dynamical stability. Thermodynamic analysis exposes higher Debye temperatures for the fluoride compound, exhibiting robust atomic bonding. These results establish Li 2 ScCuX 6 (X = F, Cl) perovskites as favorable candidates for next‐generation optoelectronic applications, UV photodetectors, and sustainable energy conversion materials.
Functionalization of oxide glass through Au plasmonic nanostructures enabled by IR laser-induced 2D modification under different environmental conditions is reported. Under nonthermal plasma conditions, the as-deposited continuous Au film (200 +/- 15 nm thick) disintegrates into hollow shell-like nanostructures. In contrast, for the film annealed at 400 degrees C in argon gas, the laser energy induces high thermal stress and mechanical strain at the glass-film interface, and it therefore undergoes cracking, buckling and spallation, with ultimate disintegration into large flake-like structures. The porous and apparently hollow shell-like structures predominantly originate from laser-induced thermoelastic effects that trigger spinodal dewetting in the irradiated film. The morphology, size and spatial organization of the nanostructures were strongly dependent on the ablation conditions: Strong confinement with a soda-lime glass yielded modification with densely populated smaller sized particles, whereas relatively sparse particle distributions were obtained in both ambient air and plasma environments. The self-organized plasmonic structures obtained under nonthermal plasma were used as a model SERS substrate and showed excellent SERS activity towards an aqueous Rhodamine 6G (10-5 M) solution. This result confirms the induced surface functionality for potential optical chemical sensing and molecular identification. Such engineered modification and functionalization of metal surfaces are highly efficient and suitable for advanced plasmonic sensing devices and energy-harvesting devices such as photovoltaic systems.
Negative electron affinity GaAs photocathode exhibits a relatively limited operational lifetime. The primary factors influencing the lifetime of photocathodes are the desorption of Cs atoms and the interaction between the impurity gas molecules and the photocathode surface. In this manuscript, impurity gas molecules (including H 2 O, CO, and CO 2 ) adsorbed Cs‐only, Cs/O, and Cs/NF 3 activated GaAs(001) β2(2 × 4) models were constructed, the desorption behavior of Cs atoms was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations, whereas the interaction between the impurity molecules and the activated surface was analyzed through density functional theory calculations. Results showed that the introduction of H 2 O and CO 2 would intensify the desorption of Cs, erode the cathode lifetime, O and NF 3 could stabilize the surface Cs atoms, extended the cathode lifetime, slowed down the Cs desorption caused by H 2 O and CO 2 , and also resisted the corrosion of impurity gases. The anticorrosion effect of NF 3 is more obvious than O atom. O and NF 3 could enhance the dipole moment from the surface to the bulk, reduced the work function, and promoted photoelectric emission. Impurity gases could introduce the dipole moment from the bulk to the surface, increased the work function and hindered photoelectric emission.
Divinylbenzene crosslinked polystyrene (P(S‐DVB)) was synthesized via soap‐free emulsion polymerization, using potassium persulfate as the initiator to obtain SO 4 2− modified P(S‐DVB). To investigate the effect of SO 4 2− modification on the interfacial compatibility of P(S‐DVB)/CeO 2 core‐shell composite abrasives, the adsorption configurations, relative concentration distributions, and adhesion work of 0, 5, and 10 SO 4 2− modified P(S‐DVB) surfaces and CeO 2 (111)‐Ce, CeO 2 (100)‐Ce, CeO 2 (110) surfaces were analyzed using molecular dynamics simulation method based on Newtonian mechanics. The P(S‐DVB)‐SO 4 /CeO 2 (111)‐Ce interface with the best compatibility was found. The mechanical properties of the P(S‐DVB)‐SO 4 /CeO 2 (111)‐Ce interface in resisting compressive and shear loads during composite abrasive polishing were studied. The stress–strain curve distribution and yield stress variation of three P(S‐DVB)‐SO 4 /CeO 2 (111)‐Ce interfaces were analyzed after applying compression and shear strain rates of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4/ps. The mechanism by which SO 4 2− modification enhances the interfacial compatibility of P(S‐DVB)/CeO 2 composite abrasives was elucidated.
In this study, we present a comprehensive first‐principles investigation of the adsorption behavior of n ‐butane and iso ‐butane on Pt(001) and Pt(110) surfaces using various density functional theory (DFT) approaches. The computational methods employed include GGA‐based functionals (PBE, RPBE, and revPBE) as well as van der Waals‐inclusive functionals (vdW‐DF, vdW‐DF2, optPBE‐vdW, and BEEF‐vdW). Key bulk properties, cohesive energy, lattice parameter, and bulk modulus were systematically benchmarked against experimental data. Among the tested functionals, PBE provides the closest agreement with experiment for the lattice parameter and cohesive energy, whereas optPBE‐vdW most accurately reproduces the experimental bulk modulus. vdW‐DF2 predicts the lowest surface energy, indicating enhanced surface stability within this framework. Adsorption energies and structural features of adsorbate–surface systems are highly sensitive to the choice of exchange–correlation functional, with vdW‐inclusive functionals generally providing better agreement with adsorption energies measured by temperature‐programmed desorption (TPD). Projected density of states (PDOS) analyses indicate hybridization between the Pt 5d band and the C 2p orbital, as well as between the Pt 5d band and H 1 s orbitals.
Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) enables nondestructive depth profiling of elemental composition and thickness in surfaces and thin-film systems. However, the inversion of ARXPS data to reconstruct depth profiles constitutes an ill-posed inverse problem that requires robust regularization and appropriate physical constraints. Here, we introduce a soft-constraint within the Tikhonov regularization framework, which penalizes the deviation of each layer's total concentration from unity rather than enforcing it strictly, thereby balancing fitting smoothness and accuracy. The optimization is performed efficiently using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, while both the regularization parameter and soft-constraint weight are determined automatically via an S-curve analysis. The validity of this method is demonstrated by analyzing three multilayer samples: Al/MoS2/Si, Au/MoSe2/WS2, and C/Al2O3/ZrN/Si. The results show that our approach accurately recovers the layer thicknesses and elemental concentrations with improved precision and stability, providing a reliable strategy for depth profiling in ARXPS.
The problems of typical catalysts' inadequate water resistance and limited low-temperature activity are addressed in this work. The best catalyst support for the CO oxidation reaction was identified by comparing the performance of different catalyst supports (SiO2 aerogel, gamma-Al2O3). The same active component (CuCe) loaded on silica aerogel (hydrophobic HB-SiO2, hydrophilic HL-SiO2) and common carriers (gamma-Al2O3) loaded with the same active component (CuCe) were systematically compared. According to the activity test results, the CO conversion rates followed CuCe/HB-SiO2 > CuCe/HL-SiO2 > CuCe/gamma-Al2O3. Both aerogel supports developed multilevel pore structure, according to characterization. While the macropores reduced grain migration and agglomeration at high temperatures, inhibiting active component sintering and encouraging highly distributed active components, their mesoporous structure successfully limited the development of CuO-CeO2 grains. The HB-SiO2 support's nanoconfinement effect greatly increases the lattice oxygen and surface oxygen species movement rates, allowing the catalyst to demonstrate excellent reduction capabilities at low temperatures. In addition, hydroxyl groups on the surface encouraged the formation of oxygen vacancies, increasing the amount of oxygen that could be stored. The CuCe/HB-SiO2 catalyst could also hold the largest concentrations of Ce3+ and Cu2+, promoting CO oxidation processes. Furthermore, Si-O-Ce linkages that formed at the CeO2/HB-SiO2 interface improved electron transfer between Cu and Ce.
A three-dimensional graphene oxide (3DGO) support was synthesized via a formaldehyde-melamine resin-assisted hydrothermal condensation strategy, serving as a framework for the polyol-mediated in situ growth of ultrafine platinum-iron (PtFe) alloy nanoparticles to yield the PtFe/3DGO electrocatalyst. This facilitated a highly uniform dispersion of PtFe alloy particles with an average diameter of 1.87 +/- 0.56 nm. XRD and HRTEM results consistently confirmed that Fe incorporation induced pronounced lattice contraction, as evidenced by the reduction in Pt (111) interplanar spacing from 0.226 to 0.219 nm, thereby confirming the formation of a highly alloyed PtFe structure. XPS analysis identified electronic redistribution in Pt 4f orbitals, confirming a downward migration of the d-band center driven by combined ligand and strain effects. The PtFe/3DGO catalyst exhibits exceptional ORR activity in 0.5 M H2SO4, with an onset potential of 1.1 V (vs. RHE) and a half-wave potential of 0.751 V, yielding a 31-mV positive shift relative to Pt/C. With an initial electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of 122.2 m2 & centerdot;g-1 Pt, PtFe/3DGO retains 51.2 m2 & centerdot;g-1 Pt after 20,000 accelerated durability test (ADT) cycles, significantly outperforming the stability of Pt/C (which spans only 5000 cycles). This performance enhancement can be largely ascribed to the synergistic effect of three-dimensional spatial confinement and alloy-induced electronic modulation, providing possible insights for the rational design of high-efficiency electrocatalysts.
Nanometer-thick silicon dioxide (SiO2) films are among the key materials in micro- and nanoelectronic device fabrication, as the film thickness directly determines the stability of the operating characteristics of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. Accordingly, analysis of the phase composition and chemical state of nanometer-scale SiO2 films is an important task. One of the effective techniques for characterizing such structures is ultra-soft X-ray emission spectroscopy. However, the available data on the analysis depth and the size of the generation region of ultra-soft X-ray radiation remain insufficiently explored. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to establish the experimental dependence of the generation depth of ultra-soft X-ray Si L-2,(3) emission in a thin SiO2/Si film on the energy of incident (primary) electrons. To this end, a thin SiO2 film with a thickness of approximately 20 nm was produced by thermal oxidation of silicon. The film thickness was determined by X-ray reflectometry and found to be 18.8 nm. Ultra-soft X-ray emission spectroscopy data analysis showed that, even when the Si L-2,(3) spectrum is excited by a 1 keV electron beam, the SiO2 film with a thickness of 18.8 nm exhibits an influence from the single-crystal silicon substrate. Thus, even at a primary electron beam energy of similar to 1 keV, the generation region of ultra-soft X-ray emission in the SiO2/Si structure exceeds 20 nm. This fact must be taken into account when investigating silicon-based structures and its compounds of comparable thickness.
