A new general synthetic strategy for phase-pure complex functional materials

The role of ionic liquids in the synthesis of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7−δ

A deep understanding of the mechanisms of ionic liquid-mediated syntheses in the case of a high-temperature superconductor is presented.

Fast and scalable synthesis of strontium niobates with controlled stoichiometry

An ionic liquid/dextran blend is used to synthesise strontium niobates with exceptional control over stoichiometry.

Oxygen reduction reaction at LaxCa1−xMnO3 nanostructures: interplay between A-site segregation and B-site valency

Detailed surface vs. bulk composition studies of La_xCa_1−xMnO₃ oxides provide clear evidence that the ORR activity increases as the effective electron population at the Mn site increases.

Mechanical properties of mesoporous ceria nanoarchitectures

Architectural constructs are engineered to impart desirable mechanical properties facilitating bridges spanning a thousand meters and buildings nearly 1 km in height. However, do the same 'engineering-rules' translate to the nanoscale, where the architectural features are less than 0.0001 mm in size? Here, we calculate the mechanical properties of a porous ceramic functional material, ceria, as a function of its nanoarchitecture using molecular dynamics simulation and predict its yield strength to be almost two orders of magnitude higher than the parent bulk material. In particular, we generate models of nanoporous ceria with either a hexagonal or cubic array of one-dimensional pores and simulate their responses to mechanical load. We find that the mechanical properties are critically dependent upon the orientation between the crystal structure (symmetry, direction) and the pore structure (symmetry, direction).

Designed 3D architectures of high-temperature superconductors

Self-supporting superconducting replicas of pasta shapes are reported, yielding products of differing 3D architectures. Functioning high-temperature superconductor wires are developed and refined from replicas of spaghetti, demonstrating a unique sol-gel processing technique for the design and synthesis of novel macroscopic morphologies of complex functional materials.