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Huang J, Chen Y, Cen Z, Yi T, Liang M, Zhu Y, Liu R, Fu R, Liu S, Wu D. Topological Defect-regulated Porous Carbon Anodes with fast Interfacial and Bulk Kinetics for High-rate and High-energy-density Potassium-ion Batteries. Adv Mater 2024:e2403033. [PMID: 38648668 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Carbonaceous materials are regarded as one of the most promising anodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), but their rate capabilities have been largely limited by the slow solid-state potassium diffusion kinetics inside anode and sluggish interfacial potassium ion transfer process. Herein, high-rate and high-capacity PIBs have been demonstrated by facile topological defect-regulation of the microstructure of carbon anodes. The carbon lattice of the as-obtained porous carbon nanosheets with abundant topological defects (TDPCNSs) holds high potassium adsorption energy yet low potassium migration barrier, thereby enabling efficient storage and diffusion of potassium inside graphitic layers. Moreover, the topological defects can induce preferential decomposition of anions, leading to the formation of high potassium ion conductive solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film with decreased potassium ion de-solvation and transfer barrier. Additionally, the dominant sp2-hybridized carbon conjugated skeleton of TDPCNSs enables high electrical conductivity (39.4 S cm-1) and relatively low potassium storage potential. As a result, the as-constructed TDPCNSs anode demonstrates high potassium storage capacity (504 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1), remarkable rate capability (118 mA h g-1 at 40 A g-1) as well as long-term cycling stability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junlong Huang
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Yongqi Chen
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Zongheng Cen
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Tan Yi
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Min Liang
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Youlong Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Ruliang Liu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Ruowen Fu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Shaohong Liu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Dingcai Wu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
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2
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Guan Y, Dutreix C, González-Herrero H, Ugeda MM, Brihuega I, Katsnelson MI, Yazyev OV, Renard VT. Observation of Kekulé vortices around hydrogen adatoms in graphene. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2927. [PMID: 38575594 PMCID: PMC10995122 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47267-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Fractional charges are one of the wonders of the fractional quantum Hall effect. Such objects are also anticipated in two-dimensional hexagonal lattices under time reversal symmetry-emerging as bound states of a rotating bond texture called a Kekulé vortex. However, the physical mechanisms inducing such topological defects remain elusive, preventing experimental realization. Here, we report the observation of Kekulé vortices in the local density of states of graphene under time reversal symmetry. The vortices result from intervalley scattering on chemisorbed hydrogen adatoms. We uncover that their 2π winding is reminiscent of the Berry phase π of the massless Dirac electrons. We can also induce a Kekulé pattern without vortices by creating point scatterers such as divacancies, which break different point symmetries. Our local-probe study thus confirms point defects as versatile building blocks for Kekulé engineering of graphene's electronic structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Guan
- Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Clement Dutreix
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, LOMA, UMR 5798, F-33400, Talence, France
| | - Héctor González-Herrero
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
- Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel M Ugeda
- Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 4, 20018, San Sebastián, Spain
- Centro de Física de Materiales (CSIC-UPV-EHU), Paseo Manuel de Lardizábal 5, 20018, San Sebastián, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Ivan Brihuega
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain.
- Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Mikhail I Katsnelson
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heijendaalseweg 135, 6525AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Oleg V Yazyev
- Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Vincent T Renard
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Grenoble INP, IRIG, PHELIQS, 38000, Grenoble, France.
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3
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Wang H, Xu W, Wei Z, Wang Y, Wang Z, Cheng X, Guo Q, Shi J, Zhu Z, Yang B. Twisted photonic Weyl meta-crystals and aperiodic Fermi arc scattering. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2440. [PMID: 38499579 PMCID: PMC10948390 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46759-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
As a milestone in the exploration of topological physics, Fermi arcs bridging Weyl points have been extensively studied. Weyl points, as are Fermi arcs, are believed to be only stable when preserving translation symmetry. However, no experimental observation of aperiodic Fermi arcs has been reported so far. Here, we continuously twist a bi-block Weyl meta-crystal and experimentally observe the twisted Fermi arc reconstruction. Although both the Weyl meta-crystals individually preserve translational symmetry, continuous twisting operation leads to the aperiodic hybridization and scattering of Fermi arcs on the interface, which is found to be determined by the singular total reflection around Weyl points. Our work unveils the aperiodic scattering of Fermi arcs and opens the door to continuously manipulating Fermi arcs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanyu Wang
- College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Novel Nano-Optoelectronic Information Materials and Devices, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
- Nanhu Laser Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
| | - Wei Xu
- College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Novel Nano-Optoelectronic Information Materials and Devices, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
- Nanhu Laser Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
| | - Zeyong Wei
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yiyuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of In-Fiber Integrated Optics of Ministry of Education, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Zhanshan Wang
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xinbin Cheng
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Qinghua Guo
- School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.
| | - Jinhui Shi
- Key Laboratory of In-Fiber Integrated Optics of Ministry of Education, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Zhihong Zhu
- College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China.
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Novel Nano-Optoelectronic Information Materials and Devices, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China.
- Nanhu Laser Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China.
| | - Biao Yang
- College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China.
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Novel Nano-Optoelectronic Information Materials and Devices, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China.
- Nanhu Laser Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China.
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4
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Chen H, Xing Y, Tan H, Huang L, Zheng Q, Huang Z, Han X, Hu B, Ye Y, Li Y, Xiao Y, Lei H, Qiu X, Liu E, Yang H, Wang Z, Yan B, Gao HJ. Atomically precise engineering of spin-orbit polarons in a kagome magnetic Weyl semimetal. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2301. [PMID: 38485746 PMCID: PMC10940584 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46729-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Atomically precise defect engineering is essential to manipulate the properties of emerging topological quantum materials for practical quantum applications. However, this remains challenging due to the obstacles in modifying the typically complex crystal lattice with atomic precision. Here, we report the atomically precise engineering of the vacancy-localized spin-orbit polarons in a kagome magnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2, using scanning tunneling microscope. We achieve the step-by-step repair of the selected vacancies, leading to the formation of artificial sulfur vacancies with elaborate geometry. We find that that the bound states localized around these vacancies undergo a symmetry dependent energy shift towards Fermi level with increasing vacancy size. As the vacancy size increases, the localized magnetic moments of spin-orbit polarons become tunable and eventually become itinerantly negative due to spin-orbit coupling in the kagome flat band. These findings provide a platform for engineering atomic quantum states in topological quantum materials at the atomic scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China
| | - Yuqing Xing
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Hengxin Tan
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Li Huang
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Qi Zheng
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Zihao Huang
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Xianghe Han
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Bin Hu
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yuhan Ye
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yan Li
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yao Xiao
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Hechang Lei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Functional Materials & Micro-Nano Devices, Department of Physics, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, PR China
| | - Xianggang Qiu
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Enke Liu
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Haitao Yang
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China
| | - Ziqiang Wang
- Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Binghai Yan
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Hong-Jun Gao
- Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China.
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5
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Ma J, Jia D, Zhang L, Guan YJ, Ge Y, Sun HX, Yuan SQ, Chen H, Yang Y, Zhang X. Observation of vortex-string chiral modes in metamaterials. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2332. [PMID: 38485983 PMCID: PMC10940314 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46641-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
As hypothetical topological defects in the geometry of spacetime, vortex strings could have played many roles in cosmology, and their distinct features can provide observable clues about the early universe's evolution. A key feature of vortex strings is that they can interact with Weyl fermionic modes and support massless chiral-anomaly states along strings. To date, despite many attempts to detect vortex strings in astrophysics or to emulate them in artificially created systems, observation of these vortex-string chiral modes remains experimentally elusive. Here we report experimental observations of vortex-string chiral modes using a metamaterial system. This is implemented by inhomogeneous perturbation of Yang-monopole phononic metamaterials. The measured linear dispersion and modal profiles confirm the existence of topological modes bound to and propagating along the string with the chiral anomaly. Our work provides a platform for studying diverse cosmic topological defects in astrophysics and offers applications as topological fibres in communication techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Ma
- Faculties of Science and Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ding Jia
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information, State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information, State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- International Joint Innovation Center, The Electromagnetics Academy at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Haining, 314400, China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro/Nano Electronic Devices & Smart Systems of Zhejiang, Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, 321099, China
- Shaoxing Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing, 312000, China
| | - Yi-Jun Guan
- Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Yong Ge
- Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Hong-Xiang Sun
- Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Acoustics, Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
| | - Shou-Qi Yuan
- Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Hongsheng Chen
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information, State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- International Joint Innovation Center, The Electromagnetics Academy at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Haining, 314400, China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro/Nano Electronic Devices & Smart Systems of Zhejiang, Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, 321099, China
- Shaoxing Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing, 312000, China
| | - Yihao Yang
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information, State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
- International Joint Innovation Center, The Electromagnetics Academy at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Haining, 314400, China.
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro/Nano Electronic Devices & Smart Systems of Zhejiang, Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, 321099, China.
- Shaoxing Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing, 312000, China.
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Faculties of Science and Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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6
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Vélez-Cerón I, Guillamat P, Sagués F, Ignés-Mullol J. Probing active nematics with in situ microfabricated elastic inclusions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2312494121. [PMID: 38451942 PMCID: PMC10945829 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312494121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In this work, we report a direct measurement of the forces exerted by a tubulin/kinesin active nematic gel as well as its complete rheological characterization, including the quantification of its shear viscosity, η, and its activity parameter, α. For this, we develop a method that allows us to rapidly photo-polymerize compliant elastic inclusions in the continuously remodeling active system. Moreover, we quantitatively settle long-standing theoretical predictions, such as a postulated relationship encoding the intrinsic time scale of the active nematic in terms of η and α. In parallel, we infer a value for the nematic elasticity constant, K, by combining our measurements with the theorized scaling of the active length scale. On top of the microrheology capabilities, we demonstrate strategies for defect encapsulation, quantification of defect mechanics, and defect interactions, enabled by the versatility of the microfabrication strategy that allows to combine elastic motifs of different shapes and stiffnesses that are fabricated in situ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignasi Vélez-Cerón
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, IN2UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
| | - Pau Guillamat
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona08028, Spain
| | - Francesc Sagués
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, IN2UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
| | - Jordi Ignés-Mullol
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, IN2UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
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7
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Bhukta M, Dohi T, Bharadwaj VK, Zarzuela R, Syskaki MA, Foerster M, Niño MA, Sinova J, Frömter R, Kläui M. Homochiral antiferromagnetic merons, antimerons and bimerons realized in synthetic antiferromagnets. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1641. [PMID: 38409221 PMCID: PMC10897388 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45375-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The ever-growing demand for device miniaturization and energy efficiency in data storage and computing technology has prompted a shift towards antiferromagnetic topological spin textures as information carriers. This shift is primarily owing to their negligible stray fields, leading to higher possible device density and potentially ultrafast dynamics. We realize in this work such chiral in-plane topological antiferromagnetic spin textures namely merons, antimerons, and bimerons in synthetic antiferromagnets by concurrently engineering the effective perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, the interlayer exchange coupling, and the magnetic compensation ratio. We demonstrate multimodal vector imaging of the three-dimensional Néel order parameter, revealing the topology of those spin textures and a globally well-defined chirality, which is a crucial requirement for controlled current-induced dynamics. Our analysis reveals that the interplay between interlayer exchange and interlayer magnetic dipolar interactions plays a key role to significantly reduce the critical strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction required to stabilize topological spin textures, such as antiferromagnetic merons, in synthetic antiferromagnets, making them a promising platform for next-generation spintronics applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Bhukta
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Takaaki Dohi
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
- Laboratory for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
| | | | - Ricardo Zarzuela
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maria-Andromachi Syskaki
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
- Singulus Technologies AG, Hanauer Landstrasse 107, 63796, Kahl am Main, Germany
| | - Michael Foerster
- ALBA Synchrotron Light Facility, 08290, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel Angel Niño
- ALBA Synchrotron Light Facility, 08290, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jairo Sinova
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Robert Frömter
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Mathias Kläui
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
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8
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Nestler M, Praetorius S, Huang ZF, Löwen H, Voigt A. Active smectics on a sphere. J Phys Condens Matter 2024; 36:185001. [PMID: 38262063 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ad21a7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
The dynamics of active smectic liquid crystals confined on a spherical surface is explored through an active phase field crystal model. Starting from an initially randomly perturbed isotropic phase, several types of topological defects are spontaneously formed, and then annihilate during a coarsening process until a steady state is achieved. The coarsening process is highly complex involving several scaling laws of defect densities as a function of time where different dynamical exponents can be identified. In general the exponent for the final stage towards the steady state is significantly larger than that in the passive and in the planar case, i.e. the coarsening is getting accelerated both by activity and by the topological and geometrical properties of the sphere. A defect type characteristic for this active system is a rotating spiral of evolving smectic layering lines. On a sphere this defect type also determines the steady state. Our results can in principle be confirmed by dense systems of synthetic or biological active particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Nestler
- Institute of Scientific Computing, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Simon Praetorius
- Institute of Scientific Computing, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Zhi-Feng Huang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, United States of America
| | - Hartmut Löwen
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Axel Voigt
- Institute of Scientific Computing, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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9
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Tan AKC, Jani H, Högen M, Stefan L, Castelnovo C, Braund D, Geim A, Mechnich A, Feuer MSG, Knowles HS, Ariando A, Radaelli PG, Atatüre M. Revealing emergent magnetic charge in an antiferromagnet with diamond quantum magnetometry. Nat Mater 2024; 23:205-211. [PMID: 38052937 PMCID: PMC10837077 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01737-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Whirling topological textures play a key role in exotic phases of magnetic materials and are promising for logic and memory applications. In antiferromagnets, these textures exhibit enhanced stability and faster dynamics with respect to their ferromagnetic counterparts, but they are also difficult to study due to their vanishing net magnetic moment. One technique that meets the demand of highly sensitive vectorial magnetic field sensing with negligible backaction is diamond quantum magnetometry. Here we show that an archetypal antiferromagnet-haematite-hosts a rich tapestry of monopolar, dipolar and quadrupolar emergent magnetic charge distributions. The direct read-out of the previously inaccessible vorticity of an antiferromagnetic spin texture provides the crucial connection to its magnetic charge through a duality relation. Our work defines a paradigmatic class of magnetic systems to explore two-dimensional monopolar physics, and highlights the transformative role that diamond quantum magnetometry could play in exploring emergent phenomena in quantum materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony K C Tan
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Hariom Jani
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Michael Högen
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lucio Stefan
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Center for Hybrid Quantum Networks (Hy-Q), Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Daniel Braund
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexandra Geim
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Annika Mechnich
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Ariando Ariando
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Paolo G Radaelli
- Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Mete Atatüre
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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10
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Chekmazov SV, Ksenz AS, Ionov AM, Mazilkin AA, Smirnov AA, Pershina EA, Ryzhkin IA, Vilkov OY, Walls B, Zhussupbekov K, Shvets IV, Bozhko SI. The topological soliton in Peierls semimetal Sb. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2331. [PMID: 38281983 PMCID: PMC10822873 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52411-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Sb is a three-dimensional Peierls insulator. The Peierls instability gives rise to doubling of the translational period along the [111] direction and alternating van der Waals and covalent bonding between (111) atomic planes. At the (111) surface of Sb, the Peierls condition is violated, which in theory can give rise to properties differing from the bulk. The atomic and electronic structure of the (111) surface of Sb have been simulated by density functional theory calculations. We have considered the two possible (111) surfaces, containing van der Waals dangling bonds or containing covalent dangling bonds. In the models, the surfaces are infinite and the structure is defect free. Structural optimization of the model containing covalent dangling bonds results in strong deformation, which is well described by a topological soliton within the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model centered about 25 Å below the surface. The electronic states associated with the soliton see an increase in the density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level by around an order of magnitude at the soliton center. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements reveal two distinct surface regions, indicating that there are different surface regions cleaving van der Waals and covalent bonds. The DFT is in good agreement with the STM/STS experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrei S Ksenz
- Institute of Solid State Physics, RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia
| | - Andrei M Ionov
- Institute of Solid State Physics, RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia
- School of Physics, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Anton A Smirnov
- Institute of Solid State Physics, RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia
| | | | - Ivan A Ryzhkin
- Institute of Solid State Physics, RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia
| | - Oleg Yu Vilkov
- Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Brian Walls
- School of Physics, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Kuanysh Zhussupbekov
- School of Physics, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Igor V Shvets
- School of Physics, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sergey I Bozhko
- Institute of Solid State Physics, RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia
- School of Physics, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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11
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Mesarec L, Kralj S, Iglič A. Biaxial Structures of Localized Deformations and Line-like Distortions in Effectively 2D Nematic Films. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2024; 14:246. [PMID: 38334517 PMCID: PMC10856884 DOI: 10.3390/nano14030246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
We numerically studied localized elastic distortions in curved, effectively two-dimensional nematic shells. We used a mesoscopic Landau-de Gennes-type approach, in which the orientational order is theoretically considered by introducing the appropriate tensor nematic order parameter, while the three-dimensional shell shape is described by the curvature tensor. We limited our theoretical consideration to axially symmetric shapes of nematic shells. It was shown that in the surface regions of stomatocyte-class nematic shell shapes with large enough magnitudes of extrinsic (deviatoric) curvature, the direction of the in-plane orientational ordering can be mutually perpendicular above and below the narrow neck region. We demonstrate that such line-like nematic distortion configurations may run along the parallels (i.e., along the circular lines of constant latitude) located in the narrow neck regions of stomatocyte-like nematic shells. It was shown that nematic distortions are enabled by the order reconstruction mechanism. We propose that the regions of nematic shells that are strongly elastically deformed, i.e., topological defects and line-like distortions, may attract appropriately surface-decorated nanoparticles (NPs), which could potentially be useful for the controlled assembly of NPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luka Mesarec
- Laboratory of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Samo Kralj
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
- Condensed Matter Physics Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleš Iglič
- Laboratory of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Laboratory of Clinical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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12
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Takeda H, Kawano M, Tamura K, Akazawa M, Yan J, Waki T, Nakamura H, Sato K, Narumi Y, Hagiwara M, Yamashita M, Hotta C. Magnon thermal Hall effect via emergent SU(3) flux on the antiferromagnetic skyrmion lattice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:566. [PMID: 38263303 PMCID: PMC10805809 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44793-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Complexity of quantum phases of matter is often understood theoretically by using gauge structures, as is recognized by the [Formula: see text] and U(1) gauge theory description of spin liquids in frustrated magnets. Anomalous Hall effect of conducting electrons can intrinsically arise from a U(1) gauge expressing the spatial modulation of ferromagnetic moments or from an SU(2) gauge representing the spin-orbit coupling effect. Similarly, in insulating ferro and antiferromagnets, the magnon contribution to anomalous transports is explained in terms of U(1) and SU(2) fluxes present in the ordered magnetic structure. Here, we report thermal Hall measurements of MnSc2S4 in an applied field up to 14 T, for which we consider an emergent higher rank SU(3) flux, controlling the magnon transport. The thermal Hall coefficient takes a substantial value when the material enters a three-sublattice antiferromagnetic skyrmion phase, which is in agreement with the linear spin-wave theory. In our description, magnons are dressed with SU(3) gauge field, which is a mixture of three species of U(1) gauge fields originating from the slowly varying magnetic moments on these sublattices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Takeda
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8581, Japan.
| | - Masataka Kawano
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich, 85748, Garching, Germany.
| | - Kyo Tamura
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8581, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Akazawa
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8581, Japan
| | - Jian Yan
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8581, Japan
| | - Takeshi Waki
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nakamura
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Kazuki Sato
- Center for Advanced High Magnetic Field Science (AHMF), Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Yasuo Narumi
- Center for Advanced High Magnetic Field Science (AHMF), Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Masayuki Hagiwara
- Center for Advanced High Magnetic Field Science (AHMF), Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Minoru Yamashita
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8581, Japan
| | - Chisa Hotta
- Department of Basic Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan
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13
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Banerjee DS, Freedman SL, Murrell MP, Banerjee S. Growth-induced collective bending and kinetic trapping of cytoskeletal filaments. bioRxiv 2024:2024.01.09.574885. [PMID: 38260433 PMCID: PMC10802417 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.09.574885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Growth and turnover of actin filaments play a crucial role in the construction and maintenance of actin networks within cells. Actin filament growth occurs within limited space and finite subunit resources in the actin cortex. To understand how filament growth shapes the emergent architecture of actin networks, we developed a minimal agent-based model coupling filament mechanics and growth in a limiting subunit pool. We find that rapid filament growth induces kinetic trapping of highly bent actin filaments. Such collective bending patterns are long-lived, organized around nematic defects, and arises from competition between filament polymerization and bending elasticity. The stability of nematic defects and the extent of kinetic trapping are amplified by an increase in the abundance of the actin pool and by crosslinking the network. These findings suggest that kinetic trapping is a robust consequence of growth in crowded environments, providing a route to program shape memory in actin networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deb Sankar Banerjee
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Michael P Murrell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, 10 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT, USA
- Systems Biology Institute, 850 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Physics, Yale University, 217 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Shiladitya Banerjee
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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14
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Prokhorenko S, Nahas Y, Govinden V, Zhang Q, Valanoor N, Bellaiche L. Motion and teleportation of polar bubbles in low-dimensional ferroelectrics. Nat Commun 2024; 15:412. [PMID: 38195617 PMCID: PMC10776862 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44639-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Electric bubbles are sub-10nm spherical vortices of electric dipoles that can spontaneously form in ultra-thin ferroelectrics. While the static properties of electric bubbles are well established, little to nothing is known about the dynamics of these particle-like structures. Here, we reveal pathways to realizing both the spontaneous and controlled dynamics of electric bubbles in ultra-thin Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3 films. In low screening conditions, we find that electric bubbles exhibit thermally-driven chaotic motion giving rise to a liquid-like state. In the high screening regime, we show that bubbles remain static but can be continuously displaced by a local electric field. Additionally, we predict and experimentally demonstrate the possibility of bubble teleportation - a process wherein a bubble is transferred to a new location via a single electric field pulse of a PFM tip. Finally, we attribute the discovered phenomena to the hierarchical structure of the energy landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Prokhorenko
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
| | - Y Nahas
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - V Govinden
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Q Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
- CSIRO Manufacturing, Lindfield, NSW, 2070, Australia.
| | - N Valanoor
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - L Bellaiche
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
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15
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Peixoto J, Hall D, Broer DJ, Smalyukh II, Liu D. Mechanical Actuation via Homeomorphic Transformations of Topological Solitons within Polymer Coatings. Adv Mater 2024; 36:e2308425. [PMID: 37967470 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202308425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Topological solitons are currently under investigation for their exotic properties, especially in nonlinear physics, optics, and material sciences. However, challenges of robust generation and limited stability over time have hindered their practical uses. To address this issue, an approach is developed to form structured arrays of solitons in films of polymerizable liquid crystals. Their complex molecular architecture is preserved by in situ photopolymerization forming a stable liquid crystal network. Most excitingly, their properties are advanced to include responsiveness functions. When thermally actuated, these topological solitons mediate the reconfiguration of surface topographies. Complex shape changes occur depending on the intrinsic complex spatial distribution of the director, which may even lead to full shape inversion and topographical changes as high as ≈40% of the initial thickness. Conversely, the shape changes provide information on the initial director profile, which is consistent with the mathematical model. The soliton-containing polymer coatings are applicable in multiple domains, ranging from tunable optics to haptics, and from shape-coupled sensing systems to temperature-coupled heat management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Peixoto
- Laboratory of Human Interactive Materials (HIM), Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, Eindhoven, 5612 AZ, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Darian Hall
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Dirk J Broer
- Laboratory of Human Interactive Materials (HIM), Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, Eindhoven, 5612 AZ, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Ivan I Smalyukh
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
- International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, 739-0046, Japan
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
| | - Danqing Liu
- Laboratory of Human Interactive Materials (HIM), Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, Eindhoven, 5612 AZ, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600 MB, The Netherlands
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16
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Gradauskaite E, Meier QN, Gray N, Sarott MF, Scharsach T, Campanini M, Moran T, Vogel A, Del Cid-Ledezma K, Huey BD, Rossell MD, Fiebig M, Trassin M. Defeating depolarizing fields with artificial flux closure in ultrathin ferroelectrics. Nat Mater 2023; 22:1492-1498. [PMID: 37783942 PMCID: PMC10713449 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01674-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Material surfaces encompass structural and chemical discontinuities that often lead to the loss of the property of interest in so-called dead layers. It is particularly problematic in nanoscale oxide electronics, where the integration of strongly correlated materials into devices is obstructed by the thickness threshold required for the emergence of their functionality. Here we report the stabilization of ultrathin out-of-plane ferroelectricity in oxide heterostructures through the design of an artificial flux-closure architecture. Inserting an in-plane-polarized ferroelectric epitaxial buffer provides the continuity of polarization at the interface; despite its insulating nature, we observe the emergence of polarization in our out-of-plane-polarized model of ferroelectric BaTiO3 from the very first unit cell. In BiFeO3, the flux-closure approach stabilizes a 251° domain wall. Its unusual chirality is probably associated with the ferroelectric analogue to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. We, thus, see that in an adaptively engineered geometry, the depolarizing-field-screening properties of an insulator can even surpass those of a metal and be a source of functionality. This could be a useful insight on the road towards the next generation of oxide electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Natascha Gray
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Thomas Moran
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Karla Del Cid-Ledezma
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Bryan D Huey
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Manfred Fiebig
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Morgan Trassin
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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17
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Domröse T, Danz T, Schaible SF, Rossnagel K, Yalunin SV, Ropers C. Light-induced hexatic state in a layered quantum material. Nat Mater 2023; 22:1345-1351. [PMID: 37414945 PMCID: PMC10627829 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01600-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
The tunability of materials properties by light promises a wealth of future applications in energy conversion and information technology. Strongly correlated materials such as transition metal dichalcogenides offer optical control of electronic phases, charge ordering and interlayer correlations by photodoping. Here, we find the emergence of a transient hexatic state during the laser-induced transformation between two charge-density wave phases in a thin-film transition metal dichalcogenide, 1T-type tantalum disulfide (1T-TaS2). Introducing tilt-series ultrafast nanobeam electron diffraction, we reconstruct charge-density wave rocking curves at high momentum resolution. An intermittent suppression of three-dimensional structural correlations promotes a loss of in-plane translational order caused by a high density of unbound topological defects, characteristic of a hexatic intermediate. Our results demonstrate the merit of tomographic ultrafast structural probing in tracing coupled order parameters, heralding universal nanoscale access to laser-induced dimensionality control in functional heterostructures and devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Domröse
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
- 4th Physical Institute - Solids and Nanostructures, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Danz
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sophie F Schaible
- 4th Physical Institute - Solids and Nanostructures, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kai Rossnagel
- Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Ruprecht Haensel Laboratory, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sergey V Yalunin
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claus Ropers
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
- 4th Physical Institute - Solids and Nanostructures, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
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18
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Huguet A, Wrześniewski K, Weymann I. Spin effects on transport and zero-bias anomaly in a hybrid Majorana wire-quantum dot system. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17279. [PMID: 37828058 PMCID: PMC10570336 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44254-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
We examine the impact of spin effects on the nonequilibrium transport properties of a nanowire hosting Majorana zero-energy modes at its ends, coupled to a quantum dot junction with ferromagnetic leads. Using the real-time diagrammatic technique, we determine the current, differential conductance and current cross-correlations in the nonlinear response regime. We also explore transport in different magnetic configurations of the system, which can be quantified by the tunnel magnetoresistance. We show that the presence of Majorana quasiparticles gives rise to unique features in all spin-resolved transport characteristics, in particular, to zero-bias anomaly, negative differential conductance, negative tunnel magnetoresistance, and it is also reflected in the current cross-correlations. Moreover, we study the dependence of the zero-bias anomaly on various system parameters and demonstrate its dependence on the magnetic configuration of the system as well as on the degree of spin polarization in the leads. A highly nontrivial behavior is also found for the tunnel magnetoresistance, which exhibits regions of enhanced or negative values-new features resulting from the coupling to Majorana wire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Huguet
- Institute of Spintronics and Quantum Information, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
- Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35000, Rennes, France.
| | - Kacper Wrześniewski
- Institute of Spintronics and Quantum Information, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Ireneusz Weymann
- Institute of Spintronics and Quantum Information, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
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19
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Salib DJ, Juričić V, Roy B. Emergent metallicity at the grain boundaries of higher-order topological insulators. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15308. [PMID: 37714946 PMCID: PMC10504356 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Topological lattice defects, such as dislocations and grain boundaries (GBs), are ubiquitously present in the bulk of quantum materials and externally tunable in metamaterials. In terms of robust modes, localized near the defect cores, they are instrumental in identifying topological crystals, featuring the hallmark band inversion at a finite momentum (translationally active type). Here we show that the GB superlattices in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional translationally active higher-order topological insulators harbor a myriad of dispersive modes that are typically placed at finite energies, but always well-separated from the bulk states. However, when the Burgers vector of the constituting edge dislocations points toward the gapless corners or hinges, both second-order and third-order topological insulators accommodate self-organized emergent topological metals near the zero energy (half-filling) in the GB mini Brillouin zone. We discuss possible material platforms where our proposed scenarios can be realized through the band-structure and defect engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Salib
- Department of Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA
| | - Vladimir Juričić
- Departamento de Física, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Casilla 110, Valparaiso, Chile.
- Nordita, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University, Hannes Alfvéns väg 12, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Bitan Roy
- Department of Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA.
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20
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Dohi T, Weißenhofer M, Kerber N, Kammerbauer F, Ge Y, Raab K, Zázvorka J, Syskaki MA, Shahee A, Ruhwedel M, Böttcher T, Pirro P, Jakob G, Nowak U, Kläui M. Enhanced thermally-activated skyrmion diffusion with tunable effective gyrotropic force. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5424. [PMID: 37696785 PMCID: PMC10495465 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40720-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic skyrmions, topologically-stabilized spin textures that emerge in magnetic systems, have garnered considerable interest due to a variety of electromagnetic responses that are governed by the topology. The topology that creates a microscopic gyrotropic force also causes detrimental effects, such as the skyrmion Hall effect, which is a well-studied phenomenon highlighting the influence of topology on the deterministic dynamics and drift motion. Furthermore, the gyrotropic force is anticipated to have a substantial impact on stochastic diffusive motion; however, the predicted repercussions have yet to be demonstrated, even qualitatively. Here we demonstrate enhanced thermally-activated diffusive motion of skyrmions in a specifically designed synthetic antiferromagnet. Suppressing the effective gyrotropic force by tuning the angular momentum compensation leads to a more than 10 times enhanced diffusion coefficient compared to that of ferromagnetic skyrmions. Consequently, our findings not only demonstrate the gyro-force dependence of the diffusion coefficient but also enable ultimately energy-efficient unconventional stochastic computing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Dohi
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Laboratory for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
| | - Markus Weißenhofer
- Fachbereich Physik, Universität Konstanz, DE-78457, Konstanz, Germany.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 516, S-751 20, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, D-14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Nico Kerber
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz, Staudingerweg 9, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Fabian Kammerbauer
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Yuqing Ge
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Klaus Raab
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jakub Zázvorka
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 5, Prague, 12116, Czech Republic
| | - Maria-Andromachi Syskaki
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Singulus Technologies AG, 63796, Kahl am Main, Germany
| | - Aga Shahee
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Moritz Ruhwedel
- Fachbereich Physik and Landesforschungszentrum OPTIMAS, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 46, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Tobias Böttcher
- Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz, Staudingerweg 9, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Fachbereich Physik and Landesforschungszentrum OPTIMAS, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 46, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Philipp Pirro
- Fachbereich Physik and Landesforschungszentrum OPTIMAS, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 46, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Gerhard Jakob
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz, Staudingerweg 9, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ulrich Nowak
- Fachbereich Physik, Universität Konstanz, DE-78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Mathias Kläui
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz, Staudingerweg 9, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
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21
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Watanabe S. Magnetic dynamics and nonreciprocal excitation in uniform hedgehog order in icosahedral 1/1 approximant crystal. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14438. [PMID: 37660091 PMCID: PMC10475090 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41292-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The hedgehog state in the icosahedral quasicrystal (QC) has attracted great interest as the theoretical discovery of topological magnetic texture in aperiodic systems. The revealed magnetic dynamics exhibits nonreciprocal excitation in the vast extent of the reciprocal lattice [Formula: see text]-energy [Formula: see text] space, whose emergence mechanism remains unresolved. Here, we analyze the dynamical as well as static structure of the hedgehog order in the 1/1 approximant crystal (AC) composed of the cubic lattice with spatial inversion symmetry. We find that the dispersion of the magnetic excitation energy exhibits nonreciprocal feature along the N-P-[Formula: see text] line in the [Formula: see text] space. The dynamical structure factor exhibits highly structured intensities where high intensities appear in the high-energy branches along the [Formula: see text]-H line and the P-[Formula: see text]-N line in the [Formula: see text] space. The nonreciprocity in the 1/1 AC and also in the QC is understood to be ascribed to inversion symmetry breaking by the hedgehog ordering. The sharp contrast on the emergence regime of nonreciprocal magnetic excitation between the QC and the 1/1 AC indicates that the emergence in the vast [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] regime in the QC is attributed to the QC lattice structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Watanabe
- Department of Basic Sciences, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 804-8550, Japan.
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22
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Yang H, Huang J, Liu S, Chen Y, Cen Z, Shi C, Lu Y, Fu R. Pseudocapacitive Potassium-Ion Intercalation Enabled by Topologically Defective Soft Carbon toward High-Rate, Large-Areal-Capacity, and Low-Temperature Potassium-Ion Batteries. Small 2023; 19:e2302537. [PMID: 37267937 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202302537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Carbonaceous materials are widely investigated as anodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). However, the inferior rate capability, low areal capacity, and limited working temperature caused by sluggish K-ions diffusion kinetics are still primary challenges for carbon-based anodes. Herein, a simple temperature-programmed co-pyrolysis strategy is proposed for the efficient synthesis of topologically defective soft carbon (TDSC) based on inexpensive pitch and melamine. The skeletons of TDSC are optimized with shortened graphite-like microcrystals, enlarged interlayer spacing, and abundant topological defects (e.g., pentagons, heptagons, and octagons), which endow TDSC with fast pseudocapacitive K-ion intercalation behavior. Meanwhile, micrometer-sized structure can reduce the electrolyte degradation over particle surface and avoid unnecessary voids, ensuring a high initial Coulombic efficiency as well as high energy density. These synergistic structural advantages contribute to excellent rate capability (116 mA h g-1 at 20 C), impressive areal capacity (1.83 mA h cm-2 with a mass loading of 8.32 mg cm-2 ), long-term cycling stability (capacity retention of 91.8% after 1200 h cycling), and low working temperature (-10 °C) of TDSC anodes, demonstrating great potential for the practical application of PIBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haozhen Yang
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Junlong Huang
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Shaohong Liu
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Yongqi Chen
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Zongheng Cen
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Chenguang Shi
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Yuheng Lu
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Ruowen Fu
- PCFM Lab and GDHPRC Lab, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
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23
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Im T, Song SK, Park JW, Yeom HW. Topological soliton molecule in quasi 1D charge density wave. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5085. [PMID: 37607969 PMCID: PMC10444770 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40834-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Soliton molecules, bound states of two solitons, can be important for the informatics using solitons and the quest for exotic particles in a wide range of physical systems from unconventional superconductors to nuclear matter and Higgs field, but have been observed only in temporal dimension for classical wave optical systems. Here, we identify a topological soliton molecule formed spatially in an electronic system, a quasi 1D charge density wave of indium atomic wires. This system is composed of two coupled Peierls chains, which are endowed with a Z4 topology and three distinct, right-chiral, left-chiral, and non-chiral, solitons. Our scanning tunneling microscopy measurements identify a bound state of right- and left-chiral solitons with distinct in-gap states and net zero phase shift. Our density functional theory calculations reveal the attractive interaction of these solitons and the hybridization of their electronic states. This result initiates the study of the interaction between solitons in electronic systems, which can provide novel manybody electronic states and extra data-handling capacity beyond the given soliton topology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehwan Im
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic System, Institute for Basic Science, Pohang, Korea
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea
| | - Sun Kyu Song
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic System, Institute for Basic Science, Pohang, Korea
| | - Jae Whan Park
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic System, Institute for Basic Science, Pohang, Korea
| | - Han Woong Yeom
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic System, Institute for Basic Science, Pohang, Korea.
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea.
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24
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Yang CC, Tian WQ. Electronic Structure Modulation of Nanographenes for Second Order Nonlinear Optical Molecular Materials. Chempluschem 2023; 88:e202300279. [PMID: 37515505 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Nanographenes (NGs) have drawn extensive attention as promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronic and nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, owing to its unique optoelectronic properties and high thermal stability. However, the weak polarity or even non-polarity of NGs (resulting in weak even order NLO properties) and the high chemical reactivity of zigzag edged NGs hinder their further applications in nonlinear optics, thus stabilization (lowering the chemical reactivity) and polarizing the charge distribution in NGs are necessary for such applications of NGs. The fusion of heptagon and pentagon endows the azulene with the character of donor-acceptor, and the B=N unit is isoelectronic to C=C unit. The introduction of polar azulene and BN are idea to polarize and stabilize the electronic structure of NGs for NLO applications. In the present review, a survey on the functionalization and applications of NGs in nonlinear optics is conducted. The engineering of the electronic structure of NGs by topological defects, doping and edge modulation is summarized. Finally, a summary of challenges and perspectives for carbon-based NLO nanomaterials is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cui-Cui Yang
- College of Science, Chongqing University of Technology, No. 69 Hongguang Avenue, Banan, Chongqing, 400054, P. R. China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Road, Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, P. R. China
| | - Wei Quan Tian
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Road, Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, P. R. China
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25
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Kaiyrbekov K, Endresen K, Sullivan K, Zheng Z, Chen Y, Serra F, Camley BA. Migration and division in cell monolayers on substrates with topological defects. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2301197120. [PMID: 37463218 PMCID: PMC10372565 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301197120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Collective movement and organization of cell monolayers are important for wound healing and tissue development. Recent experiments highlighted the importance of liquid crystal order within these layers, suggesting that +1 topological defects have a role in organizing tissue morphogenesis. We study fibroblast organization, motion, and proliferation on a substrate with micron-sized ridges that induce +1 and -1 topological defects using simulation and experiment. We model cells as self-propelled deformable ellipses that interact via a Gay-Berne potential. Unlike earlier work on other cell types, we see that density variation near defects is not explained by collective migration. We propose instead that fibroblasts have different division rates depending on their area and aspect ratio. This model captures key features of our previous experiments: the alignment quality worsens at high cell density and, at the center of the +1 defects, cells can adopt either highly anisotropic or primarily isotropic morphologies. Experiments performed with different ridge heights confirm a prediction of this model: Suppressing migration across ridges promotes higher cell density at the +1 defect. Our work enables a mechanism for tissue patterning using topological defects without relying on cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurmanbek Kaiyrbekov
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Kirsten Endresen
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Kyle Sullivan
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Zhaofei Zheng
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Francesca Serra
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Odense5230, Denmark
| | - Brian A. Camley
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
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26
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Modin A, Ash B, Ishimoto K, Leheny RL, Serra F, Aharoni H. Tunable three-dimensional architecture of nematic disclination lines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300833120. [PMID: 37364119 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300833120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Disclination lines play a key role in many physical processes, from the fracture of materials to the formation of the early universe. Achieving versatile control over disclinations is key to developing novel electro-optical devices, programmable origami, directed colloidal assembly, and controlling active matter. Here, we introduce a theoretical framework to tailor three-dimensional disclination architecture in nematic liquid crystals experimentally. We produce quantitative predictions for the connectivity and shape of disclination lines found in nematics confined between two thinly spaced glass substrates with strong patterned planar anchoring. By drawing an analogy between nematic liquid crystals and magnetostatics, we find that i) disclination lines connect defects with the same topological charge on opposite surfaces and ii) disclination lines are attracted to regions of the highest twist. Using polarized light to pattern the in-plane alignment of liquid crystal molecules, we test these predictions experimentally and identify critical parameters that tune the disclination lines' curvature. We verify our predictions with computer simulations and find nondimensional parameters enabling us to match experiments and simulations at different length scales. Our work provides a powerful method to understand and practically control defect lines in nematic liquid crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Modin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Biswarup Ash
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Kelsey Ishimoto
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Robert L Leheny
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Francesca Serra
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
- Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Odense DK-5230, Denmark
| | - Hillel Aharoni
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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27
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Gong FH, Tang YL, Wang YJ, Chen YT, Wu B, Yang LX, Zhu YL, Ma XL. Absence of critical thickness for polar skyrmions with breaking the Kittel's law. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3376. [PMID: 37291226 PMCID: PMC10250330 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39169-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The period of polar domain (d) in ferroics was commonly believed to scale with corresponding film thicknesses (h), following the classical Kittel's law of d ∝ [Formula: see text]. Here, we have not only observed that this relationship fails in the case of polar skyrmions, where the period shrinks nearly to a constant value, or even experiences a slight increase, but also discovered that skyrmions have further persisted in [(PbTiO3)2/(SrTiO3)2]10 ultrathin superlattices. Both experimental and theoretical results indicate that the skyrmion periods (d) and PbTiO3 layer thicknesses in superlattice (h) obey the hyperbolic function of d = Ah + [Formula: see text] other than previous believed, simple square root law. Phase-field analysis indicates that the relationship originates from the different energy competitions of the superlattices with PbTiO3 layer thicknesses. This work exemplified the critical size problems faced by nanoscale ferroelectric device designing in the post-Moore era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Hui Gong
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yun-Long Tang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yu-Jia Wang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yu-Ting Chen
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Bay Area Center for Electron Microscopy, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, 523808, Guangdong, China
| | - Li-Xin Yang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yin-Lian Zhu
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China.
- Bay Area Center for Electron Microscopy, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, 523808, Guangdong, China.
| | - Xiu-Liang Ma
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, Shenyang, 110016, China.
- Bay Area Center for Electron Microscopy, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, 523808, Guangdong, China.
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
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28
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Yu W, Yoshii T, Aziz A, Tang R, Pan ZZ, Inoue K, Kotani M, Tanaka H, Scholtzová E, Tunega D, Nishina Y, Nishioka K, Nakanishi S, Zhou Y, Terasaki O, Nishihara H. Edge-Site-Free and Topological-Defect-Rich Carbon Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Oxygen Batteries. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2023; 10:e2300268. [PMID: 37029464 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The rational design of a stable and catalytic carbon cathode is crucial for the development of rechargeable lithium-oxygen (LiO2 ) batteries. An edge-site-free and topological-defect-rich graphene-based material is proposed as a pure carbon cathode that drastically improves LiO2 battery performance, even in the absence of extra catalysts and mediators. The proposed graphene-based material is synthesized using the advanced template technique coupled with high-temperature annealing at 1800 °C. The material possesses an edge-site-free framework and mesoporosity, which is crucial to achieve excellent electrochemical stability and an ultra-large capacity (>6700 mAh g-1 ). Moreover, both experimental and theoretical structural characterization demonstrates the presence of a significant number of topological defects, which are non-hexagonal carbon rings in the graphene framework. In situ isotopic electrochemical mass spectrometry and theoretical calculations reveal the unique catalysis of topological defects in the formation of amorphous Li2 O2 , which may be decomposed at low potential (∼ 3.6 V versus Li/Li+ ) and leads to improved cycle performance. Furthermore, a flexible electrode sheet that excludes organic binders exhibits an extremely long lifetime of up to 307 cycles (>1535 h), in the absence of solid or soluble catalysts. These findings may be used to design robust carbon cathodes for LiO2 batteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yu
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Takeharu Yoshii
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Alex Aziz
- JSPS International Research Fellow (Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Rui Tang
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Zheng-Ze Pan
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Kazutoshi Inoue
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Motoko Kotani
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
| | - Hideki Tanaka
- Research Initiative for Supra-Materials (RISM), Shinshu University, Nagano, 3808553, Japan
| | - Eva Scholtzová
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 84536, Slovakia
| | - Daniel Tunega
- Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter-Jordan-Strasse 82, Wien, 1190, Austria
| | - Yuta Nishina
- Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 7008530, Japan
| | - Kiho Nishioka
- Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 5608531, Japan
| | - Shuji Nakanishi
- Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, 5608531, Japan
- Innovative Catalysis Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (ICS-OTRI), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 5650871, Japan
| | - Yi Zhou
- Centre for High-Resolution Electron Microscopy (CℏEM), School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of High-Resolution Electron Microscopy, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Osamu Terasaki
- Centre for High-Resolution Electron Microscopy (CℏEM), School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of High-Resolution Electron Microscopy, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Hirotomo Nishihara
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Sendai, 9808577, Japan
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29
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Jin H, Tan W, Liu Y, Ran K, Fan R, Shangguan Y, Guang Y, van der Laan G, Hesjedal T, Wen J, Yu G, Zhang S. Evolution of Emergent Monopoles into Magnetic Skyrmion Strings. Nano Lett 2023. [PMID: 37263581 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Topological defects are fundamental concepts in physics, but little is known about the transition between distinct types across different dimensionalities. In topological magnetism, as in field theory, the transition between 1D strings and 0D monopoles is a key process whose observation has remained elusive. Here, we introduce a novel mechanism that allows for the controlled stabilization of emergent monopoles and show that magnetic skyrmion strings can be folded into monopoles. Conversely, they act as seeds out of which the entire string structure can unfold, containing its complete information. In chiral magnets, this process can be observed by resonant elastic X-ray scattering when the objects are in proximity to a polarized ferromagnet, whereby a pure monopole lattice is emerging on the surface. Our experimental proof of the reversible evolution from monopole to string sheds new light on topological defects and establishes the emergent monopole lattice as a new 3D topological phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haonan Jin
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Wancong Tan
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yizhou Liu
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kejing Ran
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Raymond Fan
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Yanyan Shangguan
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of PhysicsNanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Yao Guang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Gerrit van der Laan
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Thorsten Hesjedal
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - Jinsheng Wen
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of PhysicsNanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Guoqiang Yu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Shilei Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
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30
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Mukherjee F, Shi A, Wang X, You F, Abbott NL. Liquid Crystals as Multifunctional Interfaces for Trapping and Characterizing Colloidal Microplastics. Small 2023; 19:e2207802. [PMID: 36892170 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202207802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Identifying and removing microplastics (MPs) from the environment is a global challenge. This study explores how the colloidal fraction of MPs assemble into distinct 2D patterns at aqueous interfaces of liquid crystal (LC) films with the goal of developing surface-sensitive methods for identifying MPs. Polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) microparticles are measured to exhibit distinct aggregation patterns, with addition of anionic surfactant amplifying differences in PS/PE aggregation patterns: PS changes from a linear chain-like morphology to a singly dispersed state with increasing surfactant concentration whereas PE forms dense clusters at all surfactant concentrations. Statistical analysis of assembly patterns using deep learning image recognition models yields accurate classification, with feature importance analysis confirming that dense, multibranched assemblies are unique features of PE relative to PS. Microscopic characterization of LC ordering at the microparticle surfaces leads to predict LC-mediated interactions (due to elastic strain) with a dipolar symmetry, a prediction consistent with the interfacial organization of PS but not PE. Further analysis leads to conclude that PE microparticles, due to their polycrystalline nature, possess rough surfaces that lead to weak LC elastic interactions and enhanced capillary forces. Overall, the results highlight the potential utility of LC interfaces for rapid identification of colloidal MPs based on their surface properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Mukherjee
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Anye Shi
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Fengqi You
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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31
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Abstract
Orientational order, encoded in anisotropic fields, plays an important role during the development of an organism. A striking example of this is the freshwater polyp Hydra, where topological defects in the muscle fiber orientation have been shown to localize to key features of the body plan. This body plan is organized by morphogen concentration gradients, raising the question how muscle fiber orientation, morphogen gradients and body shape interact. Here, we introduce a minimal model that couples nematic orientational order to the gradient of a morphogen field. We show that on a planar surface, alignment to a radial concentration gradient can induce unbinding of topological defects, as observed during budding and tentacle formation in Hydra, and stabilize aster/vortex-like defects, as observed at a Hydra's mouth. On curved surfaces mimicking the morphologies of Hydra in various stages of development-from spheroid to adult-our model reproduces the experimentally observed reorganization of orientational order. Our results suggest how gradient alignment and curvature effects may work together to control orientational order during development and lay the foundations for future modeling efforts that will include the tissue mechanics that drive shape deformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihang Wang
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | | | - Fridtjof Brauns
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
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32
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Shao YT, Das S, Hong Z, Xu R, Chandrika S, Gómez-Ortiz F, García-Fernández P, Chen LQ, Hwang HY, Junquera J, Martin LW, Ramesh R, Muller DA. Emergent chirality in a polar meron to skyrmion phase transition. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1355. [PMID: 36907894 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36950-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Polar skyrmions are predicted to emerge from the interplay of elastic, electrostatic and gradient energies, in contrast to the key role of the anti-symmetric Dzyalozhinskii-Moriya interaction in magnetic skyrmions. Here, we explore the reversible transition from a skyrmion state (topological charge of -1) to a two-dimensional, tetratic lattice of merons (with topological charge of -1/2) upon varying the temperature and elastic boundary conditions in [(PbTiO3)16/(SrTiO3)16]8 membranes. This topological phase transition is accompanied by a change in chirality, from zero-net chirality (in meronic phase) to net-handedness (in skyrmionic phase). We show how scanning electron diffraction provides a robust measure of the local polarization simultaneously with the strain state at sub-nm resolution, while also directly mapping the chirality of each skyrmion. Using this, we demonstrate strain as a crucial order parameter to drive isotropic-to-anisotropic structural transitions of chiral polar skyrmions to non-chiral merons, validated with X-ray reciprocal space mapping and phase-field simulations.
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Abstract
Topological phases of spin liquids with constrained disorder can host a kinetics of fractionalized excitations. However, spin-liquid phases with distinct kinetic regimes have proven difficult to observe experimentally. Here we present a realization of kagome spin ice in the superconducting qubits of a quantum annealer, and use it to demonstrate a field-induced kinetic crossover between spin-liquid phases. Employing fine control over local magnetic fields, we show evidence of both the Ice-I phase and an unconventional field-induced Ice-II phase. In the latter, a charge-ordered yet spin-disordered topological phase, the kinetics proceeds via pair creation and annihilation of strongly correlated, charge conserving, fractionalized excitations. As these kinetic regimes have resisted characterization in other artificial spin ice realizations, our results demonstrate the utility of quantum-driven kinetics in advancing the study of topological phases of spin liquids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Lopez-Bezanilla
- grid.148313.c0000 0004 0428 3079Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | | | | | - Juan Carrasquilla
- grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Vector Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1 Canada ,grid.46078.3d0000 0000 8644 1405Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Cristiano Nisoli
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA.
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34
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Rønning J, Marchetti MC, Angheluta L. Defect self-propulsion in active nematic films with spatially varying activity. R Soc Open Sci 2023; 10:221229. [PMID: 36816847 PMCID: PMC9929493 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We study the dynamics of topological defects in active nematic films with spatially varying activity and consider two set-ups: (i) a constant activity gradient and (ii) a sharp jump in activity. A constant gradient of extensile (contractile) activity endows the comet-like +1/2 defect with a finite vorticity that drives the defect to align its nose in the direction of decreasing (increasing) gradient. A constant gradient does not, however, affect the known self-propulsion of the +1/2 defect and has no effect on the -1/2 that remains a non-motile particle. A sharp jump in activity acts like a wall that traps the defects, affecting the translational and rotational motion of both charges. The +1/2 defect slows down as it approaches the interface and the net vorticity tends to reorient the defect polarization so that it becomes perpendicular to the interface. The -1/2 defect acquires a self-propulsion towards the activity interface, while the vorticity-induced active torque tends to align the defect to a preferred orientation. This effective attraction of the negative defects to the wall is consistent with the observation of an accumulation of negative topological charge at both active/passive interfaces and physical boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Rønning
- Njord Centre, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1048, Oslo 0316, Norway
| | - M. Cristina Marchetti
- Department of Physics and Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Luiza Angheluta
- Njord Centre, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1048, Oslo 0316, Norway
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35
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Borges-Silva D, Costa CH, Bezerra CG. Topological phase transition and robust pseudospin interface states induced by angular perturbation in 2D topological photonic crystals. Sci Rep 2023; 13:850. [PMID: 36646749 PMCID: PMC9842764 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27868-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years the research about topological photonic structures has been a very attractive topic in nanoscience from both a basic science and a technological point of view. In this work we propose a two-dimensional topological photonic structure, composed of a trivial and a topological photonic crystals, made of dumbbell-shaped dielectric rods. The topological behavior is induced by introducing an angular perturbation in the dumbbell-shaped dielectric rods. We show that this composed structure supports pseudospin interface states at the interface between the trivial and topological crystals. Our numerical results show that a bandgap is opened in the band structure by introducing the angular perturbation in the system, lifting the double degeneracy of the double Dirac cone at the [Formula: see text] point of the Brillouin zone, despite keeping the [Formula: see text] symmetry group. A pseudospin topological behavior was observed and analyzed with emphasis on the photonic bands at the [Formula: see text] point. We have also investigated the robustness of these pseudospin interface states and, according with our numerical results, we conclude that they are robust against defects, disorder and reflection. Finally, we have shown that the two edge modes present energy flux propagating in opposite directions, which is the photonic analogue of the quantum spin Hall effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Borges-Silva
- grid.411233.60000 0000 9687 399XDepartamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN 59078-970 Brazil ,grid.461960.c0000 0000 9352 6714Instituto Federal do Ceará, Cedro, CE 63400-000 Brazil
| | - Carlos H. Costa
- grid.8395.70000 0001 2160 0329LAREB, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Russas, CE 62900-000 Brazil
| | - Claudionor G. Bezerra
- grid.411233.60000 0000 9687 399XDepartamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN 59078-970 Brazil
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36
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Risch F, Tikhonov Y, Lukyanchuk I, Ionescu AM, Stolichnov I. Giant switchable non thermally-activated conduction in 180° domain walls in tetragonal Pb(Zr,Ti)O(3). Nat Commun 2022; 13:7239. [PMID: 36433950 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34777-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Conductive domain walls in ferroelectrics offer a promising concept of nanoelectronic circuits with 2D domain-wall channels playing roles of memristors or synoptic interconnections. However, domain wall conduction remains challenging to control and pA-range currents typically measured on individual walls are too low for single-channel devices. Charged domain walls show higher conductivity, but are generally unstable and difficult to create. Here, we show highly conductive and stable channels on ubiquitous 180° domain walls in the archetypical ferroelectric, tetragonal Pb(Zr,Ti)O3. These electrically erasable/rewritable channels show currents of tens of nanoamperes (200 to 400 nA/μm) at voltages ≤2 V and metallic-like non thermally-activated transport properties down to 4 K, as confirmed by nanoscopic mapping. The domain structure analysis and phase-field simulations reveal complex switching dynamics, in which the extraordinary conductivity in strained Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films is explained by an interplay between ferroelastic a- and c-domains. This work demonstrates the potential of accessible and stable arrangements of nominally uncharged and electrically switchable domain walls for nanoelectronics.
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37
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Schultheiß J, Xue F, Roede E, Ånes HW, Danmo FH, Selbach SM, Chen LQ, Meier D. Confinement-Driven Inverse Domain Scaling in Polycrystalline ErMnO 3. Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2203449. [PMID: 36084267 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202203449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The research on topological phenomena in ferroelectric materials has revolutionized the way people understand polar order. Intriguing examples are polar skyrmions, vortex/anti-vortex structures, and ferroelectric incommensurabilties, which promote emergent physical properties ranging from electric-field-controllable chirality to negative capacitance effects. Here, the impact of topologically protected vortices on the domain formation in improper ferroelectric ErMnO3 polycrystals is studied, demonstrating inverted domain scaling behavior compared to classical ferroelectrics. It is observed that as the grain size increases, smaller domains are formed. Phase field simulations reveal that elastic strain fields drive the annihilation of vortex/anti-vortex pairs within the grains and individual vortices at the grain boundaries. The inversion of the domain scaling behavior has far-reaching implications, providing fundamentally new opportunities for topology-based domain engineering and the tuning of the electromechanical and dielectric performance of ferroelectrics in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Schultheiß
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
| | - Fei Xue
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Erik Roede
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
| | - Håkon W Ånes
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
| | - Frida H Danmo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
| | - Sverre M Selbach
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
| | - Long-Qing Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Dennis Meier
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
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38
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Klein BP, Ihle A, Kachel SR, Ruppenthal L, Hall SJ, Sattler L, Weber SM, Herritsch J, Jaegermann A, Ebeling D, Maurer RJ, Hilt G, Tonner-Zech R, Schirmeisen A, Gottfried JM. Topological Stone-Wales Defects Enhance Bonding and Electronic Coupling at the Graphene/Metal Interface. ACS Nano 2022; 16:11979-11987. [PMID: 35916359 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c01952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Defects play a critical role for the functionality and performance of materials, but the understanding of the related effects is often lacking, because the typically low concentrations of defects make them difficult to study. A prominent case is the topological defects in two-dimensional materials such as graphene. The performance of graphene-based (opto-)electronic devices depends critically on the properties of the graphene/metal interfaces at the contacting electrodes. The question of how these interface properties depend on the ubiquitous topological defects in graphene is of high practical relevance, but could not be answered so far. Here, we focus on the prototypical Stone-Wales (S-W) topological defect and combine theoretical analysis with experimental investigations of molecular model systems. We show that the embedded defects undergo enhanced bonding and electron transfer with a copper surface, compared to regular graphene. These findings are experimentally corroborated using molecular models, where azupyrene mimics the S-W defect, while its isomer pyrene represents the ideal graphene structure. Experimental interaction energies, electronic-structure analysis, and adsorption distance differences confirm the defect-controlled bonding quantitatively. Our study reveals the important role of defects for the electronic coupling at graphene/metal interfaces and suggests that topological defect engineering can be used for performance control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt P Klein
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Ihle
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - Stefan R Kachel
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Ruppenthal
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Lars Sattler
- Institut für Chemie, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße. 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian M Weber
- Institut für Chemie, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße. 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jan Herritsch
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Jaegermann
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Ebeling
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | | | - Gerhard Hilt
- Institut für Chemie, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße. 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Tonner-Zech
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - André Schirmeisen
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - J Michael Gottfried
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße. 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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39
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Park G, Suh A, Zhao H, Lee C, Choi YS, Smalyukh II, Yoon DK. Fabrication of Arrays of Topological Solitons in Patterned Chiral Liquid Crystals for Real-Time Observation of Morphogenesis. Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2201749. [PMID: 35661284 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202201749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Topological solitons have knotted continuous field configurations embedded in a uniform background, and occur in cosmology, biology, and electromagnetism. However, real-time observation of their morphogenesis and dynamics is still challenging because their size and timescale are enormously large or tiny. Liquid crystal (LC) structures are promising candidates for a model-system to study the morphogenesis of topological solitons, enabling direct visualization due to the proper size and timescale. Here, a new way is found to rationalize the real-time observation of the generation and transformation of topological solitons using cholesteric LCs confined in patterned substrates. The experimental demonstration shows the topologically protected structures arise via the transformation of topological defects. Numerical modeling based on minimization of free energy closely reconstructs the experimental findings. The fundamental insights obtained from the direct observations pose new theoretical challenges in understanding the morphogenesis of different types of topological solitons within a broad range of scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geonhyeong Park
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Ahram Suh
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hanqing Zhao
- Department of Physics and Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Changjae Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun-Seok Choi
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Ivan I Smalyukh
- Department of Physics and Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Dong Ki Yoon
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Nanocentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
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40
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Wang M, Cao L, Du X, Zhang Y, Jin F, Zhang M, Li Z, Su K. Highly Dispersed Co-, N-, S-Doped Topological Defect-Rich Hollow Carbon Nanoboxes as Superior Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:25427-25438. [PMID: 35621374 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c04030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Rechargeable Zn-air batteries have received extensive attention due to their use of nontoxic materials, safety, and high energy density. However, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the air electrode of Zn-air batteries both suffer from slow kinetics, limiting their commercialization development. Herein, we prepared Co, N, and S co-doped hollow carbon nanoboxes (Co-N/S-CNBs) rich in topological defects using polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) as a sulfur-rich carbon source. Critically, by utilizing the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), PPS can avoid melting, while simultaneously enabling the catalyst to take on a unique hollow structure. Additional post-treatment to introduce Co and N atoms as active centers further increases the defect sites and microporous structures of the catalyst. Under alkaline electrolytes, the Co-N/S-CNBs enabled Zn-air batteries to exhibit excellent bifunctional catalytic activity for both ORR and OER, surpassing commercial catalysts. Chemical analysis showed that the cracking loss of small molecules from PPS during pyrolysis is the main reason for the formation of topological defects, where the defect sites act as active centers to enhance the catalytic performance. Overall, this work provides new insights into the mechanism of how defects are formed in such a catalyst, as well as shows how a high-performance bifunctional electrocatalyst can be utilized for practical Zn-air batteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingwen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Lei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Simulation and Modelling of Particulate Systems, International Institute for Innovation, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
| | - Xi Du
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Ye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Feibao Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Maliang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Zhenhuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Kunmei Su
- School of Chemistry and Chemistry Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
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41
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Schneider L, Beck P, Neuhaus-Steinmetz J, Rózsa L, Posske T, Wiebe J, Wiesendanger R. Precursors of Majorana modes and their length-dependent energy oscillations probed at both ends of atomic Shiba chains. Nat Nanotechnol 2022; 17:384-389. [PMID: 35256768 PMCID: PMC9018407 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01078-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Isolated Majorana modes (MMs) are highly non-local quantum states with non-Abelian exchange statistics, which localize at the two ends of finite-size 1D topological superconductors of sufficient length. Experimental evidence for MMs is so far based on the detection of several key signatures: for example, a conductance peak pinned to the Fermi energy or an oscillatory peak splitting in short 1D systems when the MMs overlap. However, most of these key signatures were probed only on one of the ends of the 1D system, and firm evidence for an MM requires the simultaneous detection of all the key signatures on both ends. Here we construct short atomic spin chains on a superconductor-also known as Shiba chains-up to a chain length of 45 atoms using tip-assisted atom manipulation in scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments. We observe zero-energy conductance peaks localized at both ends of the chain that simultaneously split off from the Fermi energy in an oscillatory fashion after altering the chain length. By fitting the parameters of a low-energy model to the data, we find that the peaks are consistent with precursors of MMs that evolve into isolated MMs protected by an estimated topological gap of 50 μeV in chains of at least 35 nm length, corresponding to 70 atoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Schneider
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philip Beck
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Levente Rózsa
- Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Thore Posske
- I. Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jens Wiebe
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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42
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Abstract
Constructing bulk graphene materials with well-reserved 2D properties is essential for device and engineering applications of atomically thick graphene. In this article, the recent progress in the fabrications and applications of sterically continuous porous graphene with designable microstructures, chemistries, and properties for energy storage and conversion are reviewed. Both template-based and template-free methods have been developed to synthesize the 3D continuously porous graphene, which typically has the microstructure reminiscent of pseudo-periodic minimal surfaces. The 3D graphene can well preserve the properties of 2D graphene of being highly conductive, surface abundant, and mechanically robust, together with unique 2D electronic behaviors. Additionally, the bicontinuous porosity and large curvature offer new functionalities, such as rapid mass transport, ample open space, mechanical flexibility, and tunable electric/thermal conductivity. Particularly, the 3D curvature provides a new degree of freedom for tailoring the catalysis and transport properties of graphene. The 3D graphene with those extraordinary properties has shown great promises for a wide range of applications, especially for energy conversion and storage. This article overviews the recent advances made in addressing the challenges of developing 3D continuously porous graphene, the benefits and opportunities of the new materials for energy-related applications, and the remaining challenges that warrant future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiuhui Han
- WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Isaac Johnson
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Mingwei Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
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43
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Park JW, Do E, Shin JS, Song SK, Stetsovych O, Jelinek P, Yeom HW. Creation and annihilation of mobile fractional solitons in atomic chains. Nat Nanotechnol 2022; 17:244-249. [PMID: 34934195 PMCID: PMC8930762 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-021-01042-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Localized modes in one-dimensional (1D) topological systems, such as Majonara modes in topological superconductors, are promising candidates for robust information processing. While theory predicts mobile integer and fractional topological solitons in 1D topological insulators, experiments so far have unveiled immobile, integer solitons only. Here we observe fractionalized phase defects moving along trimer silicon atomic chains formed along step edges of a vicinal silicon surface. By means of tunnelling microscopy, we identify local defects with phase shifts of 2π/3 and 4π/3 with their electronic states within the band gap and with their motions activated above 100 K. Theoretical calculations reveal the topological soliton origin of the phase defects with fractional charges of ±2e/3 and ±4e/3. Additionally, we create and annihilate individual solitons at desired locations by current pulses from the probe tip. Mobile and manipulable topological solitons may serve as robust, topologically protected information carriers in future information technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Whan Park
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, Korea
| | - Euihwan Do
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, Korea
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea
| | - Jin Sung Shin
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, Korea
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea
| | - Sun Kyu Song
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, Korea
| | | | - Pavel Jelinek
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Han Woong Yeom
- Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, Korea.
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea.
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44
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Xu C, Li X, Chen P, Zhang Y, Xiang H, Bellaiche L. Assembling Diverse Skyrmionic Phases in Fe 3 GeTe 2 Monolayers. Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2107779. [PMID: 35023226 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202107779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Skyrmionic magnetic states are promising in advanced spintronics. This topic is experiencing recent progress in 2D magnets, with, for example, a near 300 K Curie temperature observed in Fe3 GeTe2 . However, despite previous studies reporting skyrmions in Fe3 GeTe2 , such a system remains elusive, since it has been reported to host either Néel-type or Bloch-type textures, while a net Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) cannot occur in this compound for symmetry reasons. It is thus desirable to develop an accurate model to deeply understand Fe3 GeTe2 . Here, a newly developed method adopting spin invariants is applied to build a first-principle-based Hamiltonian, which predicts colorful topological defects assembled from the unit of Bloch lines, and reveals the critical role of specific forms of fourth-order interactions in Fe3 GeTe2 . Rather than the DMI, it is the multiple fourth-order interactions, with symmetry and spin-orbit couplings considered, that stabilize both Néel-type and Bloch-type skyrmions, as well as antiskyrmions, without any preference for clockwise versus counterclockwise spin rotation. This study also demonstrates that spin invariants can be used as a general approach to study complex magnetic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changsong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Institute of Computational Physical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
- Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, 200232, China
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Xueyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Institute of Computational Physical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
- Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, 200232, China
| | - Peng Chen
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Yun Zhang
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
- Department of Physics and Information Technology, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji, 721016, China
| | - Hongjun Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Computational Physical Sciences (Ministry of Education), Institute of Computational Physical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
- Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, 200232, China
| | - Laurent Bellaiche
- Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
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45
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Chen J, Akomolafe OI, Dhakal NP, Pujyam M, Skalli O, Jiang J, Peng C. Nematic Templated Complex Nanofiber Structures by Projection Display. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:7230-7240. [PMID: 35084814 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c20305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Oriented arrays of nanofibers are ubiquitous in nature and have been widely used in recreation of the biological functions such as bone and muscle tissue regenerations. However, it remains a challenge to produce nanofiber arrays with a complex organization by using current fabrication techniques such as electrospinning and extrusion. In this work, we propose a method to fabricate the complex organization of nanofiber structures templated by a spatially varying ordered liquid crystal host, which follows the pattern produced by a maskless projection display system. By programming the synchronization of the rotated polarizer and projected segments with different shapes, various configurations of nanofiber organization ranging from a single to two-dimensional lattice of arbitrary topological defects are created in a deterministic manner. The nanofiber arrays can effectively guide and promote neurite outgrowth. The application of nanofibers with arced profiles and topological defects on neural tissue organization is also demonstrated. This finding, combined with the versatility and programmability of nanofiber structures, suggests that they will help solve challenges in nerve repair, neural regeneration, and other related tissue engineering fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Chen
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Oluwafemi Isaac Akomolafe
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Netra Prasad Dhakal
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Mahesh Pujyam
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Omar Skalli
- Department of Biology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Jinghua Jiang
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Chenhui Peng
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
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46
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Zakharov A, Beller DA. Shape multistability in flexible tubular crystals through interactions of mobile dislocations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2115423119. [PMID: 35110407 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115423119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Crystalline sheets rolled up into cylinders occur in diverse biological and synthetic systems, including carbon nanotubes, biofilaments of the cellular cytoskeleton, and packings of colloidal particles. In this work, we show, computationally, that such tubular crystals can be programmed with reconfigurable shapes, due to motions of defects that interrupt the periodicity of the crystalline lattice. By identifying and exploiting stable patterns of these defects, we cause tubular crystals to relax into desired target geometries, a design principle that could guide the creation of versatile colloidal analogues to nanotubes. Our results suggest routes to tunable and switchable material properties in ordered, soft materials on deformable surfaces. We study avenues to shape multistability and shape morphing in flexible crystalline membranes of cylindrical topology, enabled by glide mobility of dislocations. Using computational modeling, we obtain states of mechanical equilibrium presenting a wide variety of tubular crystal deformation geometries, due to an interplay of effective defect interactions with out-of-tangent-plane deformations that reorient the tube axis. Importantly, this interplay often stabilizes defect configurations quite distinct from those predicted for a two-dimensional crystal confined to the surface of a rigid cylinder. We find that relative and absolute stability of competing states depend strongly on control parameters such as bending rigidity, applied stress, and spontaneous curvature. Using stable dislocation pair arrangements as building blocks, we demonstrate that targeted macroscopic three-dimensional conformations of thin crystalline tubes can be programmed by imposing certain sparse patterns of defects. Our findings reveal a broad design space for controllable and reconfigurable colloidal tube geometries, with potential relevance also to architected carbon nanotubes and microtubules.
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47
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Rønning J, Marchetti CM, Bowick MJ, Angheluta L. Flow around topological defects in active nematic films. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2022; 478:20210879. [PMID: 35153617 PMCID: PMC8791053 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2021.0879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We study the active flow around isolated defects and the self-propulsion velocity of +1/2 defects in an active nematic film with both viscous dissipation (with viscosity η) and frictional damping Γ with a substrate. The interplay between these two dissipation mechanisms is controlled by the hydrodynamic dissipation length ℓd=η/Γ that screens the flows. For an isolated defect, in the absence of screening from other defects, the size of the shear vorticity around the defect is controlled by the system size R. In the presence of friction that leads to a finite value of ℓd, the vorticity field decays to zero on the lengthscales larger than ℓd. We show that the self-propulsion velocity of +1/2 defects grows with R in small systems where R<ℓd, while in the infinite system limit or when R≫ℓd, it approaches a constant value determined by ℓd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Rønning
- Njord Centre, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1048, Oslo 0316, Norway
| | - Cristina M Marchetti
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Mark J Bowick
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Luiza Angheluta
- Njord Centre, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1048, Oslo 0316, Norway
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48
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Grünebohm A, Marathe M, Khachaturyan R, Schiedung R, Lupascu DC, Shvartsman VV. Interplay of domain structure and phase transitions: theory, experiment and functionality. J Phys Condens Matter 2021; 34:073002. [PMID: 34731841 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac3607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Domain walls and phase boundaries are fundamental ingredients of ferroelectrics and strongly influence their functional properties. Although both interfaces have been studied for decades, often only a phenomenological macroscopic understanding has been established. The recent developments in experiments and theory allow to address the relevant time and length scales and revisit nucleation, phase propagation and the coupling of domains and phase transitions. This review attempts to specify regularities of domain formation and evolution at ferroelectric transitions and give an overview on unusual polar topological structures that appear as transient states and at the nanoscale. We survey the benefits, validity, and limitations of experimental tools as well as simulation methods to study phase and domain interfaces. We focus on the recent success of these tools in joint scale-bridging studies to solve long lasting puzzles in the field and give an outlook on recent trends in superlattices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Grünebohm
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulations (ICAMS), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Madhura Marathe
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulations (ICAMS), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
- Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Ruben Khachaturyan
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulations (ICAMS), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Raphael Schiedung
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulations (ICAMS), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
- National Institute for Material Science (NIMS), Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
| | - Doru C Lupascu
- Institute for Materials Science and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Vladimir V Shvartsman
- Institute for Materials Science and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany
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49
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Gongadze E, Mesarec L, Kralj S, Kralj-Iglič V, Iglič A. On the Role of Electrostatic Repulsion in Topological Defect-Driven Membrane Fission. Membranes (Basel) 2021; 11:membranes11110812. [PMID: 34832041 PMCID: PMC8619715 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11110812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Within a modified Langevin Poisson–Boltzmann model of electric double layers, we derived an analytical expression for osmotic pressure between two charged surfaces. The orientational ordering of the water dipoles as well as the space dependencies of electric potentials, electric fields, and osmotic pressure between two charged spheres were taken into account in the model. Thus, we were able to capture the interaction between the parent cell and connected daughter vesicle or the interactions between neighbouring beads in necklace-like membrane protrusions. The predicted repulsion between them can facilitate the topological antidefect-driven fission of membrane daughter vesicles and the fission of beads of undulated membrane protrusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Gongadze
- Laboratory of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (E.G.); (L.M.)
| | - Luka Mesarec
- Laboratory of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (E.G.); (L.M.)
| | - Samo Kralj
- Condensed Matter Physics Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Veronika Kralj-Iglič
- Laboratory of Clinical Biophysics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Aleš Iglič
- Laboratory of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (E.G.); (L.M.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +386-1-4768-825
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50
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Thijssen K, Khaladj DA, Aghvami SA, Gharbi MA, Fraden S, Yeomans JM, Hirst LS, Shendruk TN. Submersed micropatterned structures control active nematic flow, topology, and concentration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2106038118. [PMID: 34535551 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106038118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Coupling between flows and material properties imbues rheological matter with its wide-ranging applicability, hence the excitement for harnessing the rheology of active fluids for which internal structure and continuous energy injection lead to spontaneous flows and complex, out-of-equilibrium dynamics. We propose and demonstrate a convenient, highly tunable method for controlling flow, topology, and composition within active films. Our approach establishes rheological coupling via the indirect presence of fully submersed micropatterned structures within a thin, underlying oil layer. Simulations reveal that micropatterned structures produce effective virtual boundaries within the superjacent active nematic film due to differences in viscous dissipation as a function of depth. This accessible method of applying position-dependent, effective dissipation to the active films presents a nonintrusive pathway for engineering active microfluidic systems.
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