Three-dimensional powder printing (3DP) is attractive for the direct fabrication of bioceramic implants and scaffolds from a computer aided design file for bone tissue engineering by localized deposition of a reactive binder liquid onto thin powder layers. This article reviews recent findings on novel material developments for the three-dimensional (3D) printing process using either sintering regimes or cement setting reactions. Customized ceramic implants can be fabricated by 3DP using computer tomography data obtained from a patient, whereas further drug modification of such implants can be achieved either in situ or post-printing. The excellent biological in vitro and in vivo behavior of 3D-printed bioceramics together with processing at ambient conditions may give the opportunity to directly produce cell-seeded patient-specific implants for accelerated and enhanced bone regeneration in the future.

Learning from nature and starting from the lotus leaf, we have used a four-step strategy to develop a superwetting system ranging from two-dimensional interfaces to nanochannels and fibers. First, we explored unique superwetting properties in nature from lotus leaves, mosquito eyes, strider legs, rose petals, rice leaves, and butterfly wings, to fish scales, spider silks, and cacti. Second, we investigated the correlation between the multiscale structures and superwettability. Third, we designed target molecules to prepare bioinspired functional materials with promising applications, such as self-cleaning coatings, water/oil separation, water collection, and energy conversion. Finally, by combining two complementary properties and achieving reversible switching between them, we were able to develop bioinspired smart interfacial materials with superwettability.

The present study focuses on a quantitative analysis of electrical resistivity in monovalent-doped manganites La1−x Agx MnO3 (x = 0.05 and 0.1). The electrical resistivity data in the ferromagnetic (FM) metallic phase are analyzed by considering a temperature-independent inelastic scattering of the electrons (due to domain and grain boundaries, defects, etc.) and other temperature-dependent elastic scattering mechanisms (electron–electron, electron–phonon, and electron–magnon). The Debye and Einstein temperatures are deduced from the model Hamiltonian containing potential energy contribution from the long-range Coulomb, van der Waals (vdW) interaction, and short-range repulsive interaction up to the second-neighbor ions. The electron–phonon scattering partially describes the reported FM metallic resistivity behavior with temperature for La1−x Agx MnO3 (x = 0.05 and 0.1). The T 2 and T 4.5 terms accounting for electron–electron and electron–magnon interactions are essential for the correct description of resistivity. The Mott–Ioffe–Regel criterion for metallic conductivity is valid, and k F l ∼ 1, εFτ ∼ 1.

A three-dimensional nanostructured graphene oxide–Mn3O4 hybrid was synthesized by a coprecipitation method and used as an anode material of lithium ion batteries, which reached an initial specific capacity of 1400 mA h/g. This method was developed to simplify the process of fabricating uniform composite nanomaterials for abundant applications. In this work, Mn3O4 particles were coordinately distributed on the surface of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets to avoid detrimental stacking of graphene layers by forming 3D nanostructures, as characterized by a scanning electron microscope. As demonstrated by the in situ observation of a scanning probe microscope, severe pulverization of Mn3O4 particles during charge/discharge processing was significantly abstained when graphene layers constrained swelling and shrinkage. The as-prepared graphene–Mn3O4 nanomaterials exhibited a large specific capacity of 949 mA h/g, high-rechargeable efficiency of ∼98%, and exceptional cyclic stability. After 100 constant-current charging/discharging cycles at 100 mA/g, the specific capacity remained at 792 mA h/g with a coulombic efficiency of 98.1%. Furthermore, the coprecipitation method proposed in this work provides a strategy to fabricate other nanostructured composites for different kinds of applications.

In this study, a novel hybrid block copolymer containing POSS (BCP), poly(methacrylisobutyl-POSS)-b-poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMAiBuPOSS-b-PMMA) was synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The structure and molecular weight were characterized via 1H NMR and GPC. BCP was creatively used as the compatibilizer to overcome the bad compatibility of epoxy and POSS in their blend system. SEM and dynamic mechanical thermal analyses (DMTA) were used to observe the surface morphology and thermal–mechanical behaviors of the resultant products. We found that the amount of microaggregation domains of POSS decreased, while the nano ones increased, when BCP content increased. All the aggregation domains were distributed in epoxy matrix uniformly at nanoscale with the addition of 10 phr BCP and 5 phr POSS monomers. The results indicated that BCP could effectively improve the compatibility between epoxy resin and POSS owing to its amphiphilicity in DGEBA. The fracture behavior of products transformed from brittle fracture to ductile fracture gradually with the increase of BCP, whereas the T g and E′ decreased.

Grain boundary (GB) segregation can markedly improve the stability of nanostructured alloys, where the fraction of GB sites is inherently large. Here, we explore the concept of entropically supported GB segregation in alloys with a tendency to phase-separate and its role in stabilizing nanostructures therein. These duplex nanocrystalline alloys are notably different, both in a structural and thermodynamic sense, from the previously studied “classical” nanocrystalline alloys, which are solid solutions with GB segregation of solute. Experiments are conducted on the W–Cr system, in which nanoduplex structures are expected. Upon heating ball-milled W–15 at.% Cr up to 950 °C, a nanoscale Cr-rich phase was found along the GBs. These precipitates mostly dissolved into the W-rich grains leaving behind Cr-enriched GBs upon further heating to 1400 °C. The presence of Cr-rich nanoprecipitates and GB segregation of Cr is in line with prediction from our Monte Carlo simulation when GB states are incorporated into the alloy thermodynamics.

The effects of Fe2B-grain orientation on microstructure and properties of bulk Fe2B intermetallic fabricated by directional and ordinary solidification techniques have been investigated. The results show that unidirectional solidified Fe2B intermetallic possesses a strong (002) texture in the transverse direction owing to the opposite unidirectional heat-squeeze effect while random Fe2B grains can be produced under ordinary solidification conditions. The nonoriented Fe2B intermetallic has the highest linear expansion coefficient of 13.04 × 10−6 °C−1 while the microhardness and fracture toughness of transverse Fe2B intermetallic in the (002) plane are larger than those of Fe2B with other grain orientations and their values are ∼18.72 GPa and 6.42 MPa·m1/2, respectively. Liquid zinc corrosion results indicate that unidirectional Fe2B intermetallic with long axis perpendicular to the direction of liquid zinc corrosion displays the best corrosion resistance to liquid zinc owing to its beneficial barrier effect. The FeB transition phase can naturally form and grow parabolically during liquid zinc corrosion.

An AlTiCrN coating was prepared on a YT14 cutting tool, whose friction and wear behaviors were investigated with a wear test at 900 and 1000 °C, respectively. The results show that the phases of the AlTiCrN coating mainly are composed of AlN, CrN, and TiN. The elements of Al, Ti, Cr, and N in the coating show gradient and transition distributions at the bonding interface; the C atoms of the substrate have diffused into the lattices of TiN, AlN, and CrN to form the obvious interdiffusion layer; and the interface bonding strength is 57.65 N. The coating is composed of different metal oxides and compound oxides at 900 and 1000 °C. The worn surface is relatively smooth at 900 °C, whose average coefficient of friction (COF) is 0.42, while the worn surface produces severe plastic deformation at 1000 °C, whose average COF is 0.45. There are enriched and depleted stripes with uniformly distributed chemical elements on the worn scar, which is expressed with uniform wear at the high temperatures.

We have clarified the performance of two tungsten–helium analytical interatomic potentials, one of which, developed by Li et al., is a bond-order potential, and another, developed by Juslin et al., is a combination of embedded atom method potential and pair potential. Using these two potentials, we have simulated and made a full comparison of formation energy and migration energy of different defects including helium and vacancy, binding energies of helium and vacancy with helium-vacancy cluster, surface energy, as well as melting point, with reference to the corresponding results from the first-principles and experiments.