Continuum modeling approaches are well established in materials science and engineering of metals. They enable the quantitative investigation of diverse questions related to the improved understanding of mechanics and microstructure evolution of various material classes. Applicable to time and length scales relevant in manufacturing and service, continuum modeling approaches are widely used to study engineering-related phenomena such as recrystallization, strain localization, fracture initiation, and phase transformations. However, focusing on individual physical aspects hampers the wider routine use of continuum modeling tools for many engineering applications. With the advent of multi-physics modeling tools developed with the help of and parametrized by (sub-)micrometer-scale simulations and experiments, a huge variety of applications such as hot rolling, bake-hardening, and case-hardening comes within reach for full-field integrated computational materials engineering. Moreover, the integration of experimentally characterized microstructures and the use of user friendly simulation and evaluation tools render powerful modeling approaches feasible for a broad materials science user community. The state of the art and future trends of mechanical, thermodynamic, and kinetic continuum modeling of metallic materials at the grain scale are outlined in this prospective article.

Considered as a less hazardous piezoelectric material, potassium sodium niobate (KNN) has been in the fore of the search for replacement of lead (Pb) zirconate titanate for piezoelectrics applications. Here, we challenge the environmental credentials of KNN due to the presence of ~60 wt% Nb2O5, a substance much less toxic to humans than Pb oxide, but whose mining and extraction cause significant environmental damage.

The Magnetoelectric (ME) effect has been observed in single phase hexaferrite bulk and thin films of SrCo2Ti2Fe8O19. In this paper we demonstrate that the ME linear coupling depends strongly on the Co ion concentration relative to the Ti ion concentration exhibiting extremum points at a concentration consistent with above formula. The Alternating Target Laser Ablation Deposition technique was utilized to deposit ME hexaferrite films for the first time. This allows for the deposition of transition metal ions at specific sites in the basic unit cell of the hexaferrite.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing generates cellular architected metamaterials with complex geometries by introducing controlled porosity. Their ordered architecture, imitative from the hierarchical high-strength structure in nature, defines the mechanical properties that can be coupled with other properties such as the acoustic, thermal, or biologic response. Recent progress in the field of 3D architecture materials have advanced that enables for design of lightweight materials with high strength and stiffness at low densities. Applications of these materials have been identified in the fields of ultra-lightweight structures, thermal management, electrochemical devices, and high absorption capacity.

Soft tissue-to-bone interfaces are complex structures that consist of gradients of extracellular matrix materials, cell phenotypes, and biochemical signals. These interfaces, called entheses for ligaments, tendons, and the meniscus, are crucial to joint function, transferring mechanical loads and stabilizing orthopedic joints. When injuries occur to connected soft tissue, the enthesis must be re-established to restore function, but due to structural complexity, repair has proven challenging. Tissue engineering offers a promising solution for regenerating these tissues. This prospective review discusses methodologies for tissue engineering the enthesis, outlined in three key design inputs: materials processing methods, cellular contributions, and biochemical factors.

Shape memory ceramics show potential for energy damping and actuation applications. In particular, small-scale structures of zirconia-based ceramics demonstrate significantly enhanced shape memory and superelastic properties compared with their bulk counterparts, mainly because an oligocrystalline or single-crystal microscale structure reduces mismatch stresses amongst grains. In this Prospective article, we review recent experiments that explore the shape memory properties of small-scale zirconia-based ceramics, including the effects of composition, sample and grain size, and cyclic loading. These factors are reviewed with an eye toward rendering shape memory ceramics more useful in future applications.

In the recent years, several investigators are incorporating nanotechnology, one of the most powerful trendsetters in material research, to conventional polymer prepregs to enhance mechanical properties of composite strucutures. The current paper outlines the role of nanotechnology in reinforcing resin and challenges for fabricating nanomaterial reinforced prepregs. As delamination is the most critical problem for composite materials, the current study only focuses the application nanotechnology as a possible solution to alleviate delamination problems in laminated composites. The importance of nanoengineered prepregs is discussed in a viewpoint of improvement in interlaminar properties of the laminated composite materials.

Recent years have seen an increased application of small-scale uniaxial testing—microcompression—to the study of plasticity in macroscopically brittle materials. By suppressing fast fracture, new insights into deformation mechanisms of more complex crystals have become available, which had previously been out of reach of experiments. Structurally complex intermetallics, metallic compounds, or oxides are commonly brittle, but in some cases extraordinary, though currently mostly unpredictable, mechanical properties are found. This paper aims to give a survey of current advances, outstanding challenges, and practical considerations in testing such hard, brittle, and anisotropic crystals.

Neurological and psychiatric disorders account for an increasing proportion of the global disease burden. Correspondingly the neuropharmaceutical industry has experienced a significant contraction in recent years resulting in a poor variety of therapies available to treat an expanding range of conditions. Perhaps the greatest contributor to this failure in drug-discovery is the lack of understanding of the underlying biology of the nervous system and how molecular scale events translate into macroscale pathologies. Due to the unique nature of the human nervous system commonly used model organisms are often poorly representative of human pathologies resulting in a need for the development of advanced in vitro models that are capable of faithfully modeling complex structures within the brain. In this prospective, strategies for the generation of neuronal circuits and cultivation of complex three-dimensional (3D) cultures are explored. Frequently these constructs provide valuable insights into systems and processes that are difficult to explore in vivo due to the isolated and delicate nature of neuronal tissues. New developments are required to assess the physiological functions of 3D tissues in vitro.

Self-assembly of multiferroic oxide composites by chemical and biochemical methodology is discussed. The approach involves covalently attaching organic functional groups or oligomeric DNA/RNA to the nanoparticles (NPs). The organic functional groups are only reactive toward functional groups located on different NPs. Using oligomeric DNA/RNA, one could program NPs to only interact with particles possessing complementary DNA/RNA. We have applied both concepts to the assembly of nanostructures with ferrites for the ferromagnetic phase and barium titanate for the ferroelectric phase. The assembled core–shell particles and superstructures obtained in a magnetic field show evidence for strong interactions between the magnetic and ferroelectric subsystems.

The demand for high-frequency (HF) and low-cost rectifiers has encouraged many researchers to investigate organic rectifiers. Recently, organic rectifiers with enhanced intrinsic carrier mobility and charge injection efficiency have enabled operating frequencies to reach up to a gigahertz (GHz). The metal/organic and organic/organic interfaces have played a significant role in determining the electrical properties of the organic rectifiers. In this prospective article, we review the structure of organic rectifiers and present the current state-of-the-art to attain their HF performance. We discuss methods for improving their electrical properties using interface engineering and present future prospects for practical use of GHz-operable organic rectifiers.

The diverse and fascinating properties of transition metal oxides stem from the strongly correlated electronic degrees of freedom; the scientific challenge and range of possible applications of these materials have caused fascination among physicists and materials scientists, thus capturing research efforts for nearly a century. Here, we focus on the binary V x O y and the ternary perovskite AVO3 and review the key aspects from the underlying physical framework and their basic properties, recent strides made in thin-film synthesis, to recent efforts to implement vanadium-based oxides for practical applications that augment existing technologies, which surpass limitations of conventional materials.

To gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of neurological disease, relevant tissue models are imperative. Over the years, this realization has fuelled the development of novel tools and platforms, which aim at capturing in vivo complexity. One example is the field of biofabrication, which focuses on fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) biologically functional products in a controlled and automated manner. Herein, we provide a general overview of classical 3D cell culture platforms, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative disease. Subsequently, the focus is put on bioprinting-based biofabrication, its potential to advance 3D neuronal cell culture and, to conclude, the relevant translational bottlenecks, which will need to be considered as the field evolves.

Due to the recent outbreak of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in several regions, rapid, and accurate methods to diagnose Zika infection are in demand, particularly in regions that are on the frontline of a ZIKV outbreak. In this paper, three diagnostic methods for ZIKV are considered. Viral isolation is the gold standard for detection; this approach can involve incubation of cell cultures. Serological identification is based on the interactions between viral antigens and immunoglobulin G or immunoglobulin M antibodies; cross-reactivity with other types of flaviviruses can cause reduced specificity with this approach. Molecular confirmation, such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR), involves reverse transcription of RNA and amplification of DNA. Quantitative analysis based on real-time RT–PCR can be undertaken by comparing fluorescence measurements against previously developed standards. A recently developed programmable paper-based detection approach can provide low-cost and rapid analysis. These viral identification and viral genetic analysis approaches play crucial roles in understanding the transmission of ZIKV.

Rechargeable magnesium (Mg) battery has been considered as a promising candidate for future battery generations because of its potential high-energy density, its safety features and low cost. The challenges lying ahead for the realization of Mg battery in general are to develop proper electrolytes fulfilling a multitude of requirements and to discover cathode materials enabling high-energy Mg batteries. The combination of Mg anode with a sulfur cathode is one of the promising electrochemical couples due to its advantages of safety, low costs, and a high theoretical energy density of over 3200 Wh/L. However, the research on magnesium–sulfur (Mg–S) battery is just at its beginning and the development of suitable electrolytes has been the key challenge for further improvement, and, thus, in the focus of recent research. In this review, we highlight the recent progress achieved in Mg electrolytes and Mg–S batteries and discuss the major technical issues, which must be resolved for the improvement of Mg–S batteries.

Recent observations on strength and deformation of small metals containing microstructures, including dislocation patterns, grain boundaries, and second-phase precipitates are reviewed. These microstructures impose an internal length scale that may interplay with the extrinsic length scale due to the specimen size to affect strength and deformation in an intricate manner. For micro-crystals containing pre-existing dislocations, Taylor work-hardening may dictate the dependence of strength on specimen size. The presence of grain boundaries in a small specimen may lead to effects far from the conventional Hall–Petch behavior. Precipitate–dislocation interactions in a small specimen may lead to an interesting weakest-size behavior.

This work presents the recent progress in the development of the concurrent atomistic-continuum (CAC) method for coarse-grained space- and time-resolved atomistic simulations of phonon transport. Application examples, including heat pulses propagating across grain boundaries and phase interfaces, as well as the interactions between phonons and moving dislocations, are provided to demonstrate the capabilities of CAC. The simulation results provide visual evidence and reveal the underlying physics of a variety of phenomena, including phonon focusing, wave interference, dislocation drag, interfacial Kapitza resistance caused by quasi-ballistic phonon transport, etc. A new method to quantify fluxes in transient transport processes is also introduced.

Recent advances in synchrotron based x-ray spectroscopy enable materials scientists to emanate fingerprints on important materials properties, e.g., electronic, optical, structural, and magnetic properties, in real-time and under nearly real-world conditions. This characterization in combination with optimized materials synthesis routes and tailored morphological properties could contribute greatly to the advances in solid-state electronics and renewable energy technologies. In connection to this, such perspective reflects the current materials research in the space of emerging energy technologies, namely photocatalysis, with a focus on transition metal oxides, mainly on the Fe2O3- and TiO2-based materials.

Tissue engineering has been recognized as a translational approach to replace damaged tissue or whole organs. Engineering tissue, however, faces an outstanding knowledge gap in the challenge to fully recapitulate complex organ-specific features. Major components, such as cells, matrix, and architecture, must each be carefully controlled to engineer tissue-specific structure and function that mimics what is found in vivo. Here we review different methods to engineer tissue, and discuss critical challenges in recapitulating the unique features and functional units in four major organs—the kidney, liver, heart, and lung, which are also the top four candidates for organ transplantation in the USA. We highlight advances in tissue engineering approaches to enable the regeneration of complex tissue and organ substitutes, and provide tissue-specific models for drug testing and disease modeling. We discuss the current challenges and future perspectives toward engineering human tissue models.