This study investigates the magnetisation process of a martensitic Ni–Mn–Ga thin film with microstructure optimized to obtain a unidirectional and reversible magnetisation jump. The study has been realised by a thorough vector magnetometry characterisation and supported by micromagnetic modelling, considering different orientations of the applied field with respect to the symmetry directions of the

As spintronic devices become more and more prevalent, the desire to find Pt-free materials with large spin Hall effects is increasing. Previously it was shown that β-W, the metastable A15 structured variant of pure W, has charge-spin conversion efficiencies on par with Pt, and it was predicted that β-W/Ta alloys should be even more efficient. Here we demonstrate the enhancement of the spin Hall ratio

Engineering of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is highly sought after for novel optoelectronic and spintronic devices. With the limited number of naturally existing TMDs, chalcogen based alloying has become a viable solution for developing TMDs for optical modulators and photovoltaics. Here, we report on detailed optical and microscopic studies of ternary TMD alloys of molybdenum

To control rheological properties and accomplish perfect sensory properties and mouthfeel, polysaccharides are added to milk-based beverages. However, in contrast to expectations, it is often found that adding low concentrations of xanthan gum or guar gum to milk provokes phase separations of unclear physical origin. From this observation, questions arise regarding the interaction of added polysaccharides

Crystallography employing conventional large-volume diffraction has enabled the firm connections between structure and properties and structure and function that have solved many of the most difficult problems in materials science and biology. Disordered materials possess a large variety of local structural arrangements and pose a special challenge for crystallography. Often the local structures and

Metal halide perovskite-based nanostructures, nanosheets and nanoparticles at the forefront, show attractive optoelectronic properties, suitable for photovoltaics and light emission applications. Achieving a sounded understanding of these basic electronic and optical properties represents therefore a crucial step for the full technological exploitation of this class of semiconductors. The rapidly expanding

A topical review of recent theoretical work on the properties of lyotropic solutions and melts containing semiflexible polymers in thermal equilibrium is given, with a focus on the liquid-crystalline and smectic order of these systems in the bulk and under confinement. Starting with a discussion of single chain properties in terms of the Kratky-Porod worm-like chain model and its limitations, extensions

The family of 2D materials has expanded quite rapidly, especially with the addition of transition metal carbides and nitrides called MXenes, in the last decade. Since their discovery in 2011, about 30 different MXenes have been synthesized, and the structure and properties of several dozens have been predicted by first-principles approaches. Given the outstanding advances in the MXene field, it is

Infinite-layer nickelate thin films materialize an intriguing new platform for high-temperature unconventional superconductivity, with LaNiO 2 /SrTiO 3 as reference setup. We discuss the relative stability of the elementary interfaces of this system and determine the corresponding electronic band structure. We find substantial changes compared to the bulk, in particular in relation to the 5 d orbital

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) receives a great deal of attention because of its intriguing properties of metal-insulator transition and its wide applications in electronics, optoelecronics, smart coatings, and so on. To further enhance the performance of their applications, low dimensional VO 2 nanomaterials, such as nanobeams and nanomembranes, have become a research hotspot due to their structural advantages

Recently, two-dimension transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides called MXenes have attracted huge attention due to their outstanding physical properties in various fields. Here we highlight the enormous potential of MXenes as nonlinear optical materials in the laser technologies, which includes ultrafast laser pulse generation, laser frequency modulation based on four-wave mixing, and