Rapid solidification by melt-spinning produces aluminum alloys with extremely refined microstructures but also introduces strong structural gradients across the ribbon thickness. In this work, the microstructural evolution of a rapidly solidified Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy was investigated during model homogenization using in situ STEM heating experiments and correlated with bulk electrical-resistivity measurements. The as-cast ribbons exhibit two distinct solidification zones: a near-contact region consisting of columnar cells containing fine Cu-rich spherical precipitates, and a central region composed of larger eutectic cells enriched in Al2Cu and Al7Cu2Fe phases. Stepwise in situ STEM annealing between 200 °C and 500 °C reveals a sequence of transformations, including matrix depletion due to precipitation of strengthening phases, coarsening of primary phases, and formation of Al3(Sc,Zr) dispersoids. Above 500 °C, rapid dissolution of Cu-rich primary phases occurs, leaving only a limited number of stable grain-boundary particles of the Al7Cu2Fe phase, eliminating the original two-zone structure, and resulting in a fully homogenized ribbon. Ex situ annealing confirms that the resulting microstructure is uniform across the ribbon thickness and enables consistent precipitation strengthening during artificial aging. The proposed annealing treatment is based on numerical models for homogenization of eutectic systems. The final annealing step combines homogenization and solution treatment at 530 °C for periods close to 5 min—two orders of magnitude shorter than standard holding times. Microhardness measurements from both ribbon surfaces reveal an identical peak-aged hardness of 135 HV, validating the effectiveness of the short-time homogenization strategy for rapidly solidified Al-Cu-Li-Mg-based alloys.

Mg-doped ZnO (Zn1−xMgxO, x = 0.00–0.05) thin films were successfully grown on glass substrates with a c-axis orientation at 600 °C using the sol–gel dip-coating technique. The structural features, defect-related photoluminescence, and optical constants of the films were systematically investigated as a function of Mg concentration. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed a single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferential (002) orientation for all compositions, indicating the successful substitution of Mg2+ ions into the ZnO lattice. The crystallite size (D002) was found to vary between 28.49 and 41.18 nm, while microstrain and stress exhibited non-monotonic behavior depending on Mg content. This behavior reveals a transition from compressive to tensile stress due to lattice distortion and defect formation. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed a dominant near-band-edge (NBE) ultraviolet emission, along with broad visible emissions extending from violet to red. Optical constants were accurately extracted using a double-facet-coated substrate (DFCS) model, combined with nonlinear curve fitting using the Nelder–Mead optimization algorithm. The films showed a strong absorption edge at about 370 nm and exceptional optical transparency (≈60–80%) in the visible spectrum. The systematic blue shift in the extinction coefficient with increasing Mg content confirms bandgap engineering in Zn1−xMgxO thin films. The refractive index dispersion was successfully modeled using the Cauchy relation, demonstrating composition-dependent tunable optical properties. Depending on the Mg content, the optical bandgap values ranged from approximately 3.265 to 3.315 eV. The band-edge states and optical constants are strongly affected by the combined effects of defect development, Mg-induced lattice distortion, and changes in optical dispersion. These results indicate that sol–gel-derived Mg-doped ZnO thin films with composition-dependent stress states, defect states, and tunable optical properties are promising candidates for UV photodetectors, optical coatings, and transparent optoelectronic devices.

This study presented an application of thermomechanical processing consisting of cold rolling and subsequent annealing in SP2215 heat-resistant steel to investigate the effects of thermomechanical processing parameters on the evolution of grain boundary character distribution (GBCD) and to elucidate the relationship between GBCD and creep properties. The experimental results show that the optimal process, characterized by 10% cold rolling reduction followed by annealing at 1100 °C for 10 min, was determined to significantly increase the fraction of low-Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries up to 74.27%, and effectively disrupt the connectivity of the random boundary network, as corroborated by the highest average twin-related domain (TRD) size of 42.58 μm and average number of grains per TRD of 7.28. Such a modified GBCD leads to a notable enhancement in creep performance, resulting from the induction of a high fraction of low-Σ CSL boundaries and the disruption of the random boundary network, which effectively inhibits intergranular crack initiation and propagation during creep deformation.

X-ray techniques provide powerful, non-destructive tools for structural characterization in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging. Their strong penetration capability and sensitivity to multiple contrast mechanisms enable the investigation of lattice structure, strain, defects, interfaces, and elemental distribution across a wide range of length scales. As semiconductor devices evolve toward three-dimensional architectures and heterogeneous integration, there is an increasing demand for characterization approaches capable of probing complex, buried, and multi-scale structures in a consistent manner. In this review, we present a systematic overview of X-ray characterization techniques for advanced semiconductor systems, including diffraction-based methods, small-angle scattering, computed tomography, X-ray fluorescence, and spectroscopic approaches. These techniques are discussed in terms of the type of structural, morphological, and compositional information they provide, their applicable length scales, and their strengths and limitations in addressing key challenges such as thin films, high-aspect-ratio structures, buried interfaces, and full wafers. Particular attention is given to the complementary nature of different X-ray modalities and their roles in addressing practical metrology problems. The limitations associated with resolution, model dependence, and data interpretation are also outlined. Finally, emerging opportunities in laboratory X-ray sources, synchrotron-based methods, and integrated characterization strategies are briefly discussed. This review aims to provide a unified perspective for understanding and integrating X-ray techniques, offering insights into their roles in addressing the growing complexity of next-generation semiconductor devices.

In the pursuit of sustainable and flexible electronics, polymer-based conductive films offer a promising solution due to their biodegradability, mechanical flexibility, and cost-effective fabrication. This study presents the development of a highly conductive and flexible nanocomposite material based on polyaniline-grafted chitosan (PANI-g-Chs) and Vinavil (Vi, a vinyl glue specifically designed for enhancing the sealability of textiles and paper), serving as a matrix for applications in flexible electronics. The PANI-g-Chs nanocomposite was synthesized via in situ oxidative polymerization, where chitosan nanoparticles (Chs) served as a stabilizing template to prevent PANI aggregation, reducing the particle size from 1700 nm (pristine PANI) to 180 nm (PANI-g-Chs). The resulting composite exhibited exceptional electrical conductivity (77.79 S/m at 25 wt% PANI-g-Chs). Hall effect measurements showed that the carrier mobility increased up to 1162.7 cm2/V·s and the carrier density rose to 6.5.1017 cm−3, confirming efficient charge transport and network formation. Mechanical analysis revealed a 300% increase in the storage modulus for PANI-g-Chs, and thermal studies confirmed stability up to 300 °C. Optical characterization showed a reduced bandgap (3.6 eV) and extended π-conjugation, which are critical for optoelectronic applications. Application tests demonstrated stable conductivity under mechanical deformation, highlighting the material’s potential for use in flexible electronics, sensors, and sustainable conductive coatings. This work offers a viable alternative to conventional conductive polymers.

The crystal structure of proteins is generally considered static due to the constraints imposed by crystal packing. We determined the crystal structure of rice NADP-malic enzyme 2 (OsNADP-ME2), an oxidative decarboxylase that converts malic acid to pyruvate and provides NADPH to generate reactive oxygen species. The OsNADP-ME2 is crystallized as a tetramer in the space group of P21. In the crystal, all the crystal packing interactions are made through the NADP-binding domain of the enzyme. Interestingly, a protomer shows a conformational change, with a 7.4° tilt in the NADP-binding domain. Basically, the crystal packing consists of a horizontal arrangement of vertically parallel P21 screw axes. In the vertical direction, a protomer (Mol A) is tightly sandwiched by two protomers (Mol C) of nearby tetramers and vice versa. In the horizontal direction, two protomers (Mol B and D) of a tetramer are parallelly bound to nearby tetramers, of which one protomer (Mol B) has tighter interactions than the other protomer (Mol D). The protomer Mol D, with the least interaction surface in the crystal packing, adopts an open conformation of the NADP-binding domain, which may be the flexible part of the enzyme for NADP+ cofactor binding. Crystallization can provide valuable information for protein structure.

Microbial cutinases are promising biocatalysts for polymer recycling. Here, we investigated the structural basis of catalytic activation in a thermophilic cutinase from Chaetomium thermophilum (CtCut). Differential scanning calorimetry revealed a three-state thermal unfolding pathway (Tm = 66.4 °C and 69.5 °C), indicating hierarchical stability. To capture distinct conformational states while avoiding affinity-tag artifacts, we employed both tag-free and tagged constructs. We determined apo-structures of wild-type and S136A mutant CtCut at 1.7 Å resolution and a complementary inhibitor complex at 2.65 Å. In the apo-state, a chloride ion coordinated the electrostatically pre-organized active site, while the catalytic H204 adopted a solvent-exposed, inactive loop conformation. In the inhibitor complex, p-nitrophenol displaced the chloride, establishing a characteristic oxyanion hole network. Concomitantly, the “lid” loop transitioned to an open state, with H204 exhibiting pronounced conformational heterogeneity across eight independent molecules. These complementary structures provide structural evidence for conformational dynamics of the catalytic lid loop, consistent with the conformational cycling model previously proposed for a mesophilic homolog.

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of a special activating component, under the ZB-3 brand, on the welding and technological properties of a welding electrode when incorporated into the coating of a rutile welding electrode. Pulsed radiation activation was used to produce the nanostructured activating component ZB-3. The results showed the beneficial effect of the electrode doped with ZB-3 on the formation of welding beads. At the same time, an improvement in the quality of weld formation is observed with a ZB-3 activator content of up to 8%. The qualities of the weld formation were significantly improved. Also, an increase in the breaking length of the electrode arc by more than 10% was established with a ZB-3 activator content of up to 2%, and the depth of penetration of the welded metal increased to 40%.

To investigate the effect of cooling rate on the phase transformation behavior and mechanical properties of 9Ni steel, a 7 mm thick industrial 9Ni steel plate was selected as the research object in this study. The JMatPro software was employed to simulate and calculate key parameters, including the thermodynamic phase diagram, CCT curve, and mechanical properties. Meanwhile, static thermal simulation experiments at cooling rates ranging from 0.5 to 30 °C/s were conducted on a Gleeble-3500 thermal simulation testing machine. Microstructure characterization and property tests were carried out using a metallographic microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Vickers hardness tester, and the experimental CCT curve was subsequently plotted and compared with the simulation results. The results revealed that the microstructure of 9Ni steel changed regularly with the cooling rate. With the increase in cooling rate, the ferrite content decreased continuously, the bainite content increased initially and then decreased, and the martensite content increased continuously. At a cooling rate of 30 °C/s, the martensite content reached approximately 90%. The microhardness of 9Ni steel initially sharply increased and then stabilized with the increase in cooling rate, stabilizing at 359 HV1 at a cooling rate of 30 °C/s. The phase transformation law of the measured CCT curve is highly consistent with the simulation results, verifying the reliability and accuracy of JMatPro for predicting the phase transformation behavior and mechanical properties of 9Ni steel. This study provides a theoretical basis and data support for the precise optimization of the heat treatment process of 9Ni steel and has important practical significance for enhancing its service performance in cryogenic engineering applications.

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) with Raman crystals is widely recognized as an effective technical approach for achieving high-efficiency lasers at specific wavelengths. However, due to crystal size limitations, it is challenging to generate large-energy Raman lasers while simultaneously considering the laser damage threshold of optical components. To overcome this limitation, in this paper we describe the successful fabrication of a large-aperture barium nitrate Raman gain medium using the directional template growth technique. Employing this large-aperture Raman medium and a 532 nm pulse laser as the excitation source, a large-energy, high-efficiency yellow–orange waveband laser system was constructed. When injected with 886.7 mJ pump energy at 532 nm, the Raman laser achieved a maximum output energy of 556.2 mJ, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 62.7%. This represents a significant advancement in single-pulse energy for barium nitrate Raman lasers. Large-energy yellow–orange wavelength lasers have applications in the clinical treatment of skin diseases and microfluidic chip manufacturing.