Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials最新文献

Memristors hold significant potential for developing energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) hardware through parallel in-memory computing, thereby overcoming the long-standing von Neumann bottleneck. However, their widespread adoption is hindered by pronounced cycle-to-cycle (C2C) and device-to-device (D2D) variability. This study presents a novel approach to addressing key challenges in memristor-based artificial intelligence devices. We developed a 10 × 10 crossbar array of Fe₅₀W₅₀ hybrid nanocomposite memristors, demonstrating forming-free operation, low variability, and high reliability with low power consumption. The devices exhibit forming-free, low-variability, and highly reliable switching with ultra-low power consumption. The aligned grain boundaries within the nanocomposite enable well-controlled filament formation, ensuring consistent resistive switching characteristics. Leveraging these features, a reservoir computing (RC) architecture is implemented, demonstrating robust performance characterized by 4-bit input separability, short-term (fading) memory, and a strong echo-state property. The system achieves outstanding pattern-recognition accuracies of 98.79% for handwritten character recognition, 88.92% for garment classification, and 91.51% for digit recognition, along with 87.82% accuracy in multi-attribute classification and 98.62% in gesture recognition, underscoring its versatility in spatiotemporal processing. This material algorithm co-design framework not only enhances computational efficiency but also addresses core reliability challenges in memristor-based AI systems, paving the way toward scalable and energy-efficient neuromorphic computing architectures.

The emergence of 5G technologies and advanced high-power electronics demands urgently thermal interface materials (TIMs) with superior thermal transport properties for efficient heat dissipation and reliable thermal management. However, existing TIMs suffer from unsatisfactory interfacial heat transfer efficiency due to the inherent trade-off between achieving high thermal conductivity and excellent viscoelasticity. Here, drawing inspiration from wood supramolecular architectures, a viscoelastic thermally conductive plasticine (AL-VTCP) is fabricated via alkali lignin (AL)-induced supramolecular self-assembly, integrating phase change emulsions with boron nitride nanosheets for nanoscale thermal regulation. Attributed to AL-induced dynamic supramolecular interactions, the developed AL-VTCP not only enhances viscoelastic properties and reduces contact thermal resistance by 71.9%, but also optimizes the thermal conductivity pathway, resulting in an 18.8% increase in thermal conductivity compared with VTCP. Consequently, combined with phase-change heat absorption, a CPU device with AL-VTCP achieves an additional temperature reduction of approximately 13.1 °C compared to high-performance commercial TIMs. Additionally, AL-VTCP demonstrates a low compression modulus (170 kPa), excellent interface adaptability, and minimal environmental impact. This work demonstrates the molecular level engineering of TIMs that optimizes heat transport while minimizing interface resistance, enabling advanced electronics thermal management in 5G integrated systems.

Graphical abstract

In this work, inspired by wood supramolecular architectures, we fabricate a viscoelastic thermally conductive plasticine (AL-VTCP) via alkali lignin-induced supramolecular self-assembly. The interfacial design simultaneously enhances thermal conductivity and viscoelasticity, thereby solving inherent contradiction and enabling superior heat dissipation capabilities. This work demonstrates the molecular level engineering of TIMs optimizing thermal transport while minimizing interfacial resistance, enabling advanced electronics thermal management in 5G integrated systems.

Lightweight polymer composites are attractive for weight-sensitive structural applications; however, their low glass transition temperatures (T_g) often lead to mechanical and dimensional instability at elevated temperature, primarily due to the inherent mobility of polymer chains. Increasing the T_g toward the decomposition temperature is widely accepted strategy to enhance thermomechanical stability. However, increasing chemical crosslink density alone often proves insufficient to suppress segmental motion of polymer under such conditions, especially beyond T_g. Here, we embed rigid three-dimensional nanotube nanocages into a polymer network, yielding an interpenetrated architecture that physically restricts polymer chain mobility by acting as nanoscale structural barriers. This architecture increases the T_g of the resulting nanocomposite to 350 °C, compared to 160 °C for the neat polymer (~ 119% increase). It also results in a low coefficient of thermal expansion ((:approx:)10 ppm °C⁻¹ at 300 °C) and excellent flame retardancy (~ 98% reduction in peak heat release rate). By integrating nanocages with carbon-fiber fabric, the hybrid laminates maintain > 90% modulus retention up to 370 °C, exceeding practical titanium alloys, demonstrating remarkable potential for high-temperature aerospace applications.

Interfacial engineering in aluminum/bulk metallic glass (BMG) composite without compromising the amorphous structure has become paramount for hinge material design in next-generation foldable smartphones. Inspired by the principle of severe plastic deformation induced atom rapid diffusion, we designed an Al/Zr-based BMG composite characterized by dual-scale interfacial bonding via additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) with optimized process parameters. Atomic rearrangement and defect-mediated diffusion were activated by shear localization on the BMG surface and severe plastic deformation of Al deposition, leading to the formation of both macroscale mechanical interlocking and a nanoscale polycrystalline layer with an average thickness of 280 nm. Different from the established metallurgical bonding dominated by the IMCs layer, the tailored polycrystalline layer comprised of randomly distributed Al₃Zr, AlZr₃, and Al nanograins, with an average size of 21.9 nm. Importantly, the BMG adjacent to the interface was unaffected and kept disordered atomic structure due to the low thermal cycles. The synergic effect of this dual-scale interfacial microstructure significantly enhanced the shear strength of the as-fabricated composites from 113 MPa to 187 MPa, increased by 65.5%. This work provides a novel manufacturing and interfacial design strategy, advancing high-performance Al/BMG composites for emerging technological applications.

The increasing global electricity demand underscores the urgent need for clean energy solutions. Thermoelectric materials, capable of converting waste heat into electricity, present a promising avenue. However, their efficiency is often compromised by intermittent heat sources. To address this, we propose a radial thermo-actuated thermoelectric/phase-change system inspired by the energy-conserving mechanism of the sun starfish’s wrist foot. This design employs shape memory alloy to optimize heat source utilization. The device autonomously opens to sustain a temperature gradient during sufficient heat supply and closes to minimize heat dissipation when the source is inadequate. Notably, the closed-state delays the hot-end temperature drop by ~ 1700 s, significantly reducing energy loss. Further integration with a photothermal-enhanced phase change material yields an all-day self-powered thermoelectric system. Daytime operation achieves a maximum temperature difference of 28.64 °C and an output voltage of 14.89 mV, while nighttime performance maintains an average temperature difference of 6.21 °C, ensuring stable heat supply. Our work introduces a scalable strategy for sustainable power generation in outdoor environments.