Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Zr‐Al‐C MAX Phases Stabilized by Carbon Vacancies

ABSTRACT Extreme service environments demand the engineering of innovative high‐performance materials, with high purity as a critical design requirement. Zirconium‐based MAX phases are touted for their radiation tolerance, favorable neutronics, and liquid metal compatibility. Acc...

Coupled effects of fuel corrosion and photothermal aging on asphalt binder degradation for airport pavements

Airport pavements face combined threats from photothermal aging and aviation fuel spillage, yet their synergistic degradation mechanisms are not fully elucidated. This study evaluates asphalt binder performance under coupled damage, revealing a distinct two-stage degradation patt...

Soft Dopants for a Soft Lattice: Toward Electronic Doping Control in Metal Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots

Abstract Electronic doping control in semiconductors is essential for engineering optoelectronic properties yet remains elusive for metal halide perovskite quantum dots (MHP QDs). This perspective assesses the current state of aliovalent substitutional doping in MHP QDs and concl...

CW‐Pumped Amplified Spontaneous Emission From Thermally Evaporated CsPbBr 3 Films

ABSTRACT Lead halide perovskites are widely reported as promising optical gain media for optoelectronic applications in the short‐pulse regime. However, their operation under continuous‐wave excitation remains severely limited by thermal accumulation and gain instability. Here, w...

Thermodynamic Control of Excitation Transport Regimes in Nanocrystal Solids

Abstract Controlling excitation transport is central to the operation of light-harvesting and light-emitting devices based on nanocrystal films. Exciton diffusion is typically described as hopping through a homogeneous medium; however, even highly monodisperse nanocrystal ensembl...

On-line analysis of N 2 O isotopic composition during biological nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment to disentangle production and reduction processes

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a potent greenhouse gas, and emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent a significant and highly variable source. Understanding the dynamics in microbial pathways of N 2 O formation and reduction during biological nitrogen removal is ess...

Evaluation of a cathelicidin derivative fusion polypeptide for pathogen-targeted antimicrobial approach

Abstract The human cathelicidin LL-37 is one of the most promising candidates for replacing standard antibiotics due to its broad-spectrum activity and low propensity for resistance development. However, the widespread clinical adoption of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is current...

Evaporated C60 as fast anode for thin-film solid-state batteries

Thin-film solid-state batteries require anode materials that combine fast lithium storage, cycling stability, and compatibility with scalable vacuum processing to enable novel applications. Here, we demonstrate thermally evaporated C60 based films as high-rate anodes in planar Li...

Bright‐Dark Exciton Splitting in Lead Iodide Perovskite Crystals Accessed via Quantum Beats in Photon Echoes

ABSTRACT Understanding the fine structure of excitons is crucial for optoelectronic and quantum photonic applications of lead halide perovskites. It is demonstrated that polarization‐sensitive photon echo spectroscopy in magnetic field provides a powerful method to access coheren...

Mechanism of crevice corrosion in historic riveted steel structures

Abstract Crevice corrosion is a localized form of corrosion, particularly common in riveted steel structures. While oxygen depletion and local acidification within crevices are well-established phenomenological features, the underlying reaction pathways and their spatial coupling...

Single‐Particle FRET Probes Heterogeneity in the Ligand Shell of Colloidal Perovskite Quantum Dots

ABSTRACT The functionality of colloidal quantum dots (QDs), whether in fundamental studies, optoelectronics, or emerging quantum technologies, critically depends on their surface chemistry, with organic ligands influencing nearly every aspect of their behavior. Whereas the inorga...

Tuning the Optoelectronic Properties of Wide Bandgap Perovskites: Data‐Driven Insights from Combinatorial Synthesis and High‐Throughput Experimentation

ABSTRACT The discovery and optimization of wide‐bandgap lead halide perovskites (LHPs) is hindered by solution‐based workflows with limited scalability. Large compositional parameter spaces present an additional challenge for materials optimization. Here, we establish an integrat...

Predicting calcification risk in prosthetic aortic valves: a hybrid physics-based and machine learning approach

Abstract Calcific degeneration remains the foremost failure mode of bioprosthetic aortic valves and a mounting concern for polymeric substitutes. Six prosthetic valve configurations, pairing two leaflet scallop geometries (V-shaped D1 V and U-shaped D2 U ) with three constitutive...

Residual stress gradient in a thin film within the dislocation pileup theory

A model for predicting the residual stress gradient in a thin film segment is developed on the basis of the theory of dislocation pileups. The initial shear stress within the film is relaxed via the formation of a pileup of screw dislocations against the impenetrable film–substra...

Impact of calcined clays additions on phase assemblage and mechanical strength of autoclaved low-clinker fiber cement matrices

Calcined clays are promising constituents for use in low-clinker autoclaved fiber cement production. Previous studies on the use of calcined clays in autoclaved fiber cement matrices have shown that their behavior is complex and sometimes counterintuitive. This study investigates...

A dynamic, physics-driven life cycle model for citrus supply chain: Evidence from a South Africa–Netherlands maritime trade route

Agri-food chains, especially fruit, produce about 10% of global GHG emissions, with more than half arising after harvest. Yet current methods, such as life cycle assessment (LCA), lack the spatial, temporal and physiological detail needed to resolve stage-specific drivers of envi...

Unconventional Biexciton Dynamics in Superradiant Perovskite Quantum Dots Driven by Many‐Body Correlations

ABSTRACT Excitons and biexcitons emission traits, for example, quantum yield, lifetime, and coherence, govern device performance metrics including brightness, optical gain thresholds, and the efficiency of single‐ and entangled‐photon generation. Biexcitons are conventionally und...

Synthesis of Chalcone‐Sulfonamide Hybrids as Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anti‐Inflammatory Agents With Comprehensive In Silico and ADMET Profiling

Chalcone‐sulfonamide hybrids ( 12a–h ) were synthesized via Claisen–Schmidt condensation in good yields (64%–83%) and confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. The compounds exhibited moderate to good antibacterial activity against Gram‐negative ( Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa )...

Radiocarbon in atmospheric CH 4 and CO 2 at Jungfraujoch in 2019–2024: influence of regional nuclear emissions and current global atmospheric 14 CH 4 signal

Abstract. Radiocarbon (14C) is a valuable tracer to determine the relative fossil fractions of emitted carbonaceous greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and CH4. While atmospheric ∆14CO2 measurements have been conducted at multiple sites for several decades, ∆14CH4 measurements remain m...

Loss Analysis of Low Bandgap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 Solar Cells for Tandem Applications

ABSTRACT Tandem solar cells can better harness the energy of the solar spectrum. Chalcopyrite solar cells have drawn attention, being the only highly efficient devices with a bandgap around 1.0 eV, suitable for bottom cells. In the quest for better efficiencies, we conduct a comp...