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Crystals
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Advanced Research on Heterogeneous Materials
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Advanced Research on Heterogeneous Materials

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 12410

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Behrad Koohbor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA
Interests: Graded Structures; Multifunctional Materials; Experimental Mechanics; Impact Mechanics
Dr. Amin Nozariasbmarz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
Interests: renewable energies; thermoelectric materials; wearable electronics; nanomaterials; microwave processing; materials science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ability to develop new materials and structures with tailored mechanical and physical properties has laid the foundation for some of the recent advancements in materials science and engineering. Heterogeneous materials are a new class of high-performance materials that offer a superior combination of desirable properties that outperform their homogenous counterparts. The application of heterogeneous materials in structural and functional components has grown rapidly. In parallel, the interdisciplinary nature of the research in the field of heterogeneous materials has also demanded the development of novel research strategies and state-of-the-art characterization techniques.

This Special Issue of Crystals provides an opportunity for presenting the recent advancements in the multidisciplinary experimental and theoretical research on heterogeneous materials, with special attention to their application, processing, and characterization techniques. Multifunctional heterogeneous materials for energy, biomedical, and structural applications are of interest. Original research articles, as well as short reviews highlighting advanced research on heterogeneous materials, are welcome in this Special Issue.

Potential topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Design and development of advanced heterogeneous materials
  • Novel characterization techniques
  • Multifunctional and multiscale heterogeneous materials for superior properties
  • Composites, layered, and graded materials and structures for energy, biomedical, and structural applications

Dr. Behrad Koohbor
Dr. Amin Nozariasbmarz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Heterogeneous Materials
  • Multifunctional Materials
  • Characterization
  • Multiscale
  • High Entropy Alloys
  • Synthesis of Heterogeneous Materials
  • Renewable Energies
  • Energy Storage
  • Transport Properties in Heterogeneous Structures

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2032 KiB  
Communication
Gap-Size-Dependent Effective Phase Transition in Metasurfaces of Closed-Ring Resonators
by Seojoo Lee and Ji-Hun Kang
Crystals 2021, 11(6), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11060684 - 14 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1861
Abstract
We theoretically investigate a metal-to-insulator transition in artificial two-dimensional (2D) crystals (i.e., metasurfaces) of tightly coupled closed-ring resonators. Strong interaction between unit resonators in the metasurfaces yields the effective permittivity highly dependent on the lattice spacing of unit resonators. Through our rigorous theory, [...] Read more.
We theoretically investigate a metal-to-insulator transition in artificial two-dimensional (2D) crystals (i.e., metasurfaces) of tightly coupled closed-ring resonators. Strong interaction between unit resonators in the metasurfaces yields the effective permittivity highly dependent on the lattice spacing of unit resonators. Through our rigorous theory, we provide a closed form of effective permittivity of the metasurface and reveal that the permittivity possesses a Lorentzian-type resonant behavior, implying that the transition of the effective permittivity can arise when the lattice spacing passes a critical value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Heterogeneous Materials)
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12 pages, 6262 KiB  
Article
Engineered Layer-Stacked Interfaces Inside Aurivillius-Type Layered Oxides Enables Superior Ferroelectric Property
by Shujie Sun and Xiaofeng Yin
Crystals 2020, 10(8), 710; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10080710 - 18 Aug 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2924
Abstract
Layer engineering with different layer numbers inside Aurivillius-type layered structure, similar to interface engineering in heterojunctions or superlattices, can give rise to excellent physical properties due to the correlated layer-stacked interfaces of two different layer phases with different strain states. In this work, [...] Read more.
Layer engineering with different layer numbers inside Aurivillius-type layered structure, similar to interface engineering in heterojunctions or superlattices, can give rise to excellent physical properties due to the correlated layer-stacked interfaces of two different layer phases with different strain states. In this work, using the solid-state reactions from Aurivillius-type Bi3TiNbO9 (2-layer) and Bi4Ti3O12 (3-layer) ferroelectric powder mixtures, single-phase compound of Bi7Ti4NbO21 with an intergrowth structure of 2-layer and 3-layer perovskite slabs sandwiched between the Bi-O layers was synthesized and the effects of this layer-engineered strategy on the structure, Raman-vibration and ferroelectric properties were systematically investigated. The mostly-ordered intergrowth phase was observed clearly by utilizing X-ray diffraction and advanced electron micro-techniques. Uniformly dispersions and collaborative vibrations of Ti and Nb ions in the layer-engineered Bi7Ti4NbO21 were demonstrated. Remarkably, dielectric and ferroelectric properties were also recorded and an enhanced ferroelectric response was found in the layer-engineered mixed-layer sample with high ferroelectric Curie temperature, compared with the homogeneous 2-layer and 3-layer samples. Analyses of the Raman spectra and atomic structures confirmed that the performance improvement of the layer-engineered sample is intrinsic to the correlated layer-stacked interfaces inside the Aurivillius-type layered oxides, arising from strain-induced lattice distortions at the interfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Heterogeneous Materials)
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Graphical abstract

15 pages, 4589 KiB  
Article
Numerical Simulation to Determine the Effect of Topological Entropy on the Effective Transport Coefficient of Unidirectional Composites
by Carlos Pacheco, Romeli Barbosa, Abimael Rodriguez, Gerko Oskam, Miguel Ruiz-Gómez and Beatriz Escobar
Crystals 2020, 10(6), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060423 - 26 May 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2329
Abstract
The influence of topological entropy (TS) on the effective transport coefficient (ETC) of a two-phase material is analyzed. The proposed methodology studies a system of aligned bars that evolves into a stochastic heterogeneous system. This proposal uses synthetic images generated by [...] Read more.
The influence of topological entropy (TS) on the effective transport coefficient (ETC) of a two-phase material is analyzed. The proposed methodology studies a system of aligned bars that evolves into a stochastic heterogeneous system. This proposal uses synthetic images generated by computational algorithms and experimental images from the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Microstructural variation is imposed for statistical reconstruction moments by simulated annealing (SA) and it is characterized through TS applied in Voronoi diagrams of the studied systems. On the other hand, ETC is determined numerically by the Finite Volume Method (FVM) and generalized by a transport efficiency of charge (ek). The results suggest that our approach can work as a design tool to improve the ETC in stochastic heterogeneous materials. The case studies show that ek decreases when TS increases to the point of stability of both variables. For example, for the 80% surface fraction, in the particulate system of diameter D = 1, ek = 50.81 ± 0.26% @ TS = 0.27 ± 0.002; when the system has an agglomerate distribution similar to a SEM image, ek = 45.69 ± 0.60% @ TS = 0.32 ± 0.002. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Heterogeneous Materials)
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8 pages, 2939 KiB  
Article
Single-Crystal Growth and Small Anisotropy of the Lower Critical Field in Oxypnictides: NdFeAsO1 − xFx
by Abanoub R. N. Hanna and Mahmoud Abdel-Hafiez
Crystals 2020, 10(5), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10050362 - 1 May 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3966
Abstract
High-quality single crystals of the unconventional superconductor NdFeAsO1 − xFx were grown. We developed a new optimized flux technique to overcome the difficulties in single-crystal growth and the sample quality limitations of NdFeAsO1 − xFx. The [...] Read more.
High-quality single crystals of the unconventional superconductor NdFeAsO1 − xFx were grown. We developed a new optimized flux technique to overcome the difficulties in single-crystal growth and the sample quality limitations of NdFeAsO1 − xFx. The normal state of the F-doped samples exhibits simple metallic behavior upon cooling down from room temperature, followed by a sharp superconducting transition. The values of residual resistivity ratio (RRR) is 3.2, 6.4, and 10.3 for x = 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2, respectively. Both the large RRR and the narrow superconducting transition signpost the high quality of the crystals. We have examined the in- and out-of-plane lower critical fields, and the field at which vortices penetrate the sample of NdFeAsO1 − xFx (x = 0.1). The anisotropy ratio [γHc1 (0)] increased slightly with increasing temperature from 0.8 Tc to Tc. The temperature dependence of the first vortex penetration field was obtained under the static magnetic field, H, parallel to the c- and ab- axis, and pronounced changes in the Hc1(T) curvature were observed, which are attributed to the multi-band superconductivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Heterogeneous Materials)
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