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1. Perspectives on frontiers in electronic and photonic materials

   https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2018.302  

   Andrea Alù, Lincoln J. (December 2018, MRS bulletin)

   Materials research provides the foundation for the development of many new technologies. Basic materials research in the United States is supported by several federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), and Department of Defense (DoD). Federal agencies play a critical role not only in funding research at universities and national laboratories, but also in forging collaborations with industrial partners. At NSF, the Division of Materials Research (DMR), in particular, is dedicated to advancing fundamental materials research through single investigator grants, as well as through research centers, such as the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers. To help identify and highlight important emerging areas of materials research, funding agencies often solicit input from the community by holding workshops and conducting outreach at meetings run by the Materials Research Society (MRS) and other professional societies. 

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2. The Sustainable Materials Roadmap

   https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7639/ac4ee5  

   Titirici, Maria-Magdalena; Baird, Sterling; Sparks, Taylor; Yang, Shirley M.; Brandt-Talbot, Agi; Hosseinaei, Omid; Harper, David Paul; Parker, Richard; Vignolini, Silvia; Berglund, Lars; et al (January 2022, Journal of Physics: Materials)

   Abstract Our ability to produce and transform engineered materials over the past 150 years is responsible for our high standards of living today, especially in the developed economies. Yet, we must carefully think of the effects our addiction to creating and using materials at this fast rate will have on the future generations. The way we currently make and use materials detrimentally affects the planet Earth, creating many severe environmental problems. It affects the next generations by putting in danger the future of economy, energy, and climate. We are at the point where something must drastically change, and it must change NOW. We must create more sustainable materials alternatives using natural raw materials and inspiration from Nature while making sure not to deplete important resources, i.e. in competition with the food chain supply. We must use less materials, eliminate the use of toxic materials and create a circular materials economy where reuse and recycle are priorities. We must develop sustainable methods for materials recycling and encourage design for disassembly. We must look across the whole materials life cycle from raw resources till end of life and apply thorough life cycle assessments based on reliable and relevant data to quantify sustainability. 

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3. Cryogenic electron microscopy for quantum science

   https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2019.288  

   Minor, Andrew M.; Denes, Peter; Muller, David A. (December 2019, MRS Bulletin)

   Electron microscopy is uniquely suited for atomic-resolution imaging of heterogeneous and complex materials, where composition, physical, and electronic structure need to be analyzed simultaneously. Historically, the technique has demonstrated optimal performance at room temperature, since practical aspects such as vibration, drift, and contamination limit exploration at extreme temperature regimes. Conversely, quantum materials that exhibit exotic physical properties directly tied to the quantum mechanical nature of electrons are best studied (and often only exist) at extremely low temperatures. As a result, emergent phenomena, such as superconductivity, are typically studied using scanning probe-based techniques that can provide exquisite structural and electronic characterization, but are necessarily limited to surfaces. In this article, we focus not on the various methods that have been used to examine quantum materials at extremely low temperatures, but on what could be accomplished in the field of quantum materials if the power of electron microscopy to provide structural analysis at the atomic scale was extended to extremely low temperatures. 

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4. Thermal- and air- stability of the compositional variants of van der Waals Pt-Telluride thin films probed by high resolution photoemission spectroscopy

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.158785  

   Pathirage, V; Rajapakse, N; Lasek, K; Píš, I; Bondino, F; Batzill, M (January 2024, Applied Surface Science)

   The Pt-Te compositional phase diagram consists of at least three different compositional line phases (PtTe2, Pt3Te4, and Pt2Te2) that can be described as layered van der Waals materials. This presents challenges in controlling the composition of ultrathin Pt-telluride 2D materials by physical vapor deposition methods. Here we show by temperature programmed synchrotron photoemission spectroscopy that the different phases have varying thermal stability in vacuum. This enables the synthesis of these materials by preparation of PtTe2 films at low growth temperatures and subsequent vacuum annealing to ~ 350 ˚C for Pt3Te4, or ~400 ˚C for Pt2Te2. Such prepared phases are characterized by high resolution core level spectroscopy to provide reference spectra for these materials. Moreover, the chemical stability of these materials was tested by exposure to oxygen and air. Even after prolonged air exposure only the surface Te layer was modified by oxygen chemical bonds that caused a 3-eV shift to higher binding energy of the Te-3d core levels. However, these oxygen species could be desorbed by vacuum annealing at 280 ˚C and pristine Pt-telluride samples can be re-established. This shows the excellent chemical stability of these materials, important for practical applications. 

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5. Data-Driven Studies of Li-Ion-Battery Materials

   https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst9010054  

   Kauwe, Steven; Rhone, Trevor; Sparks, Taylor (January 2019, Crystals)

   Batteries are a critical component of modern society. The growing demand for new battery materials—coupled with a historically long materials development time—highlights the need for advances in battery materials development. Understanding battery systems has been frustratingly slow for the materials science community. In particular, the discovery of more abundant battery materials has been difficult. In this paper, we describe how machine learning tools can be exploited to predict the properties of battery materials. In particular, we report the challenges associated with a data-driven investigation of battery systems. Using a dataset of cathode materials and various statistical models, we predicted the specific discharge capacity at 25 cycles. We discuss the present limitations of this approach and propose a paradigm shift in the materials research process that would better allow data-driven approaches to excel in aiding the discovery of battery materials. 

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