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Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) uses a cantilever arm to track the electromechanical motion of the electric dipole moment to visualize the ferroelectric domain structure, which provides an important insight into the physics of switchable electric polarization—especially for memory devices and integrated microelectronics. Here, I provide a tutorial on single frequency vertical PFM, the most basic mode of PFM. I will start with the basic components of atomic force microscopy (AFM), including tip, cantilever, X–Y stage, Z actuator, and lock-in amplifier. Contact mode AFM will be briefly explained and discussed, where you can find two modes: constant deflection and constant height modes. Single-frequency vertical PFM splits the frequency domain of tip vibration into low and high frequencies and uses a low-pass filter to nullify any motion caused by topography (constant deflection). In contrast, the lock-in amplifier will pinpoint the vibration induced by the vertical piezoelectric strain along the sample's surface normal (constant height). This tutorial will provide an overall and detailed step by step instruction to conduct PFM imaging and piezoresponse hysteresis loop measurement using atomic force microscopy and a lock-in amplifier and teach how to interpret the PFM images and the piezoresponse hysteresis loops for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 17 nm thick PbTiO3 (PTO) films were fabricated via PbO gas phase reaction with TiO2 starting layer in a sputtering chamber. The influence of deposition temperature of TiO2 on the piezoelectric properties of PTO thin films was investigated. The remnant piezoresponse of PTO films nonlinearly increased as a function of TiO2 deposition temperature, which is correlated with the increase in average grain diameter of PTO film. As grain size increases, the restriction on remnant piezoresponse imposed by the grain boundary via coupling between local strain and polarization becomes less pronounced, which results in the increase in remnant piezoresponse. Furthermore, we found that the vertical shift in piezoresponse hysteresis loops is closely related to the residual stress state. A strong correlation between the negative vertical shift and the residual tensile stress reveals that residual stress on the resulting PTO film contributed to the asymmetric piezoelectric property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the dependence of the ferroelectric domain configuration and switching behavior on the shape (square versus round) of epitaxial BiFeO3 (BFO) nanostructures. We fabricated (001) oriented BFO(120 nm)/SrRuO3(SRO,125 nm) film layers on (001) SrTiO3 single crystals by rf magnetron sputter deposition, and patterned them to square (500×500 nm2) and round (502 nm in diameter) shaped nanostructures by focused ion-beam lithography. The surface morphology and the crystalline structure of the nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively, while the domain configuration was investigated using piezoelectric force microscopy. We found that the square-shaped nanostructures exhibit a single variant domain configuration aligned along the [111] direction, whereas the round-shaped nanostructures exhibit seven variants of domain configuration along the [111], [111], [111], [111], [111], [111], and [111] directions. Moreover, local d33 piezoelectric coefficient measurements showed hysteresis loops with a strong displacement in the voltage axis (strong imprint) for the square-shaped nanostructures, while the round-shaped ones exhibited more symmetric loops. These findings have critical implications for the development of nanocapacitors for gigabyte to terabyte nonvolatile ferroelectric memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contrast mechanisms of domain imaging experiments assisted by atomic force microscope (AFM) have been investigated by model experiments on nonpiezoelectric (silicon oxide) and piezoelectric [Pb(Zr,Ti)O[sub 3]] thin films. The first step was to identify the electrostatic charge effects between the tip, the cantilever, and the sample surface. The second step was to explore the tip-sample piezoelectric force interaction. The static deflection of the cantilever was measured as a function of dc bias voltage (V[sub dc]) applied to the bottom electrode (n-type Si wafers) for noncontact and contact modes. In addition, a small ac voltage (V[sub ac] sin ωt) was applied to the tip to measure the amplitude (A[sub ω]) and phase (Φ[sub ω]) of the first harmonic (ω) signal as a function of V[sub dc]. By changing from the noncontact to the contact mode, a repulsive contribution to the static deflection was found in addition to the attractive one and a 180° phase shift in Φ[sub ω] was observed. These results imply that in the contact mode the cantilever buckling is induced by the capacitive force between the cantilever and the sample surface. This interaction adds to the tip-sample piezoelectric interaction thereby overlapping the obtained tip vibration signal. Therefore, the antiparallel ferroelectric domain images obtained at zero dc bias voltage will show a variation in A[sub ω] but a negligible one in Φ[sub ω]. The capacitive force contribution to the tip vibration signal was further verified in piezoelectric hysteresis loop measurement assisted by the AFM. The observed vertical offset of the loops was explained by the contact potential difference between the cantilever and the bottom electrode. The shape of the curve could be explained by the capacitive force interaction combined with the tip-sample piezoelectric interaction. The experimental results obtained in this study support the interpretation of the ... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(c) A simple topography composed of two sinusoidal components where the red curve represents the high frequency variation in topography whereas the blue curve represents the low frequency one. (b) The temporal evolution of AFM tip vibration during the scan shown in (a). (d) Temporal evolution plots of AFM tip vibration for low-frequency and high-frequency components. [Extracted from the article]

Studies were conducted to evaluate the adequate time for exposure of donor nucleus to oocyte cytoplast before its activation and the effect of oocyte source on the development of SCNT embryos in camels. A higher number of embryos cleaved and developed to blastocyst stage (P < 0.05) when couplets were activated between 1 and 2 h-than that of those activated at 0.5 h or more than 2 h post-fusion. A reduced number of reconstructed embryos cleaved (55.2 ± 7.6%) and developed to the blastocyst stage (20.5 ± 5.5%) when in vitro matured oocytes collected from the slaughterhouse were used as donor cytoplasts, compared to in vitro (71.3 ± 1.3 and 36.7 ± 7.3%) or in vivo matured (91.7 ± 8.3 and 35.4 ± 6.0%) oocytes obtained from live animals (P < 0.05), respectively. However, no differences were observed between the different types of oocyte sources on the establishment of pregnancies and delivery of offspring's. In conclusion, couplets activated 1–2 h post-fusion had higher in vitro developmental potential and oocytes collected from live animals were better in supporting the cleavage and blastocyst production in vitro than oocytes collected from slaughterhouse ovaries, however, all sources of oocytes can be utilized as donor cytoplasts and have the potential to support development of full-term calves after transfer into synchronized recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments were conducted to investigate the development of in vitro matured camel oocytes after their intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with epididymal sperm collected from slaughtered male camels. Ovaries and testes were collected from a local slaughterhouse in normal saline solution (NSS) at 37 °C and on ice (0–1 °C), respectively. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) aspirated from the follicles were randomly distributed to 4-well culture plates (20–25 COCs/well) containing 500 μL of maturation medium and cultured at 38.5 °C in an atmosphere of 5% CO 2 in air for about 30 h. Spermatozoa were collected from the cauda epididymites in syringes containing 2–3 mL of tris-tes egg yolk extender. They were cooled down slowly and stored at refrigeration (4 °C) temperature. On the day of use, spermatozoa were prepared by the swim up technique before use in ICSI. The injected oocytes were either activated by ionomycin and roscovitine or put into the culture without any chemical activation. In Experiment 1, presumptive zygotes were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 for evaluation of fertilization after 18 h of culture, while, in Experiment 2, they were cultured in 500 μL of the culture medium at 38.5 °C in an atmosphere of 5% CO 2, 5% O 2 and 90% N 2 in air for 7 days to evaluate their development. The proportion of oocytes activated when ICSI was followed by chemical activation was significantly higher (P < 0.05) when compared with non-activated ones. In experiment 2, a higher number of oocytes cleaved (59 vs. 35%) and developed to blastocysts (20 vs. 7%) in the group with post-ICSI activation when compared with the group without chemical activation, respectively. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report where embryos were produced by ICSI in camels. Chemical activation of oocytes by ionomycin and roscovitine, post -ICSI, enhanced their cleavage and development to blastocyst stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) has been widely used for the nanoscale analysis of piezoelectric properties and ferroelectric domains. Although PFM is useful because of its simple and nondestructive features, PFM measurements can be obscured by non-piezoelectric effects that could affect the PFM signals or lead to ferroelectric-like behaviors in non-ferroelectric materials. Many research studies have addressed related technical issues, but they have primarily focused on vertical PFM. Here, we investigate significant discrepancies in lateral PFM signals between the trace and the retrace scans, which are proportional to the scan angle and the cantilever lateral tilting discrepancy. The discrepancies in PFM signals are analyzed based on intrinsic and extrinsic components, including out-of-plane piezoresponse, electrostatic force, and other factors. Our research will contribute to the accurate PFM measurements for the visualization of ferroelectric in-plane polarization distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we demonstrate a novel process to convert TiO2 nanotubes into ferroelectric nanohoneycombs, comprised of vertically aligned PbTiO3 nanotubes. Tube bottom opening process enabled effective infiltration of lead acetate precursor into the nanotubes. Nanohoneycombs, which were converted via additional lead supplement process, showed uniform conversion and well-defined ferroelectric properties with the effective piezoelectric coefficient of approximately 20 pm/V, which was measured by piezoresponse force microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note proposes an effective pruning-based Pareto front generation method in mixed-discrete bi-objective optimization. The mixed-discrete problem is decomposed into multiple continuous subproblems; two-phase pruning steps identify and prune out non-contributory subproblems to the Pareto front construction. The efficacy of the proposed method is demonstrated on three benchmark examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An autocatalytic electro-less plating of nickel is attempted to replace an electroless impregnation-reduction (IR) method in ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) actuators to reduce cost and processing time. Because nucleation time of Pd–Sn colloids is the determining factor of overall processing time, we used the nucleation time as our control parameter. To optimize nucleation time and investigate its effect on the performance of IPMC actuators, we analyzed the relationship between the nucleation time, interface morphology and electrical properties. The optimized nucleation time was 10h. The trends of the performance and electrical properties as a function of nucleation time were attributed to the fact that the Ni penetration depth was determined by the minimum diffusion length of either Pd–Sn colloids or reducing agent ions. The Ni-IPMC actuators can be fabricated less than 14h processing time without deteriorating performance of the actuators, which is comparable to Pt-IPMC prepared by IR method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nanoscale ferroelectric honeycombs, comprised of vertically aligned PbTiO3 nanotubes, are fabricated by vapor phase reaction between lead acetate-infiltrated TiO2 nanotubes and PbO vapor. PbTiO3 nanohoneycombs converted by vapor phase reaction at 550°C showed well-aligned nanoscale structure with alignment angle less than 1° and well-defined ferroelectric properties with the effective piezoelectric coefficient of 44 pm/V. This novel nanoscale structure is expected to facilitate high efficiency sensing of electromechanical and electrochemical stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the surface potential of TiO2 single crystals using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) under different gas environment. The SPM tip-induced electrical stress resulted in reversal in the surface potential, Vsurf, polarity only in H2/Ar (ΔVsurf = 0.30 eV) and not in Ar and O2. Quantitative measurement of the influence of ambient gas on the surface potential led us to develop a model where the adsorbed oxygen molecules and oxygen vacancies interact to change their relative concentration leading to different surface potential in TiO2. These results will give us insights into ambient-dependent physical phenomena in oxide thin film nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical behavior of micron-scale cantilevers with a distributed, flexible proof mass is investigated to understand proof mass size effects on the performance of microelectromechanical system energy harvesters. Single-crystal silicon beams with proof masses of various lengths were fabricated using focused ion beam milling and tested using atomic force microscopy. Comparison of three different modeling results with measured data reveals that a 'two-beam' method has the most accurate predictive capability in terms of both resonant frequency and strain. Accurate strain prediction is essential because energy harvested scales with strain squared and maximum strain will be a design limit in fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple quantitative measurement procedure of in-plane cantilever torsion for calibrating lateral piezoresponse force microscopy is presented. This technique enables one to determine the corresponding lateral inverse optical lever sensitivity (LIOLS) of the cantilever on the given sample. Piezoelectric coefficient, d31 of BaTiO3 single crystal (-81.62 ± 40.22 pm/V) which was calculated using the estimated LIOLS was in good agreement with the reported value in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation is an important factor in global climatic variability and plays a key role in the complex interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere. This study focuses on the spatial and temporal variability of vegetation and its relationship with land–atmosphere interactions. The authors have analyzed the vegetation water content (VegWC) from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E), the leaf area index (LAI), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the land surface temperature (Ts), and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Three regions, which have climatically differing characteristics, have been selected: the North America Monsoon System (NAMS) region, the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region, and the Little River Watershed in Tifton, Georgia. Temporal analyses were performed by comparing satellite observations from 2003 and 2004. The introduction of the normalized vegetation water content (NVegWC) derived as the ratio of VegWC and LAI corresponding to the amount of water in individual leaves has been estimated and this yields significant correlation with NDVI and Ts. The analysis of the NVegWC–NDVI relationship in the above listed three regions displays a negative exponential relation, and the Ts–NDVI relationship (TvX relationship) is inversely proportional. The correlation between these variables is higher in arid areas such as the NAMS region, and becomes less correlated in the more humid and more vegetated regions such as the area of eastern Georgia. A land-cover map is used to examine the influence of vegetation types on the vegetation biophysical and surface temperature relationships. The regional distribution of vegetation reflects the relationship between the vegetation biological characteristics of water and the growing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The piezoelectric quartz crystal resonator is a common electronic device used for a reference clock which has high Q-valued resonance. In this paper, a general description on the quartz crystal resonator based scanning probe microscopy is presented. Most well-known type of the quartz crystal resonator is the tuning fork which has been employed as a force sensor in many different types of the scanning probe microscopy. The most important advantage of the quartz crystal resonator based scanning probe microscopy is high resolution imaging. Furthermore, it has potential to be used at low temperature due to its low power dissipation, compactness, and non-optical detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information storage system that has a potentially ultrahigh storage density based on the principles of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been developed. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology plays a major role in integration and miniaturization of the standard AFM. Its potential application for ultrahigh storage density has been demonstrated by AFM with a piezoresponse mode to write and read information bits in ferroelectric Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 films. With this technique, bits as small as 40 nm in diameter have been achieved, resulting in a data storage density of simply more than 200 Gb/in2. Retention loss phenomenon has also been observed and investigated by AFM in the piezoresponse mode. Finally, local piezoelectric measurements of PZT films by different processing technologies are discussed in detail. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, a mechanically flexible structure, a cuboctahedral metal‐organic polyhedra (MOP) Cu24[5‐(octyloxy) isophthalic acid]24 Cu (II) paddlewheel clusters coordinated with (5‐(octyloxy) isophthalate), resulting in significantly enhanced hydrolytic stability are prepared. It should be noted that CuMOP‐1 exhibits evenly and symmetrically distributed non‐polar long alkyl chains and polar hydroxy groups, facilitating self‐assembly into higher‐order structures reminiscent of amphiphiles. Furthermore, the resultant CuMOP‐1 undergoes a phase change at 150–160 °C as confirmed temperature‐dependent Raman spectroscopy (RS), thermogravimetric analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA‐DSC). The possible use of Cu‐MOP‐1 for capturing mechanical energy is demonstrated by creating a flexible hybrid piezoelectric‐triboelectric nanogenerator (HP‐TENG). The resultant CuMOP‐1@ Polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) membrane‐based HP‐TENG demonstrates enhanced triboelectric output voltage of 547.5 V, current density of 15.16 µAcm−2, and power density of 2.8 mWcm−2 due to its increased surface charge density and a substantial rise in the dielectric constant. Furthermore, the amphiphiles and phase change in CuMOP‐1 lead to ∽73% increase in voltage and 60% in current density of HP‐TENG in high‐temperature (140 °C) environments. HP‐TENG also exhibits exceptional temperature‐ and pressure‐sensing abilities, with sensitivities of 1.81 V°C−1 and 7.12 V°kPa−1, respectively, showcasing its feasibility over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the unique physical properties of oxide perovskites necessitates their growth on diverse single‐crystal substrates. The thin‐film growth of perovskite SrMnO3 (SMO) has been a particular focus of research due to its emerging room‐temperature multiferroicity. Herein, the epitaxial thin films of (110)‐oriented SMO are grown on the piezoelectric (110)‐oriented (1–x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3 (PMN‐PT) substrate. The effects of the thickness and oxygen annealing on the crystal structure, stoichiometry, and ferroelectric properties of the SMO thin film are systematically investigated. The tensile strain produced by the lattice mismatch between the bulk SMO and the PMN‐PT substrate causes an expansion of the c‐lattice parallel to the in‐plane direction of the substrate. The films show larger a‐, b‐, and c‐lattice parameters than the bulk material, resulting in volume expansion of the unit cell. This lattice expansion is attributed to the generation of oxygen vacancies driven by the reduced formation energy caused by the high elastic strain. Piezoelectric force microscopy reveals that the SMO film contains domains with strain‐mediated in‐plane and vacancy‐mediated out‐of‐plane polarization. Furthermore, the piezoelectric response of the PMN‐PT substrate effectively modulates the biaxial tensile strain in the SMO film, offering a potential strategy for controlling the crystal structure and ferroelectric properties of SMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of charged domain boundaries (CDBs) on the coercive voltage (Vc) in polycrystalline Pb(Zr0.25Ti0.75)O3 (PZT) thin films using angle-resolved piezoresponse force microscopy (AR-PFM). By using the AR-PFM technique, we could observe the detailed domain structure with various degrees of CDBs including neutral domain boundaries in the PZT thin films. We found that the Vc increases at CDBs induced by polarization discontinuities. We attribute the change in Vc to the built-in field created by uncompensated polarization charges at the CDBs in the PZT thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present a direct observation of fatigue phenomena in epitaxially grown Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 (PZT) thin films using second harmonic piezoresponse force microscopy (SH-PFM). We observed strong correlation between the SH-PFM amplitude and phase signals with the remnant piezoresponse at different switching cycles. The SH-PFM results indicate that the average fraction of switchable domains decreases globally and the phase delays of polarization switching differ locally. In addition, we found that the fatigue developed uniformly over the whole area without developing region-by-region suppression of switchable polarization as in polycrystalline PZT thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we introduce angle-resolved piezoresponse force microscopy (AR-PFM), whereby the sample is rotated by 30° increments around the surface normal vector and the in-plane PFM phase signals are collected at each angle. We obtained the AR-PFM images of BaTiO3 single crystal and cube-on-cube epitaxial (001) BiFeO3 (BFO) thin film on SrRuO3/SrTiO3 substrate, and confirmed that the AR-PFM provides more unambiguous information on the in-plane polarization directions than the conventional PFM method. Moreover, we found eight additional in-plane polarization variants in epitaxial BFO thin films, which are formed to mitigate highly unstable charged domain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic studies are presented on the effects of cantilever buckling in vector piezoresponse force microscopy (V-PFM) imaging of polarization domains in thin-film based (001)-oriented BiFeO3 nanostructures, as observed through the coupling of out-of-plane and in-plane PFM images. This effect is a strong function of the laser spot position on the cantilever, being strongest at the free end, and insignificant at 60% of the cantilever length from the pivot point. This finding provides a unique approach to V-PFM imaging of ferroelectric polarization domains, yielding three dimensional PFM images without sample rotation in the plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied polarization switching of 295 nm thick 〈111〉-oriented-Pb(Zr[SUB0.45]Ti[SUB0.55])O[SUB3] (PZT) thin-film capacitors through a polarization hysteresis loop and piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) on top of the Pt electrode. Positive voltage pulses of 450 kV/cm and 2.5 ms were applied to the top as a poling pulse. Negative pulses ranging from -45 to -60 kV/cm at an interval of 3 kV/cm were applied to the top electrode. After each pulse, we performed PFM imaging by applying 17 kHz ac voltage of 1 V peak to peak to the bottom electrode while grounding the top one and the tip. The first-harmonic amplitude and phase of the tip vibration signal were mapped over the scanned area of 10 × 10μm[SUP2]. Subsequently, we measured the polarization hysteresis curve at 100 Hz after each domain image acquisition to estimate the volume fraction of switched polarization induced by the positive voltage pulses. We analyzed the areal fraction of switched domains as a function of pulse voltage from phase images and compared it with the volume fraction obtained from the hysteresis loops. Based on the evolution of domain images and the comparison plots of the areal and volume fractions of switched domains, we conclude that forward domain growth is a rate-limiting step during polarization reversal in 〈111〉-oriented-PZT thin-film capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) measurements on arrays of poled nanosize domains in 150 nm thick (111) preferentially oriented Pb(Zr[sub 0.4]Ti[sub 0.6])O[sub 3] films grown by chemical solution deposition. Each domain of arrays was characterized by dot, egg, and ring structures depending on the pulse width ranging from 1 to 5 ms. The PFM measurements were followed by heat treatments at successively higher temperatures of 100 °C, 130 °C, and 160 °C for 30 min with rapid cooling down to room temperature before each measurement. The retention loss phenomena of the bits were characterized by measuring the number and dimension change of the remaining data bits. It was concluded that the ring-structured bit arrays, which represent fully penetrating domains through the film thickness, were the most stable form in terms of retention loss characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are controversial reports on the restoration of eroded telomere length in offspring produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in different animal species. To the best of our knowledge, no earlier studies report the telomere length in naturally produced or cloned animals in any of the camelid species. Therefore, the present study was conducted to estimate the telomere length in dromedary camels produced by SCNT, the donor cells, and their age-matched naturally produced counterparts by Terminal Restriction Fragment (TRF) length analysis and real-time Q PCR T/S ratio methods. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood collected from 6 cloned animals and their age-matched counterparts. Using the southern blot technique, digested DNA was blotted onto a positively charged nylon membrane, and its hybridization was carried out using telomere (TTAGGG)n specific, DIG-labeled hybridization probe (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) at 42 °C for 4 h. Stringent washes were carried out at the same temperature, followed by a chemiluminescence reaction. The signals were captured using the Azure Biosystems C600 gel documentation system. A TeloTool program from MATLAB software with a built-in probe intensity correction algorithm was used for TRF analysis. The experiment was replicated three times, and the data, presented as mean ± SEM, were analyzed using a two-sample t -test (MINITAB statistical software, Minitab ltd, CV3 2 TE, UK). No difference was found in the mean telomere length of cloned camels when compared to their naturally produced age-matched counterparts. However, the telomere length was more (P < 0.05) than that of the somatic cells used for producing the SCNT embryos. A moderate positive Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.6446) was observed between the telomere lengths estimated by TRF and Q PCR T/S ratio method. In conclusion, this is the first study wherein we are reporting telomere length in naturally produced and cloned dromedary camels produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer. We found that telomere lengths in cloned camels were similar to their age-matched naturally produced counterparts, suggesting that the camel cytoplast reprograms the somatic cell nucleus and restores the telomere length to its totipotency stage. • To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting telomere length in any of the camelid species. • Telomere length in cloned camels were similar to those of their age-matched naturally produced counterparts. • The results suggest that the cytoplast of dromedary camel oocytes reprogram and restore the telomere length in embryos constructed by SCNT and maintain its stability during pre- and postnatal developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, in electric mobilities and stationary energy storage device applications, the development of long‐lasting, low‐cost, and high‐safety lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is widely studied. LiFePO4 (LFP) is a core cathode material for LIBs owing to its cost‐effectiveness and high safety. However, it exhibits low electronic conductivity and sluggish Li+ diffusion, hindering the application of LFP cathodes in high‐power battery industries. Herein, a triazole‐motivated electrolyte additive, 1‐(trimethylsilyl)−1H‐benzotriazole (TMSBTA) is presented, for mitigating iron dissolution via HF scavenging, reinforcing the robustness of the solid electrolyte interphase and constructing a cathode–electrolyte interface (CEI) to balance the ion and electron conduction of the CEI on the LFP cathode. Scanning probe microscopy performed in the conductive atomic force microscopy mode indicates that the electronically conductive CEI created by the oxidative decomposition of TMSBTA enables rapid and homogeneous lithiation and delithiation during cycling without morphological changes in the LFP particles. This study elucidates the design principles of the CEI on the LFP cathode and is expected to guide integrated electrolyte additive engineering for LFP‐containing LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolyte additives with multiple functions enable the interfacial engineering of Li‐metal batteries (LMBs). Owing to their unique reduction behavior, additives exhibit a high potential for electrode surface modification that increases the reversibility of Li‐metal anodes by enabling the development of a hierarchical solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). This study confirms that an adequately designed SEI facilitates the homogeneous supply of Li+, nonlocalized Li deposition, and low electrolyte degradation in LMBs while enduring the volume fluctuation of Li‐metal anodes on cycling. An in‐depth analysis of interfacial engineering mechanisms reveals that multilayered SEI structures comprising mechanically robust LiF‐rich species, electron‐rich P–O species, and elastic polymeric species enabled the stable charge and discharge of LMBs. The polymeric outer SEI layer in the as‐fabricated multilayered SEI could accommodate the volume fluctuation of Li‐metal anodes, significantly enhancing the cycling stability Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 full cells with an electrolyte amount of 3.6 g Ah−1 and an areal capacity of 3.2 mAh cm−2. Therefore, this study confirms the ability of interfacial layers formed by electrolyte additives and fluorinated solvents to advance the performance of LMBs and can open new frontiers in the fabrication of high‐performance LMBs through electrolyte‐formulation engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), officially named as Danuri, is the Republic of Korea's first spacecraft to orbit the Moon. The goal of KPLO is to secure core deep space technology for future space exploration in Korea and contribute to lunar science by gathering data from the lunar orbit for one year. This paper presents the results of KPLO's Lunar Orbit Acquisition (LOA) phase in detail, with a particular focus on the operational results of Flight Dynamics (FD). During the LOA phase, the KPLO FD team experienced many expected and unexpected issues. These issues were mitigated by making real-time updates to the LOA phase Design Reference Mission (DRM). The paper also presents the results of the Orbit Determination (OD) and performance of each Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) maneuver conducted during the actual flight operation. The importance of considering operational constraints when designing the DRM is emphasized by presenting lessons learned based on actual flight experiences. Unlike the original KPLO LOA phase DRM, KPLO successfully achieved the final mission orbit using only three LOI burns, instead of the planned five LOI burns and an Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM). Despite the extensive revisions made to the DRM, all mission requirements were still fulfilled during the final lunar orbit insertion, taking into account the significant operational constraints. • Real flight operation results of the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter's lunar orbit acquisition phase are presented. • Orbit determination and lunar orbit insertion maneuver performance are analyzed based on actual flight data. • Unexpected issues during the actual flight operation were mitigated through real-time updates on the design reference mission. • Considering real-world operational constraints while designing the design reference mission is very critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pb(Zr[sub 0.52]Ti[sub 0.48])O[sub 3] (PZT) thin films were fabricated on Pt( 111)/TiO[sub x]/SiO[sub 2]/Si substrates at 375°C by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. A mixture of (110) and (100) orientations was found in all the PZT thin films. However, the in-plane grain size increased with an increase in film thickness, all films had smooth surfaces, and the root mean square roughness of the PZT films was in the range of 1-1.5 nm. As the film thickness increased, a decrease in residual stress and volume density of the PZT films was observed. PZT films become poorly crystallized with a decrease in film thickness. The magnitude of the maximum displacement from atomic force microscopy in local piezoresponse hysteresis mode increased from 187.25 ± 9.363 in 40 nm to 418.5 ± 20.925 in 152 nm. We suggest that the degradation in piezoelectric properties with a decrease in film thickness resulted from degradation of the crystallinity observed using transmission electron microscopy analysis, size effects derived from the grain size, and the residual stress evaluated using a laser reflectance method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium metal (Na) anodes are considered the most promising anode for high‐energy‐density sodium batteries because of their high capacity and low electrochemical potential. However, Na metal anode undergoes uncontrolled Na dendrite growth, and unstable solid electrolyte interphase layer (SEI) formation during cycling, leading to poor coulombic efficiency, and shorter lifespan. Herein, a series of Na‐ion conductive alloy‐type protective interface (Na‐In, Na‐Bi, Na‐Zn, Na‐Sn) is studied as an artificial SEI layer to address the issues. The hybrid Na‐ion conducting SEI components over the Na‐alloy can facilitate uniform Na deposition by regulating Na‐ion flux with low overpotential. Furthermore, density functional study reveals that the lower surface energy of protective alloys relative to bare Na is the key factor for facilitating facile ion diffusion across the interface. Na metal with interface layer facilitates a highly reversible Na plating/stripping for ≈790 h, higher than pristine Na metal (100 h). The hybrid self‐regulating protective layers exhibit a high mechanical flexibility to promote dendrite free Na plating even at high current density (5 mA cm−2), high capacity (10 mAh cm−2), and good performance with Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode. The current study opens a new insight for designing dendrite Na metal anode for next generation energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite (HAp), a main constituent of the cortical bone, retains a large surface charge that plays a critical role in the regeneration of bones, whose source remains an enigma. Here, we used multi-eigenmode piezoresponse force microscopy via Pearson correlation and conducted multiscale material analysis to independently measure the piezoelectric coefficient and the surface charge density of HAp. Quantitative comparison was conducted between the measured surface charge density and the conceptual values computed for all possible candidates of the surface charging such as piezoelectricity, chemically induced surface charging, flexoelectricity, and defect dipole moment. The results presented Ca2+ ions released during local calcium orthophosphate phase transition at the surface as the main source of the surface charging. Further analysis showed that the ion concentration was modulable using a charged conductive tip, implying that the interstitial ions are mobile within the HAp matrix. In this work, we developed a novel method to measure the effective surface charge density of arbitrary material systems, thereby facilitating the investigation of biophysical phenomena related to surface electromechanics. Most importantly, the research promotes a new understanding of the origin of osteoconduction observed in past works conducted on HAp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Range-size distributions are important for understanding species richness patterns and led to the development of the controversial Rapoport’s rule and Rapoport-rescue effect. This study aimed to understand the relationship between species richness and range-size distribution in relation to environmental factors. The present study tested the following: (1) altitudinal Rapoport’s rule, and a subsequent test on climatic and ambient energy hypotheses, (2) non-directional rescue effect, and a subsequent test on effect of environmental factors associated with the distribution of narrowest to widest-range species. Altitudinal species range-size distribution increased with increasing altitude and showed a negative relationship with climatic variables. These results support the altitudinal Rapoport’s rule and climatic hypothesis; however, they do not fully support the ambient energy hypothesis. Results from testing the non-directional rescue effect showed that the inflow intensity of species from both directions (high and low elevations) affected species richness. And we found that the species with intermediate range-size, rather than narrowest or widest range-size were the main cause of a mid-peak of species richness and the non-directional rescue effect. Additionally, the richness of species with intermediate range-size was highly related to minimum temperature, habitat heterogeneity, or primary productivity. Although altitudinal range-size distribution results were similar to the phenomenon of altitudinal Rapoport’s rule, the mid-peak pattern of species richness could not be explained by the underlying mechanism of Rapoport’s-rescue effect; however, the non-directional rescue effect could explain a mid-peak pattern of species richness along altitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the climate change effect on plant distribution has become a primary research field for conservation practices and planning. The present research predicted future distributions of warm-adapted evergreen trees, Neolitsea sericea (Blume) Koidz. and Camellia japonica L., under climate change in the Korean Peninsula (KP) using an ensemble approach and quantified the predictive uncertainty. For these purposes, we used nine modeling algorithms and the pre-evaluation weighted ensemble method in modelling the current distributions of those evergreen trees; furthermore, we predicted their future distributions under 20 climate change scenarios and averaged the future predictions for ensemble forecasts. The results suggest that both species would expand to the northern part of KP under climate changes; however, the spatial pattern and rate of expansions would be different. C. japonica showed a faster expansion than N. sericea. While C. japonica showed both inland and northward expansions under climate change, N. sericea was mostly distributed in coastal areas. In addition, the highly suitable habitats of N. sericea and C. japonica will decline or shift to the north under climate change. This may indicate that climate change will degrade habitat suitability of those species within the distribution boundary and may restrict their continuous range expansions under further climate changes. Considering the lack of research on the climate-related range shifts of plants in Asia including KP, the present study provides fundamental and practical knowledge for a better understanding of climate-related vegetation changes in Asia as well as in KP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the study, the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on the nitrogen content, carbon content, and C:N ratio of seven rare and endangered species (Quercus gilva, Hibiscus hambo, Paliurus ramosissimus, Cicuta virosa, Bupleurum latissimum, Viola raddeana, and Iris dichotoma) were examined under control (ambient CO2 + ambient temperature) and treatment (elevated CO2 + elevated temperature) for 3 years (May 2008 and June 2011). Results: Elevated CO2 concentration and temperature result in a decline in leaf nitrogen content for three woody species in May 2009 and June 2011, while four herb species showed different responses to each other. The nitrogen content of B. latissimum and I. dichotoma decreased under treatment in either 2009 and 2011. The leaf nitrogen content of C. virosa and V. raddeana was not significantly affected by elevated CO2 and temperature in 2009, but that of C. virosa increased and that V. raddeana decreased under the treatment in 2011. In 2009, it was found that there was no difference in carbon content in the leaves of the six species except for that of P. ramosissimus. On the other hand, while there was no difference in carbon content in the leaves of Q. gilva in the control and treatment in 2011, carbon content in the leaves of the remaining six species increased due to the rise of CO2 concentration and temperature. The C:N ratio in the leaf of C. virosa grown in the treatment was lower in both 2009 and 2011 than that in the control. The C:N ratio in the leaf of V. raddeana decreased by 16.4% from the previous year, but increased by 28.9% in 2011. For the other five species, C:N ratios increased both in 2009 and 2011. In 2009 and 2011, chlorophyll contents in the leaves of Q. gilva and H. hamabo were higher in the treatment than those in the control. In the case of P. ramosissimus, the ratio was higher in the treatment than that in the control in 2009, but in 2011, the result was the opposite. Among four herb species, the chlorophyll contents in the leaves of C. virosa, V. raddeana, and I. dichotoma did not show any difference between gradients in 2009, but decreased due to the rise of CO2 concentration and temperature in 2011. Leaf nitrogen and carbon contents, C:N ratio, and chlorophyll contents in the leaves of seven rare and endangered species of plant were found to be influenced by the rise and duration of CO2 concentration and temperature, species, and interaction among those factors. Conclusions: The findings above seem to show that long-term rise of CO2 concentration, and temperature causes changes in physiological responses of rare and endangered species of plant and the responses may be species-specific. In particular, woody species seem to be more sensitive to the rise of CO2 concentration and temperature than herb species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of metal oxides by light is a robust yet facile approach to manipulating their surface chemistry for favorable reactions with target molecules in heterogeneous catalysis and gas sensors. However, a limited understanding of interface chemistry and the involved mechanism impedes the development of a rational design of oxide interfaces for light‐activated gas sensing. Herein, the TiOx‐assisted photosensitization of In2O3 toward NO2 sensing is investigated as a case study to elucidate the detailed mechanism of light‐activated surface chemistry at the metal/gas interface. The resultant heterogeneous oxides exhibit outstanding NO2 sensing performance under light irradiation thanks to abundant photoexcited electrons and holes that serve as adsorption and desorption sites, respectively, to accelerate both surface reactions. Furthermore, the facile transfer of electrons and holes across the TiOx‐In2O3 interface contributes to improving the reversibility of sensing kinetics. Through this study, the mechanistic understanding is established of how the surface chemistry of metal oxide surfaces can be tuned by light activation providing an effective route to the design fabrication of high‐performance gas sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering active sites of metal nanoparticle‐based heterogeneous catalysts is one of the most prerequisite approaches for the efficient production of chemicals, but the limited active sites and undesired oxidation on the metal nanoparticles still remain as key challenges. Here, it is reported that the negatively charged surface of copper nanoparticles on the 2D [Ca2N]+∙e− electride provides the unrestricted active sites for catalytic selective sulfenylation of indoles and azaindoles with diaryl disulfides. Substantial electron transfer from the electride support to copper nanoparticles via electronic metal–support interactions results in the accumulation of excess electrons at the surface of copper nanoparticles. Moreover, the surface‐accumulated excess electrons prohibit the oxidation of copper nanoparticle, thereby maintaining the metallic surface in a negatively charged state and activating both (aza)indoles and disulfides under mild conditions in the absence of any further additives. This study defines the role of excess electrons on the nanoparticle‐based heterogeneous catalyst that can be rationalized in versatile systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Direct observation of fatigue in epitaxially grown Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films using second harmonic piezoresponse force microscopy," that was published in the 2010 issue is presented.

[Display omitted] van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs), consisting of more than one type of atomically thin 2D crystal layers are emerging platforms for interesting electrical, optical, and catalytic applications. High yield production of vdWHs with atomic scale precision is crucial prerequisite for practical utilization. Here we present a generalized approach of random solution phase, high yield heteroassembly of semiconducting vdWHs by exploiting inherent surface charge states of 2D materials as well as chemical affinity of specific ligand end-functionalities. Facile removal of noncovalent functionalized ligands via simple pH reversal enables clean interfaces within vdWHs, yielding outstanding optoelectrical and electrochemical properties driven by fluent interfacial charge transfer among the layered 2D structures. The generality of this procedure is demonstrated by the formation of a series of different vdWHs such as WSe 2 -MoS 2 , graphene–MoS 2 - and phospherene–WSe 2 heterostructures. Atomically thin WSe 2 –MoS 2 phototransistor displayed an exceptionally fast response time with high sensitivity. Graphene–MoS 2 overcomes the inherent charge transfer issue of MoS 2 for electrochemical catalyst. Phospherene–WSe 2 successfully addresses poor ambient stability of phospherene together with enhanced surface activity towards chemical sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electromechanical response of a Nafion membrane immersed in water was probed using electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) to redistribute protons and measure the resulting local strain that is caused by the movement of protons. We also measured the relaxation of protons from the surface resulting from proton diffusion. Using this technique, we can visualize and analyze the local strain change resulting from the redistribution and relaxation of hydrated protons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The effects of hydrophobicity and ferroelectricity of artificial SEIs were investigated. • Spin-coated P(VDF-TrFE) layer on a zinc metal anode inhibits zinc dendrite growth and side reactions. • The uniform Zn plating achieved by the P(VDF-TrFE) layer inhibits zinc dendrite growth. • Both symmetrical cells and Zn/MnO 2 full cells with P(VDF-TrFE)-coated Zn show stable electrochemical performance. Zn anodes are highly promising aqueous battery materials due to their abundant sources, environmental friendliness, and high theoretical capacity of 820 mAh/g. Nevertheless, Zn undergoes dendritic growth and side reactions in mildly acidic electrolytes, leading to shorter cycling lifetimes. Herein, a layer of poly(vinylidene fluoride- co -trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) was spin-coated onto a Zn anode to address this issue. The coated layer physically and electrically blocked contact between the Zn surface and the electrolyte due to its hydrophobic nature. Additionally, the ferroelectric properties of crystalline P(VDF-TrFE) (c-P(VDF-TrFE)) facilitated mass transport and homogenized the electric field, resulting in consistent plating and stripping of Zn ions beneath the film. As a result, the c-P(VDF-TrFE) coating on the Zn symmetric cell led to a stable overpotential (<40 mV) and long cycling lifetimes of more than 350 h (1 mA cm−2, 0.5 mAh cm−2). Even with current conditions of 5 mA cm−2 and 0.5 mAh cm−2, the c-P(VDF-TrFE)-coated Zn symmetric cell demonstrated stable operation for over 600 h. Furthermore, a Zn||MnO 2 full cell exhibited high capacity retention after 1000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size, shape, and polarization orientation of fatigued areas formed during the suppression of the switchable polarization (P[sub r][sup s]) (fatigue) in Pt–PZT–Pt ferroelectric capacitors (FECAPs), were observed by means of atomic force microscopy and by imaging the phase of the piezoelectric vibration induced by a low ac field applied between the top and bottom electrodes. In the virgin state (FECAP as prepared), the pattern of the polarization domains with opposite orientation was randomly distributed with typical sizes of 1–3 μm. The application of a dc field larger than the coercive field (E[sub c]) enabled to fully orient the polarization of the regions in either directions. During the initial fatigue (<35% of suppressed P[sub r][sup s]), polarized regions with frozen orientation and size ranging between 100 nm and 1 μm became visible. In the fatigued state (>65% of suppressed P[sub r][sup s]), two main configurations of the frozen polarization domains were distinguished. One was characterized by a strong preferential direction (top to bottom electrode) and the other by randomly distributed regions of opposite oriented frozen polarization. The degrees of fatigue obtained by analyzing the vibration phase images are in good agreement with those obtained by standard polarization measurements. It is concluded that the P[sub r][sup s] suppression (fatigue) is due to “region by region” or “grain by grain” freezing of P[sub r][sup s] and that the frozen P[sub r][sup s] can have a preferential orientation. © 1998 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Section VI, page 7, paragraph 1, "...we get SB 0 sb = 587.1 I i C/cm SP 2 sp , which is remarkably close to the surface charge density given by our measurement = 530.2 ± 26.5 I i C/cm SP 2 sp ." should be changed to "we get SB 0 sb = 581.4 I i C/cm SP 2 sp , which is precisely within range of the surface charge density given by our measurement = 602.5 ± 37.7 I i C/cm SP 2 sp ." As such, the following change must be made to all related values: Section VI, page 7, paragraph 1, "L SB P sb = 14.97 nm" should be changed to "L SB P sb = 14.73 nm." Section VII, page 8, paragraph 2, " L SB P sb /L SB 0 sb = 0.6202" should be changed to " L SB P sb / L SB 0 sb = 0.6105.". [Extracted from the article]

The well‐known ferromagnetic oxide, NiFe2O4, was studied as a potential candidate for room‐temperature Type II magnetoelectrics. A spin canting as one of the essential requirements for Type II multiferroics was induced by breaking the stoichiometry, that is, intentionally subtracting Fe ions. We observed that Fe ions were first subtracted exclusively from the tetrahedral sites, leading to an increase in the magnetoelectric coupling owing to an increasing degree of spin canting. The enhancement in the magnetoelectric coupling culminated beyond the subtraction level of ~30 at.%, at which Fe ions started to be removed from the octahedral sites. Alongside, we observed that the subtraction of Fe ions gives rise to a ferroelectricity due to the formation of defect complexes that establish an internal bias field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The permanent rivers and streams of the United States – i.e. the “blue lines” from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps – are available in a Geographic Information System dataset called NHDPlus in which network connectivity for approximately three million reaches is known. The USGS also measures stream flow at about twenty thousand gauges whose locations are known exactly on NHDPlus rivers. The Routing Application for Parallel computatIon of Discharge (RAPID) is a river network model that can be run on NHDPlus if given inflow to rivers from runoff. The second phase of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS2) provides runoff estimates from four land surface models over the continent. One could therefore combine RAPID with NLDAS2 runoff to compute stream flow in all NHDPlus “blue lines” and compare computations with USGS observations over the United States. The work presented here investigates such a combination but focuses on the Texas Gulf Coast Hydrologic Region as a test case for regional-scale river flow modeling using off-the-shelf runoff products, thousands of mapped rivers and hundreds of stream flow gauges. Despite initial difficulties in the determination of water inflow from gridded NLDAS2 runoff datasets to NHDPlus rivers, the “blue line” approach is shown to be advantageous partly because hundreds of gauges are easily located on river networks and used throughout basins. Such use of a large number of gauges allows for new investigations related to the analysis of flow computations and to the optimization of model parameters thereby bridging the gap between continental-scale environmental modeling and local-scale planning and decision making. The quality of NLDAS2 runoff relative to locally-calibrated data is assessed through comparison between computed and observed river flow. With the exception of large outliers at a few gauges, the best NLDAS2 runoff products perform similarly to the regional dataset. Such outliers prevent the successful optimization of river model parameters but a careful selection of what stations to use for optimization is shown to overcome this difficulty. While river model parameters determined separately for each runoff dataset allow obtaining best results, a single set of parameters is sufficient to assess the relative quality of runoff datasets. The detailed NHDPlus description of river reaches also allows investigating the impact of increased spatial variability in model parameters which – following optimization of model computations – suggests that those parameters of reaches located on the main stems of large rivers tend to have the largest influence on the quality of flow simulations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite the significant advancements of dielectric materials, the energy density values of dielectric capacitors are extremely low compared to those of other energy storage systems, e.g., batteries and fuel cells. The deposition of solid solution of ferroelectric and paraelectric multicomponent thin films are the most widely used approach to enhance the energy density of dielectric capacitors; however, it is extremely difficult to determine the optimized composition ratio of two or three components. In this study, we develop ultrahigh energy density single-component Sn-doped BaTiO 3 (BTS) epitaxial thin film capacitors. An ultrahigh energy density of 92.5 J/cm3 and energy efficiencies above 78% were successfully achieved in (111)-oriented BTS epitaxial thin film capacitors. These excellent results were attributed to the formation of multi-nanodomains accompanied by delayed polarization saturation, low remnant polarization, high breakdown strength, and high cycling stability. Engineering multi-nanodomains through chemical doping and epitaxial orientation is a facile approach to develop energy-efficient ultrahigh energy density capacitors. This approach can be extended for the design of other single-component-based energy-efficient dielectric capacitors with ultrahigh energy density. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to quickly analyze large imaging datasets is vital to the widespread adoption of modern materials characterization tools, and thus the development of new materials. Image segmentation can be the most subjective and time-consuming step in the data analysis workflow. A promising approach to segmentation of large materials datasets is the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). However, a major challenge is to obtain the images and segmentations needed for CNN training, since this requires segmentations performed by humans. We show that it is possible to segment experimental materials science data using a SegNet-based CNN that was trained only using simple phase field simulations. A test image from an in-situ solidification experiment of an Al-Zn alloy was used to parameterize the phase field simulations. The most important microstructural features required for the best CNN to "understand" the contents of the image are ranked as: (1) having training images with diffuse particle-background interfaces, (2) modifying the images by adding noise, (3) removing particles at the image edges, and (4) adding sub-images to the particles to account for the feint bands present on some dendrites. The CNN trained on phase field images segmented the experimental test image with 99.3% accuracy, comparable to CNNs trained on experimental data. This approach of using computationally generated images to train CNNs capable of segmenting experiments will accelerate the rate of materials design and discovery. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) has been studied intensively due to its potential application to memory and logic devices based on its outstanding dielectric and ferroelectric properties. Because many process factors can significantly impact the properties of HZO thin film, an optimized process or post‐treatment is necessary to ensure its performance. Herein, the effect of hydrogen on HZO thin film can make the film degraded. Analysis of the polarization–voltage hysteresis loops and I–V measurements indicate a leaky behavior in the film. To address this issue, post‐oxygen‐plasma treatment is performed on the film, which results in the decrease in hydrogen ions inside the film and consequently reduces the leakage current density. This finding can provide new insight into the effect of hydrogen incorporation for HZO thin films and methodology to remove leaky components inside ferroelectric films using O2 plasma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]