Yong Yang

Deformation modifies the structure of metallic glasses, driving their configurational state far from equilibrium. In this work, we investigate how deformation kinetics governs this process through the interplay between the input of external mechanical work and intrinsic structural relaxation. Using a Pd ₂₀ Pt ₂₀ Cu ₂₀ Ni ₂₀ P ₂₀ high-entropy metallic glass as a model system, we combine high temperature tensile deformation with calorimetric measurements to characterize the structural state reached after homogeneous plastic flow. Increasing strain rate enhances the flow stress and the amount of mechanical work input, whereas slow deformation allows more extensive structural relaxation. The results quantify how strain rate governs the competition between deformation-induced configurational excitation and concurrent relaxation. This determines the threshold strain rate where rejuvenation becomes dominant, enabling precise control over the energy state of amorphous materials near the glass transition.

Low‐melting‐point alloys (LMPAs) have attracted increasing attention for a broad range of emerging applications due to their excellent and unique functional properties. Recently, introducing high‐entropy alloy (HEA) design concepts into LMPA systems has led to the emergence of low‐melting‐point compositionally complex alloys (LMCCAs), which significantly expand the compositional design space of conventional LMPAs. In this review, we summarize the fundamental characteristics and technological importance of traditional LMPAs and discuss how HEA‐inspired design strategies provide new opportunities for tuning their microstructure and functional performance. Recent progress in LMCCA research is analyzed with emphasis on compositional design strategies, representative alloy systems, and their microstructural and functional properties. Particular attention is given to the thermodynamic and kinetic effects arising from multicomponent interactions, which influence phase stability and interfacial reactions such as intermetallic compound (IMC) growth. Through this review, it is hoped to provide some insights for the further development of next‐generation LMCCAs.

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) offers a scalable route to high-resolution patterning of perovskite photonic devices; however, the performance potential of NIL-patterned perovskite photonic structures remains largely unrealized because of limited understanding of perovskite thermomechanical behavior during imprinting. Here, we provide a mechanistic framework elucidating the coupled thermomechanical processes governing NIL in quasi–two-dimensional Dion-Jacobson perovskites. We show that imprinting in the cubic phase uniquely enables the simultaneous enhancement of viscoelastic deformability and mechanical hardness, facilitating high-fidelity pattern transfer while preserving structural integrity. We further uncover a spacer-dependent mechanical-optical trade-off: Flexible spacers promote plastic flow and surface planarization, yielding higher- Q resonances, whereas rigid spacers enhance crystallinity during Ostwald ripening–driven recrystallization, reducing lasing thresholds. Leveraging these insights, we demonstrate bound-state-in-the-continuum perovskite lasers achieving a record-high Q factor (up to 36,000) and low lasing thresholds (down to 5 microjoules per square centimeter) in separately optimized devices, while sustaining stable single-mode emission for over 151 hours under ambient conditions.

Elastic anomalies, such as the Elinvar effect, large recoverable elastic strain, and nonlinear superelasticity, offer significant potential for engineering applications. High entropy alloys (HEAs) have recently emerged as a model system for investigating such unconventional elastic behaviors. In this Perspective, we review recent advances regarding lattice distortion enabled elastic anomalies in HEAs. We elucidate the origin of the Elinvar effect, where heterogeneous lattice strain fields counteract thermoelastic softening and stabilize elastic moduli over a broad temperature range. Furthermore, we discuss non-hysteretic superelasticity arising from severe lattice distortion, achieving a large elastic strain limit of ~ 2% with minimal energy dissipation. Finally, we address the transition from Hookean to non-Hookean superelasticity through the framework of distortion regulated martensitic transformation. Collectively, this work demonstrates that lattice distortion serves as a critical structural mechanism for tailoring elastic responses and guiding the design of advanced superelastic materials.

The pursuit of earth‐abundant electrocatalysts for acidic water electrolysis is fundamentally limited by a material‐design paradox: high activity necessitates reactive sites, yet these sites are inherently vulnerable to corrosion. Here, we present a paradigm shift that transforms corrosion from a destructive process into a useful synthesis tool. We demonstrate that a topologically close‐packed (TCP) intermetallic phase, when electrochemically activated in acid, naturally forms a self‐passivating, corrosion‐resistant amorphous oxide layer that establishes a durable and catalytically active interface. This corrosion‐built oxide layer enables exceptional hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance (90 mV at 10 mA/cm ² ) coupled with extended stability (>200 h at 100 mA/cm ² ). Our work establishes “passivation engineering” as a general design principle, leveraging guided corrosion to construct stable, active phases, offering a universal route to bridge the activity–stability divide in non‐precious electrocatalysis.

The intricate cortical folds of large primates physically restrict access to substantial portions of neural information via interface devices. Here, we develop a bioelectronic system, sFlex-Fold, with switchable flexibility, representing the neural interface capable of nondestructive three-dimensional (3D) access to both cortical gyri and sulci, providing large-area, nonpenetrative deep tissue coverage. sFlex-Fold is based on an artificial intelligence (AI)–designed liquid metal alloy (LM-alloy), leveraging the phase change of the tailor-made LM-alloy to create neural interfacing electronics with tunable mechanical response to temperatures ranging from 25° to 37°C. The LM-alloy can be patterned into arbitrary circuit layouts with an ~10-micrometer resolution. The flexibility switching happens at the LM melting point, fine-tuned to 36.2°C, upon in vivo tissue contact, causing a three-order-of-magnitude reduction in the effective modulus of the implanted device. As a result, sFlex-Fold has the unique advantages of both a rigid and flexible state and can be morphed into complex, folded, 3D shapes. This enables nondestructive in vivo implantation into deep cortical sulci while maintaining large coverage (>80 square centimeters) over curved brain surfaces with tissue-matching mechanical compliance. Such 3D structural and mechanical mimicking enables high-quality electrical interfacing as quantitatively assessed using rodent and porcine models.

Bulk mechanical energy-absorbing materials are critically needed for various engineering applications. However, existing state-of-the-art materials face significant limitations: architected systems such as 3D-printed nano- and micro-lattices suffer from scalability constraints, while conventional foams often exhibit a strength-ductility trade-off that limits energy absorption. Here, we overcome these challenges by fabricating bulk architected alloys via electrochemical dealloying of a machine learning-identified compositionally complex spinodal alloy. These materials display a hierarchical structural architecture spanning seven orders of magnitude - from atomic-scale lattice distortion, nanoscale precipitates and amorphous oxide layers, microscale ligaments, to macroscale network dimensions. This multi-scale integration enables synergistic deformation mechanisms, yielding energy absorption capacities of ~106 MJ/m³ in bulk and ~ 305 MJ/m³ in micro-samples. Crucially, this enhanced performance is retained from room temperature to 873 K. Our approach provides an effective strategy for designing scalable, high-performance architected materials for demanding condition energy absorption.

The complex relaxation behavior of metallic glasses (MGs) and the microscopic dynamics of the evolution of microstructural heterogeneity during thermomechanical processing are yet to be fully understood. This study investigates the competition between viscoelastic recovery and viscoplastic accumulation in MGs during the two-step creep process, manifested as non-monotonic strain evolution. A two-parameter Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts (KWW) constitutive model was developed, and the anelastic and viscoplastic deformations were decoupled from the total creep processes. This phenomenon reveals the intrinsic dynamics of MGs as non-equilibrium systems, its physical essence can be interpreted as a dynamic competition between the thermally-assisted release of stored internal stress, which enhances collective atomic motion, and the reactivation of viscoplastic flow under sustained low stress. The strain recovery process should be related to the activation and motion of the localized soft domains constrained by the elastic matrix. This study provides important experimental evidence for improving the physical mechanism-based nonlinear creep constitutive theory and offers a fresh perspective for analyzing complex deformation behavior.

The rapid evolution of micro‐ and nanoelectromechanical systems defines a new frontier of intelligent miniaturization, where interfacial friction and wear emerge as the fundamental bottlenecks limiting functional reliability and energy efficiency. Two‐dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with van der Waals layered structures have redefined the pursuit of superlubricity, where the interfacial potential corrugation is minimized by lattice incommensurability, and energy dissipation is further suppressed through phonon spectrum mismatch and charge‐mediated coupling at the sliding interface. These atomistic principles manifest in two archetypes of superlubricity: structural superlubricity, governed by interfacial misalignment that suppresses atomic registry, and transformation superlubricity, arising from shear‐induced interface reconstructions that dynamically smooth energy landscapes. Together they delineate a continuum from geometric misfit‐driven to shear‐adaptive energy dissipation modulation, yet translating these idealized states into device‐scale systems remains formidable, as scaling, environmental perturbations, and integration losses readily destabilize ultralow‐friction behavior. This review outlines how advances in van der Waals assembly, hybrid nanomembranes, and field‐tunable heterostructures have established three classes of sliding‐driven microsystems: mechanical energy transfer, mechano‐electrical conversion, and smart interfacial control. Looking ahead, the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI)‐guided design, standardized tribological metrics, and scalable integration is redefining superlubricity as a predictive framework for engineering 2D nanomaterials, nanoscale tribology, solid lubrication, superlubric interfaces, ultralow frictionreliable, energy‐efficient microdevices.