Self-healing polymers have experienced rapid technological advancement over the past seven years. They have moved from a conceptual demonstration to practical application in this time frame and have grown from a single design to a generic paradigm for modern materials development. Potential applications of self-healing polymers are quite broad, including microelectronic substrates and encapsulants, polymeric paints and coatings, structural composites, and biomedical devices. In this article, we focus on polymeric systems that heal in an autonomic fashion, that is, automatically and without human intervention. The types of systems under development and the future of this paradigm in advanced materials are discussed.

The spatial resolution of the transmission electron microscope makes it an ideal environment in which to continuously track the real-time response of a system to an external stimulus and to discover and quantify the rate-limiting fundamental microscopic processes and mechanisms governing the macroscopic properties. Advances in instrumentation, stage design, recording media, computational power, and image manipulation software are providing new opportunities for not only observing the microscopic mechanisms but also measuring concurrently the macroscopic response. In this article, the capability of this technique as applied to mechanical properties of materials is highlighted.

A molecular-scale interpretation of interfacial processes is often downplayed in the analysis of traditional water treatment methods; however, such a fundamental approach is perhaps critical for the realization of enhanced performance in traditional desalination and related treatments, and in the development of novel water treatment technologies. Specifically, we examine in this article the molecular-scale processes that affect water and ion selectivity at the nanopore scale as inspired by nature, the behavior of a model polysaccharide as a biofilm, and the use of cluster-surfactant flocculants in viral sequestration.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with macroscopically ordered structures (e.g., aligned or patterned mats, fibers, and sheets) and associated large surface areas have proven promising as new CNT electroactive polymer materials (CNT-EAPs) for the development of advanced chemical and biological sensors. The functionalization of CNTs with many biological species to gain specific surface characteristics and to facilitate electron transfer to and from them for chemical- and bio-sensing applications is an area of intense research activity.

Mechanical actuation generated by CNT-EAPs is another exciting electroactive function provided by these versatile materials. Controlled mechanical deformation for actuation has been demonstrated in CNT mats, fibers, sheets, and individual nanotubes. This article summarizes the current status and technological challenges for the development of electrochemical sensors and electromechanical actuators based on carbon nanotube electroactive materials.

A recent report published by the National Petroleum Council (NPC) in the United States predicted a 50–60% growth in total global demand for energy by 2030. Because oil, gas, and coal will continue to be the primary energy sources during this time, the energy industry will have to continue increasing the supply of these fuels to meet this increasing demand. Achieving this goal will require the exploitation of both conventional and unconventional reservoirs of oil and gas in an environmentally acceptable manner. Such efforts will, in turn, require advancements in materials science, particularly in the development of materials that can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature, and high-stress conditions.

We discuss some recent advances in the use of organic semiconductor devices with additional or enhanced functionality beyond simple electrical switching. These include diodes that act as local temperature sensors or that filter reverse-bias currents at tens of megahertz frequency. Transistors are described with a range of sensing and reporting functions, for such properties as pressure, magnetic field, and chemical vapor. Because these devices will likely be employed in arrays and assemblies, we also present concepts of some larger, integrated components such as artificial skin, sensor arrays, and wireless power systems. The common theme of these devices is that they build on an extensive and growing understanding of the parent transistors and diodes, but represent a departure into new physical phenomena and application areas.

Magnetism in oxides was thought to be well-understood in terms of localized magnetic moments and double-exchange or superexchange rules. This understanding was shaken by the publication of an article in 2001 stating that thin films of anatase TiO2 with only 7 at.% Co substitution had a Curie point in excess of 400 K [Matsumoto et al., Science291, 854 (2001)]. Room-temperature ferromagnetism had previously been predicted for p-type ZnO with 5 at.% Mn [Dietl et al., Science287, 1019 (2000)]. A flood of reports of thin films and nanoparticles of new oxide “dilute magnetic semiconductors” (DMSs) followed, and high-temperature ferromagnetism has been reported for other systems with no 3dcations. The expectation that these materials would find applications in spintronics motivated research in this area. Unfortunately, the data are plagued by instability and a lack of reproducibility. In many cases, the ferromagnetism can be explained by uncontrolled secondary phases; it is absent in well-crystallized films and bulk material. However, it appears that some form of high-temperature ferromagnetism can result from defects present in the oxide films [Coey, Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Sci.10, 83 (2007); Chambers, Surf. Sci. Rep.61, 345 (2006)], although they are not DMSs as originally envisaged.

The dynamics of frictional motion have been studied for hundreds of years, yet many aspects of these important processes are not understood. First described by Coulomb and Amontons as the transition from static to dynamic friction, the onset of frictional motion is central to fields as diverse as physics, tribology, mechanics of earthquakes, and fracture. We review recent studies in which fast (real-time) visualization of the true contact area along a rough spatially extended interface separating two blocks of like material has revealed the detailed dynamics of how this transition takes place. The onset of motion is preceded by a discrete sequence of rapid cracklike precursors, which are initiated at shear levels that are well below the threshold for static friction. These precursors systematically increase in spatial extent with the applied shear force and leave in their wake a significant redistribution of the true contact area. Their cumulative effect is such that, just prior to overall sliding of the blocks, a highly inhomogeneous contact profile is established along the interface. At the transition to overall motion, these precursor cracks trigger both slow propagation modes and modes that travel faster than the shear wave speed. Overall frictional motion takes place only when either the slow propagation modes or additional shear cracks excited by these slow modes traverse the entire interface. Surprisingly, in the resulting stick–slip motion, the surface contact profile retains the profile built up prior to the first slipping event. These results suggest a fracture-based mechanism for stick–slip motion that is qualitatively different from other descriptions.

Biological molecules such as oligonucleotides, proteins, or peptides can be used for the synthesis, recognition, and assembly of materials with nanoscale dimensions. Of particular interest are the fields of near-field optics and plasmonics. Many potential optical applications depend on the ability to control the relative positioning of organic dyes, plasmon-resonant metal nanoparticles, and semiconductor quantum dots with nanoscale precision. In this article, we describe some recent achievements in biological assembly and nanophotonics, and discuss potential uses of biological materials for assembling optically functional nanostructures. We emphasize the use of biological materials to build well-defined nanostructures for near-field plasmon-enhanced fluorescence.

This article provides a review of materials and devices of wide-bandgap oxide semiconductors based on ZnO, highlighting the nature of the chemical bond. The electronic structures of these materials are very different from those of conventional covalently bonded semiconductors, owing to the ionic nature of the chemical bonds. Therefore, one needs to design and optimize fabrication processes and structures of active devices containing such materials, taking into account the peculiar defect formation mechanisms. A variety of active devices that have clear advantages over the conventional ones have been demonstrated, for example, ultraviolet light-emitting diodes, quantum Hall devices, and transparent and flexible thin-film transistors with high electron mobility, paving the way for future applications. The reasons behind the successes identify future challenges in research on oxide semiconductors.

Artificial molecular machines capable of converting chemical, electrochemical, and photochemical energy into mechanical motion represent a high-impact, fast-growing field of interdisciplinary research. These molecular-scale systems utilize a “bottom-up” technology centered upon the design and manipulation of molecular assemblies and are potentially capable of delivering efficient actuation at length scales dramatically smaller than traditional microscale actuators. As actuation materials, molecular machines have many advantages, such as high strain (40%–60%), high force and energy densities, and the capability to maintain their actuation properties from the level of a single molecule to the macroscale. These advantages have inspired researchers to develop molecular-machine–based active nanomaterials and nanosystems, including electroactive and photoactive polymers. This article will discuss the structures and properties of artificial molecular machines, as well as review recent progress on efforts to move molecular machines from solution to surfaces to devices.

Self-healing is receiving an increasing amount of interest worldwide as a method to address damage in materials. In particular, for advanced high-performance fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials, self-healing offers an alternative to employing conservative damage-tolerant designs and a mechanism for ameliorating inaccessible and invidious internal damage within a structure. This article considers in some detail the various self-healing technologies currently being developed for FRP composite materials. Key constraints for incorporating such a function in FRPs are that it not be detrimental to inherent mechanical properties and that it not impose a severe weight penalty.