8 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | OCTOBER 2025 SELF-HEALING CARBON FIBER Researchers at Texas A&M University and The University of Tulsa discovered new properties of a highly durable and recyclable smart plastic, which could lead to self-healing defense, aerospace, and automotive applications. The work was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and explored the mechanical integrity, shape recovery, and self-healing properties of an advanced carbon fiber plastic composite called aromatic thermosetting copolyester (ATSP). As ATSP technology matures, it has the potential to transform the automotive and aerospace industries. “Because of the bond exchanges that take place in the material, you can restore a car’s deformations after a collision,” says Professor Mohammad Naraghi of Texas A&M. “ATSPs are an emerging class of vitrimers that TESTING | CHARACTERIZATION UNIFIED THEORY EXPLORES SUPERCONDUCTORS Researchers at Penn State, with support from the Theory of Condensed Matter program at the DOE’s Basic Energy Science division, developed a new approach to predict which materials could act as superconductors. According to Professor Zi-Kui Liu, FASM, resistance-free electron flow is what makes superconductors so attractive for real-world applications. The DOE project aims to understand superconductivity using theoretical tools known as density functional theory (DFT) to see how electrons behave in normal conductors compared to supercon- ductors. Until now, the Bardeen-Cooper- Schrieffer (BCS) theory based on the formation of Cooper pairs and DFT predictions based on quantum mechanics have remained separate. Liu’s team discovered how to connect them. The key to the discovery is a concept closely related to zentropy theory, which combines ideas from statistical mechanics with quantum physics and modern computer modeling. However, zentropy theory requires understanding and prediction of the superconducting configuration of a material at zero Kelvin. Liu’s team showed that even DFT, which was not designed to study superconductivity, can reveal important clues about when this phenomenon occurs. Through the DFT predictions, researchers found that the resistance- free electron superhighway in high- temperature superconductors is protected by a unique atomic structure resembling a pontoon bridge in rough water, so the superhighway can be maintained at higher temperatures as predicted by the BCS theory. The team used this method to successfully predict signs of superconductivity in materials including both conventional superconductors explainable by the BCS theory and a high-temperature superconductor believed to be unexplainable by this theory. psu.edu. Testbed 80. Courtesy of Rolls-Royce. Dr. Mohammad Naraghi showcases the carbon-fiber smart plastic, ATSP. A new method could predict the transition temperature from superconducting to nonsuperconducting as a function of pressure using the zentropy theory in existing high temperature superconductors. Courtesy of Zi-Kui Liu et al., Supercond. Sci. Technol., 2025, doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/adedbc. Tescan Group, Czech Republic, earned a 2025 R&D 100 Award in the analytical/test category for its Tescan Amber X 2, Powered by Mistral Plasma FIB column. This platform combines large-scale 3D materials characterization with precise TEM specimen preparation in a single system for use in nanoscale research. tescan.com. MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center launched the Schmidt Laboratory for Materials in Nuclear Technologies. The new lab is designed to speed discovery of cost-effective materials that can withstand extreme fusion conditions. mit.edu. BRIEFS
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