🔬 Category

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

4820 papers

Condensed matter physics and materials science form a dynamic partnership, exploring how the collective behavior of atoms gives rise to the unique properties of solids and liquids. This field bridges the gap between fundamental quantum mechanics and the practical engineering of everything from flexible electronics to superconductors, turning abstract theories into tangible innovations that shape our daily lives.

At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category directly from arXiv to make these complex discoveries accessible to everyone. Our team generates both plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries for each paper, ensuring that researchers, students, and curious minds alike can grasp the latest breakthroughs without getting lost in dense jargon.

Below are the latest papers in condensed matter and materials science, organized by their most recent publication dates.

🔬 materials science

Defect-Mediated Nucleation and Dynamics across the Phase Transition in the Excitonic Insulator Candidate Ta2NiSe5

Using variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, this study reveals that the phase transition in the excitonic insulator candidate Ta2NiSe5 proceeds via a martensitic-like mechanism involving spatially segregated monoclinic and orthorhombic domains, where point defects and step edges act as nucleation centers that modify the intrinsic anisotropic growth of the high-temperature phase.

Guilherme Rodrigues-Fontenele, Gabriel Fontenele, Ângelo Malachias, Rogério Magalhães-Paniago2026-08-25
🔬 materials science

Highly Stable Glasses of cis-Decalin and cis/trans-Decalin Mixtures

This study reports the first successful creation of highly stable vapor-deposited glasses from cis-decalin and cis/trans-decalin mixtures, demonstrating that these molecular mixtures, particularly the 50/50 composition, exhibit exceptional kinetic stability and low heat capacity comparable to or exceeding that of pure molecular ultrastable glasses.

Katherine R. Whitaker, Daniel J. Scifo, M. D. Ediger, Mathias Ahrenberg, Christoph Schick2026-08-25
🔬 materials science

One micron length scale controls kinetic stability of low energy glasses

Using AC nanocalorimetry, researchers discovered that the kinetic stability of low-energy indomethacin glasses is governed by a one-micron length scale, where transformation kinetics shift from surface-initiated mechanisms in thinner films to a distinct bulk pathway in thicker samples, revealing the average distance between transformation initiation sites.

Kenneth L. Kearns, M. D. Ediger, Heiko Huth, Christoph Schick2026-08-25
🔬 materials science

Mechanistic Insights into Active Sites for Electrochemical CO2 and CO Reduction over the Strain-Engineered Dealloyed Cu

This study demonstrates that nanoporous Cu synthesized via temperature-controlled dealloying of Cu20Zn80 exhibits superior CO2 and CO reduction activity, driven by a direct correlation between catalytic performance and ligament surface strain resulting from sequential phase transitions and chemical segregation.

Yuxiang Zhou, Ayman A. El-Zoka, Oliver R. Waszkiewicz, Benjamin Bowers, Rose P. Oates, James Murawski, Anna Winiwarter (…)2026-08-24
🔬 applied physics

Non-reciprocal heat transfer advances flexible thermoelectric devices

This paper presents a novel flexible thermoelectric device utilizing non-reciprocal heat transfer and screen-printed thermally conductive composites to achieve a 29.25°C temperature drop without external heat sinks, thereby overcoming performance and flexibility limitations for applications in wearable electronics, home healthcare, and emergency first aid.

Jinwen Yang, Wenmei Luo, Hongbin Xu, Fuqing Duan, Yafei Ding, Jie Chen, Guimei Zhu, Baowen Li2026-08-24
🔬 materials science

An LLM agent for end-to-end computational materials discovery

The paper introduces MAESTRO, an LLM-based agent system that automates the end-to-end computational discovery of metal-organic frameworks by integrating literature mining, database curation, and multi-scale screening to identify high-performance materials for wet flue gas separation that conventional methods would likely overlook.

Chen Yuntong, Huang Ju, Liu Yu, Zhao Dan, Sun Mingqi, Ju Chentian, Liu Yanbing, Huang Lijiang, Zhao Guobin2026-08-24
🔬 physics

Real-time ESR tracking for sub-micron 3D magnetic mapping with VB- quantum sensors in hexagonal boron nitride

This paper introduces a real-time frequency-tracking approach using VB−V^-_B centers in hexagonal boron nitride that enables fast, three-dimensional magnetic field mapping with sub-micron resolution and shot-noise-limited sensitivity, reducing acquisition times by over an order of magnitude compared to conventional methods.

Jefferson A. O. Galindo, Edwin D. C. Sanchez, Cecília L. A. V. Campos, Allison R. Pessoa, Hugo A. D. Correia, José D. M. (…)2026-08-24
🔬 materials science

Revealing the Role of Confined Molecular H2_2 in the Passivation of Defective Silicon Using First-Principles Simulations

Using first-principles simulations, this study demonstrates that confined molecular H2_2 within porous regions near amorphous/crystalline silicon interfaces enables a competitive double-hydrogen pathway for Si-H depassivation and rapid repassivation, providing an atomistic explanation for passivation recovery during light soaking.

Hania Azzam (Theory and Computation of Energy Materials, Chair of Theory and Computation of Energy Materials, Faculty of (…)2026-08-24
🔬 condensed matter

Reversing strain deformations probe mechanisms for enhanced segmental mobility of polymer glasses

This study demonstrates that reversing strain deformations in a poly(methyl methacrylate) glass induce a rejuvenation mechanism that enhances segmental mobility once the strain exceeds 60% of the yield point, with optical probe measurements revealing quantitative differences from purely mechanical yield stress assessments in the pre-yield regime.

Kelly Hebert, M. D. Ediger2026-08-24