🔬 Category

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

2898 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

Structural Chirality and Natural Optical Activity across the αα-to-ββ Phase Transition in SiO2_2 and AlPO4_4 from first-principles

This first-principles study reveals that during the α\alpha-to-β\beta phase transition in SiO2_2 and AlPO4_4, the sign of natural optical activity remains unchanged despite the reversal of the crystal's screw axis, demonstrating that optical rotation is determined by the atomic-scale helicity of the most polarizable atoms rather than the nominal handedness of the space group.

F. Gómez-Ortiz, A. Zabalo, A. M. Glazer, E. E. McCabe, A. H. Romero, E. Bousquet2026-02-09
🔬 materials science

pH-Responsive Glyphosate Adsorption on Hydroxylated Carbon Nanotubes: From Electronic Structure to Molecular Dynamics

This computational study demonstrates that hydroxyl-functionalized carbon nanotubes significantly enhance pH-responsive glyphosate adsorption through strong donor-acceptor interactions and optimized charge transport, offering a promising, regenerable solution for environmental remediation across various ionization states.

H. T. Silva, L. C. S. Faria, T. A. Aversi-Ferreira, I. Camps2026-02-09
🔬 materials science

Magnetic field induced polarization enhancement in the photoluminescence of MBE-grown WSe2_2 layers

This study demonstrates that a weak out-of-plane magnetic field significantly enhances the valley polarization of defect-bound excitons in MBE-grown WSe2_2 monolayers on hBN, while time-resolved measurements reveal a faster pseudospin relaxation time (25 ps) compared to previously reported exfoliated samples.

Maksymilian Kuna, Mateusz Raczyński, Julia Kucharek, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Tomasz Kazimierczuk, Wojciech Pa (…)2026-02-09
🔬 mesoscale physics

Unconventional bright ground-state excitons in monolayer TiI2_2 from first-principles calculations

First-principles calculations reveal that monolayer TiI2_2 possesses an unconventional bright exciton ground state, driven by spin-orbit-induced band alignment and weak exchange interactions, which remains stable under strain and extends to trion states, offering significant potential for applications requiring fast radiative recombination.

Franz Fischer, Carl Emil Mørch Nielsen, Marta Prada, Gabriel Bester2026-02-09
🔬 applied physics

Corrosion-resistant and conductive Ti-Nb-O coatings tailored for ultra-low Pt-loaded BPPs and PTLs in PEM electrolyzers

This study demonstrates that reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of tailored Ti-Nb-O bilayer coatings on stainless steel substrates yields highly conductive and corrosion-resistant surfaces for PEM electrolyzer components, enabling ultra-low platinum loading (down to 5 nm) while meeting U.S. DOE 2026 performance targets.

David Kolenatý, Jiří Čapek, Stanislav Haviar, Jiří Rezek, Radomír Čerstvý, Akash Kumar, Kalyani Shaji, Mariia Zhadko, Pe (…)2026-02-09
🔬 mesoscale physics

Topological Charges, Fermi Arcs, and Surface States of K4K_4 Crystal

This paper investigates the topological electronic properties of the K4K_4 crystal, revealing that it is a spinless Weyl semimetal hosting Weyl nodes with both conventional (χ=±1\chi=\pm 1) and higher (χ=±2\chi=\pm 2) chiralities that give rise to topologically protected Fermi arc surface states connecting nodes of opposite chirality.

Shoya Yoshida, Katsuhiro Takahashi, Katsunori Wakabayashi2026-02-09
🔬 materials science

Towards Agentic Intelligence for Materials Science

This survey proposes a transformative pipeline-centric framework for advancing materials discovery by shifting from isolated AI models to autonomous, goal-conditioned agents that integrate data curation, domain adaptation, and tool use to optimize the entire discovery loop for tangible experimental outcomes.

Huan Zhang, Yizhan Li, Wenhao Huang, Ziyu Hou, Yu Song, Xuye Liu, Farshid Effaty, Jinya Jiang, Sifan Wu, Qianggang Ding (…)2026-02-09
🔬 materials science

Superconductivity of 30.4 K and its Reemergence under Pressure in Fe1.11Se Synthesized via Ion-exchange and De-intercalation Reaction

This study reports the successful synthesis of a non-stoichiometric Fe1.11Se single crystal with a record-high superconducting onset temperature of 30.4 K via hydrothermal ion-exchange, which exhibits a unique "V"-shaped pressure evolution and a reemergent superconducting state despite containing 11% interstitial iron that typically suppresses superconductivity.

Mingzhang Yang, Yuxin Ma, Qi Li, Ke Ma, Jiali Lu, Zhaolong Liu, Ruijin Sun, Tianping Ying, Mengdi Wang, Xin Chen, Changc (…)2026-02-09
🔬 applied physics

Direct laser writing of high aspect ratio nanochannels for nanofluidics

This paper presents a direct laser writing technique that fabricates high aspect ratio, optically accessible nanochannels between diamond films and glass substrates, demonstrating their ability to spontaneously fill with water via capillary action while maintaining mechanical stability and clog resistance for advanced nanofluidic applications.

Stoffel D. Janssens, Meissha Ayu Ardini, David Vázquez-Cortés, Cathal Cassidy, Eliot Fried2026-02-09