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Shih-Wei Hung

Publications and source records attributed to Shih-Wei Hung.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Physics-Informed 3D Atomic Reconstruction and Dynamics of Free-Standing Graphene from Single Low-Dose TEM Images

Resolving the three-dimensional (3D) atomic geometry of free-standing graphene in real time is essential for understanding how intrinsic rippling governs its electronic properties. However, the low electron doses required to mitigate radiation damage impose severe signal-to-noise constraints that limit conventional reconstruction methods. Here, we present a physics-informed computational framework that reconstructs 3D atomic coordinates of single-layer graphene from individual low-dose transmission electron microscopy (TEM) frames (8x10^3 e-/Ang^2, 1 ms temporal resolution). The approach combines simulated annealing optimisation with molecular dynamics regularisation, achieving sub-angstrom out-of-plane accuracy (sigma_z < 0.45 Ang), validated against ground-truth simulations. A Kullback-Leibler divergence-based calibration aligns the forward model with experimental image statistics, reducing systematic bias. Applied to high-speed time-series data, the framework enables simultaneous extraction of real-time ripple dynamics, strain tensors, surface curvature, bond-length distributions, and density functional theory (DFT)-derived electron localisation functions (ELF). We establish quantitative relationships linking local geometry, strain, and bond-length variations to electron localisation, demonstrating that sub-angstrom structural fluctuations drive spatially localised, millisecond-scale electronic modulation. A critical dose threshold is identified below which structural information becomes irrecoverable, providing practical guidance for experimental design. The framework is broadly applicable to beam-sensitive two-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Modulation of interfacial thermal transport between fumed silica nanoparticles by surface chemical functionalization for advanced thermal insulation

Since solid-state heat transport in a highly porous nanocomposite strongly depends on the thermal boundary conductance (TBC) between constituent nanomaterials, further suppression of the TBC is important for improving performance of thermal insulators. Here, targeting a nanocomposite fabricated by stamping fumed silica nanoparticles, we perform a wide variety of surface functionalization on fumed silica nanoparticles by silane coupling method and investigate the impact on the thermal conductivity (Km). The Km of the silica nanocomposite is approximately 20 and 9 mW/m/K under atmospheric and vacuum condition at the material density of 0.2 g/cm3 without surface functionalization, respectively, and the experimental results indicate that the Km can be modulated depending on the chemical structure of molecules. The surface modification with a linear alkyl chain of optimal length significantly suppresses Km by approximately 30%, and the suppression can be further enhanced to approximately 50% with the infrared opacifier. The magnitude of suppression was found to sensitively depend on the length of terminal chain. The magnitude is also related to the number of reactive silanol groups in the chemical structure, where the surface modification with fluorocarbon gives the largest suppression. The surface hydrophobization merits thermal insulation through significant suppression of the TBC, presumably by reducing the water molecules that otherwise would serve as heat conduction channels at the interface. On the other hand, when the chain length is long, the suppression is counteracted by the enhanced phonon transmission through the silane coupling molecules that grows with the chain length. This is supported by the analytical model and present simulation results, leading to predict the optimal chemical structure for better thermal insulation.

physics.app-ph

Scalable monolayer-functionalized nanointerface for thermal conductivity enhancement in copper/diamond composite

Aiming at developing high thermal conductivity copper/diamond composite, an unconventional approach applying self-assembled monolayer (SAM) prior to the high-temperature sintering of copper/diamond composite was utilized to enhance the thermal boundary conductance (TBC) between copper and diamond. The enhancement was first systematically confirmed on a model interface system by detailed SAM morphology characterization and TBC measurements. TBC significantly depends on the SAM coverage and ordering, and the formation of high-quality SAM promoted the TBC to 73 MW/m^2-K from 27 MW/m^2-K, the value without SAM. With the help of molecular dynamics simulations, the TBC enhancement was identified to be determined by the number of SAM bridges and the overlap of vibrational density of states. The diamond particles of 210 {\micro\metre} in size were simultaneously functionalized by SAM with the condition giving the highest TBC in the model system and sintered together with the copper to fabricate isotropic copper/diamond composite of 50% volume fraction. The measured thermal conductivity marked 711 W/m-K at room temperature, the highest value among the ones with similar diamond-particles volume fraction and size. This work demonstrates a novel strategy to enhance the thermal conductivity of composite materials by SAM functionalization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci