New Link Found Between Ferroelectric Domain Walls and Superconductivity in 2D Materials
Scientists have discovered a unique link between ferroelectric domain walls and superconductivity in two-dimensional van der Waals materials. This breakthrough, credited to research by Gaurav Chaudhary from the University of Cambridge and Ivar Martin from Argonne National Laboratory, sheds light on how specific structural features in these materials enable strong electron interactions. The findings are expected to pave the way for new superconducting devices and innovative applications in the field of condensed matter physics.
Sliding Ferroelectricity and Polarisation Reversal
According to reports by phys.org, sliding ferroelectricity in certain 2D van der Waals materials, including boron nitride and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), facilitates polarisation reversal under moderate electric fields. This phenomenon allows for large-scale manipulation of layer stacking, significantly impacting the material’s electronic properties. Researchers noted that domain walls—boundaries separating regions with differing orientations of ferroelectric polarisation—exhibit unique characteristics that enhance electron-phonon coupling.
Superconductivity Observed at Domain Walls
The study revealed that in materials like molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe₂), superconductivity is transiently enhanced near ferroelectric reversal transitions. This enhancement occurs within hysteresis loops where domains of varying polarisation coexist. The dynamic fluctuations in domain walls were identified as the driving mechanism for the pairing interactions required for superconductivity. It was highlighted that these conditions are exclusive to 2D TMDs, which support interlayer ferroelectricity while remaining conductive within their planes.
Future Research and Applications
Chaudhary and Martin indicated to phys.org that their findings hold potential for developing highly controllable superconducting devices. Efforts are underway to explore the systematic design of new superconductors by layering polar materials and leveraging domain wall networks in moiré systems. They also emphasised the need for further investigations to validate their theoretical models using advanced microscopic simulations.
The study has generated interest among scientists aiming to uncover unconventional mechanisms of superconductivity, marking an important step forward in understanding and utilising the properties of 2D materials.
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Axiom 4 mission’s crewmates began conducting biomedical research aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Expedition 73 and Ax-4 crews found electrical muscle stimulation and cellular immunity. The Cargo transfers and exercise gear maintenance take a day for orbital residents.
Takuya Onishi, Situation Commander from JAXA( Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), has begun the shift in continuation of his space biology studies. His blood and saliva samples are being collected for storage and processing. Further, he spun the specimens in a centrifuge and placed the blood samples in the freezer. After that, he stowed the samples in the incubator.
JAXA’s Takuya Onishi Leads Cellular Immunity Study with Blood and Saliva Analysis
According to a report from NASA, the samples will be analysed to determine the effect of microgravity on cellular immunity, observe stress-related immune reactions, and learn about how to treat symptoms of immunity. The flight engineers Johnny Kim, Anne McClain, and Nichole Ayers spent their day on orbital lab maintenance and further support activities of the crew. Kim focused mainly on orbital plumbing as he replaced and drained the Tranquillity module.
Ayers checked cables and power components in the Destiny laboratory module and deactivated and placed the microscope. McClain took the cognition test on the laptop and kept on supporting the Ax-4 crew at a time of a busy schedule.
Ax-4 Crew Explores Muscle Stimulation and Space Suit Fabric Efficiency in Microgravity
Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla, Tibor Kapu and Uznański-Wiśniewski conducted numerous space investigations throughout the lab. The private scientists in their second full week on the station found out that the electrical muscle simulation escalates the space-related and muscle atrophy in space. Ax-4’s other experiments looked at suit fabrics promote thermal comfort with exercising the weightlessness, crew health and agriculture in space.
Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy worked together on the Zvezda service module, repairing and organising components on a treadmill, one of the two inside the space station, which included the COLBERT treadmill. Kirill Peskov started his day by going through the biological samples from the crewmates. At the end of his shift, he transfers water from Progress 92 cargo craft and unloads the stuffs of hardware and crew supplies.
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Astronomers have discovered the third interstellar comet to pass through our solar system. Named 3I/ATLAS (initially A11pl3Z), it was first spotted July 1 by the ATLAS telescope in Chile and confirmed the same day. Pre-discovery images show it in the sky as far back as mid-June. The object is racing toward the inner system at roughly 150,000 miles per hour on a near-straight trajectory, too fast for the Sun to capture. Estimates suggest its nucleus may be 10–20 km across. Now inside Jupiter’s orbit, 3I/ATLAS will swing closest to the Sun in October and should remain observable into late 2025.
Discovery and Classification
According to NASA, in early July the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile spotted a faint moving object first called A11pl3Z, and the IAU’s Minor Planet Center confirmed the next day that it was an interstellar visitor. The object was officially named 3I/ATLAS and noted as likely the largest interstellar body yet detected. At first it appeared to be an ordinary near-Earth asteroid, but precise orbit measurements showed it speeding at ~150,000 mph – far too fast for the Sun to capture. Astronomers estimate 3I/ATLAS spans roughly 10–20 km across. Signs of cometary activity – a faint coma and short tail – have emerged, earning it the additional comet designation C/2025 N1 (ATLAS).
Studying a Pristine Comet
3I/ATLAS was spotted well before its closest approach, giving astronomers time to prepare detailed observations. It will pass within about 1.4 AU of the Sun in late October. Importantly, researchers can study it while it is still a pristine frozen relic before solar heating alters it. As Pamela Gay notes, discovering the object on its inbound leg leaves “ample time” to analyze its trajectory. Astronomers are now racing to obtain spectra and images – as Chris Lintott warns, the comet will be “baked” by sunlight as it nears perihelion.
Determining its composition and activity is considered “a rare chance” to learn how planets form in other star systems. With new facilities like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory coming online, researchers expect more such visitors in the years ahead. 3I/ATLAS offers a rare chance to study material from another star system.
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