Biological morphogenesis has inspired many efficient strategies to diversify material structure and functionality using a fixed set of components. However, implementation of morphogenesis concepts to design soft nanomaterials is underexplored. Here, we study nanomorphogenesis in the form of the three-dimensional (3D) crumpling of polyamide membranes used for commercial molecular separation, through an unprecedented integration of electron tomography, reaction-diffusion theory, machine learning (ML), and liquid-phase atomic force microscopy. 3D tomograms show that the spatial arrangement of crumples scales with monomer concentrations in a form quantitatively consistent with a Turing instability. Membrane microenvironments quantified from the nanomorphologies of crumples are combined with the Spiegler-Kedem model to accurately predict methanol permeance. ML classifies vastly heterogeneous crumples into just four morphology groups, exhibiting distinct mechanical properties. Our work forges quantitative links between synthesis and performance in polymer thin films, which can be applicable to diverse soft nanomaterials.

Bursting of bubbles at a liquid surface is ubiquitous in a wide range of physical, biological, and geological phenomena, as a key source of aerosol droplets for mass transport across the interface. However, how a structurally complex interface, widely present in nature, mediates the bursting process remains largely unknown. Here, we document the bubble-bursting jet dynamics at an oil-covered aqueous surface, which typifies the sea surface microlayer as well as an oil spill on the ocean. The jet tip radius and velocity are altered with even a thin oil layer, and oily aerosol droplets are produced. We provide evidence that the coupling of oil spreading and cavity collapse dynamics results in a multi-phase jet and the follow-up droplet size change. The oil spreading influences the effective viscous damping, and scaling laws are proposed to quantify the jetting dynamics. Our study not only advances the fundamental understanding of bubble bursting dynamics, but also may shed light on the airborne transmission of organic matters in nature related to aerosol production.

Heavy-metal-free quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) face commercialization challenges due to low efficiency and poor stability. Spin-coated quantum dot films often create charge leakage areas, limiting device performance. Here, we develop an evaporative-driven self-assembly strategy that enables the preparation of uniform and dense InP-based quantum dot films. During device operation, these films effectively suppress performance degradation caused by charge leakage. QLEDs with uniform and dense InP-based quantum dot films achieve high external quantum efficiency (26.6%) and luminance (1.4 × 10⁵cd m⁻²), along with considerable stability (extrapolated T ₅₀ lifetime of 4026 hours at 1000 cd m⁻²). For a 2 × 3 cm² InP-based device, the peak external quantum efficiency reaches 21.1%. By combining high-performance QLEDs with lithography technology, we fabricate miniaturized QLEDs with a minimum pixel size of 3 μm, achieving a resolution as high as 5080 pixels per inch and a peak external quantum efficiency of 22.6%.

Liquid metal (LM) has gained increasing attention for a wide range of applications, such as flexible electronics, soft robots, and chip cooling devices, owing to its low melting temperature, good flexibility, and high electrical and thermal conductivity. In ambient conditions, LM is susceptible to the coverage of a thin oxide layer, resulting in unwanted adhesion with underlying substrates that undercuts its originally high mobility. Here, we discover an unusual phenomenon characterized by the complete rebound of LM droplets from the water layer with negligible adhesion. More counterintuitively, the restitution coefficient, defined as the ratio between the droplet velocities after and before impact, increases with water layer thickness. We reveal that the complete rebound of LM droplets originates from the trapping of a thinly low-viscosity water lubrication film that prevents droplet-solid contact with low viscous dissipation, and the restitution coefficient is modulated by the negative capillary pressure in the lubrication film as a result of the spontaneous spreading of water on the LM droplet. Our findings advance the fundamental understanding of complex fluids’ droplet dynamics and provide insights for fluid control.

In this study, a simulation method is established for the impaction of micron particles on liquid surfaces, by which the processes of two impaction modes (submergence and oscillation) are studied. The submergence is found to go through three stages, each of which shows different characteristics of particle velocity and gas–liquid interface variance. The dominant forces of the early and late times of the submergence mode are hydrodynamic force and surface tension, respectively, the accumulated work of which is in the same order. The lost particle kinetic energy is converted to the surface energy of the interfaces, the internal energy and the kinetic energy of fluids. The primary part of the oscillation is the first cycle, and the characteristics of its sinking process are similar to that of the submergence. In the reverting stage, the particle rising velocity increases first and then decreases, and the cavity retracts until the gas–liquid interface flattens. The dominant forces of the early and late times of the reverting stage are surface tension and hydrodynamic force, respectively. The positive accumulated work of surface tension on the particle is considerably limited due to the large contact angle hysteresis at the early times of the reverting stage. The negative accumulated work of the hydrodynamic force on the particle at the late times causes a fast decrease in particle kinetic energy, which leads to particle floating on the gas–liquid interface. The results are helpful in understanding the mechanism of micron particle impaction and developing the prediction method of attachment efficiency.