Changing Polarization with Applied Stress: The direction of electric polarization in ferroelectric materials can be switched with an applied field, but mechanical stresses can also couple to the polarization, forming the basis for piezoelectric effects. In principle, it should be possible to change the polarization of a ferroelectric material mechanically through stress gradients. Lu et al. (p. 59 ; see the Perspective by Gregg ) demonstrate such switching for nanoscale-sized regions created by the stress induced with an atomic force microscope. The substrates are single-crystalline barium titanate films that have a vertically aligned dipole moment created by compressive stresses in the film. This approach may lead to memory devices in which bits are written mechanically but read electrically.

Self‐powered micromachines are promising tools for future environmental remediation technology. Waste‐water treatment and water reuse is an essential part of environmental sustainability. Herein, we present reusable Fe/Pt multi‐functional active microcleaners that are capable of degrading organic pollutants (malachite green and 4‐nitrophenol) by generated hydroxyl radicals via a Fenton‐like reaction. Various different properties of microcleaners, such as the effect of their size, short‐term storage, long‐term storage, reusability, continuous swimming capability, surface composition, and mechanical properties, are studied. It is found that these microcleaners can continuously swim for more than 24 hours and can be stored more than 5 weeks during multiple cleaning cycles. The produced microcleaners can also be reused, which reduces the cost of the process. During the reuse cycles the outer iron surface of the Fe/Pt microcleaners generates the in‐situ, heterogeneous Fenton catalyst and releases a low concentration of iron into the treated water, while the mechanical properties also appear to be improved due to both its surface composition and structural changes. The microcleaners are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nanoindentation, and finite‐element modeling (FEM).

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir y analizar la reflexión que hace un profesor de su práctica, cuando utiliza los Criterios de Idoneidad Didáctica (CI) para valorar y rediseñar una unidad didáctica sobre la proporcionalidad. El análisis cualitativo del caso apunta que la valoración que hace el profesor de la unidad didáctica es bastante equilibrada, pues se pauta en todos los componentes de los CI. Sin embrago, al atribuir el peso al uso de los criterios en el rediseño de la unidad, el profesor pone más énfasis en la idoneidad epistémica, en particular, en el rediseño de diferentes tipologías de tareas con la finalidad de trabajar diferentes significados parciales de la proporcionalidad, en particular, el geométrico y el aritmético. Se concluye que este tipo de resultado puede ser observado en otras investigaciones que tratan de la reflexión que hace el profesor al utilizar la herramienta idoneidad didáctica.