Metallic phase change materials (mPCMs) have been demonstrated as potential passive cooling solution for pulse power applications. The possibility of integrating a metallic PCM directly on top of a heat source, reducing the thermal resistance between the device and the cooling system, could result in a significant improvement in thermal management for transient applications. However, many thermo-physical properties of these alloys are still unknown; furthermore, their microstructural stability with repetitive melting/solidification cycles is not warrant. In this work, we provide a series of potential mPCMs for thermal management of electronics operating on a wide range of application temperatures, followed by an experimental investigation of microstructural and thermo-physical stability of these materials under repetitive melting solidification cycles. The results of the effect of cyclic thermal loading of theses alloys on the melting behavior and latent heat of fusion are discussed. Thermal stability of 51.0 wt % In–32.5 wt %Bi–16.5 wt %Sn and 50 wt %Bi–26.7 wt %Pb–13.3 wt %Sn–10 wt %Cd alloys, as potential midtemperature mPCM, has been evaluated. The results suggest that these mPCMs maintain their thermo-physical stability over large periods of thermal cycles.

Pulsed laser annealing (PLA) was performed on a 0.3 μm thick hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) film deposited on silicon substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The 532 nm, 32 ns PLA ranged in fluence from 0.2 to 0.94 J cm⁻². There were no visible signs of film delamination over the entire fluence range for a single pulse. As the fluence increased, graphitization of the amorphous film bulk was observed. However, at the near surface of the film, there was a concomitant increase in sp³ content. The sp³ bonding observed is the result of the formation of a thin diamond-like layer on the surface of the carbon film. Along with increasing laser fluence, the film swelled by 75% up to 0.6 J cm⁻². In addition, carbon fiber formation was observed at 0.6 J cm⁻², increasing in size and depth up through 0.94 J cm⁻². The origin of this transformation may be associated with a rapid outgassing of hydrogen from the amorphous carbon during the PLA step. Additionally, there was a dramatic increase in the visible light absorption of these thin films with increasing laser fluence, despite the films being less than a micron thick. These results suggest that PLA of a-C:H film is a useful method for modifying the surface structure for optical or electrochemical applications without film ablation.

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) offer promising platforms for single-molecule sensing due to their quasi-one-dimensional channels and discrete electronic states, providing superior sensitivity toward molecular perturbations. While prior studies emphasize smoother edges as essential for optimal performance, the potential benefits of controlled edge roughness remain largely unexplored. Additionally, most investigations focus on GNR arrays, leaving critical edge- and width-dependent factors, including fringe fields, bandgap widening, interactions between adsorbing molecules and GNR atoms, density of states (DOS) suppression, and electrostatic screening lengths, and their collective impact on sensitivity, poorly understood. Here, we fabricated field-effect transistors using individual GNRs (widths: 200–20 nm) and characterized their response to molecular adsorption with perfluorooctanoic acid as the model analyte. Narrower ribbons displayed significantly enhanced sensitivity, yielding a Dirac voltage shift of 116 ± 10 mV upon adsorption of a single-molecule within a 20 nm-wide GNR. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that this heightened sensitivity arises from stronger fringe fields, width-dependent quantum confinement effects, reduced DOS, and increased edge roughness that facilitates molecular anchoring, enhanced orbital overlap, and improved charge transfer efficiency. Our findings challenge the conventional assumption that smoother edges inherently enhance sensor performance, demonstrating that controlled edge disorder substantially boosts molecular sensitivity in GNR sensors.