Developments and applications of the OPTIMADE API for materials discovery, design, and data exchange.

The Open Databases Integration for Materials Design (OPTIMADE) application programming interface (API) empowers users with holistic access to a growing federation of databases, enhancing the accessibility and discoverability of materials and chemical data. Since the first release of the OPTIMADE specification (v1.0), the API has undergone significant development, leading to the v1.2 release, and has underpinned multiple scientific studies. In this work, we highlight the latest features of the API format, accompanying software tools, and provide an update on the implementation of OPTIMADE in contributing materials databases. We end by providing several use cases that demonstrate the utility of the OPTIMADE API in materials research that continue to drive its ongoing development.

Electronic-grade epitaxial (111) KTaO3 heterostructures.

KTaO3 heterostructures have recently attracted attention as model systems to study the interplay of quantum paraelectricity, spin-orbit coupling, and superconductivity. However, the high and low vapor pressures of potassium and tantalum present processing challenges to creating heterostructure interfaces clean enough to reveal the intrinsic quantum properties. Here, we report superconducting heterostructures based on high-quality epitaxial (111) KTaO3 thin films using an adsorption-controlled hybrid PLD to overcome the vapor pressure mismatch. Electrical and structural characterizations reveal that the higher-quality heterostructure interface between amorphous LaAlO3 and KTaO3 thin films supports a two-dimensional electron gas with substantially higher electron mobility, superconducting transition temperature, and critical current density than that in bulk single-crystal KTaO3-based heterostructures. Our hybrid approach may enable epitaxial growth of other alkali metal-based oxides that lie beyond the capabilities of conventional methods.

Quantitative predictive theories through integrating quantum, statistical, equilibrium, and nonequilibrium thermodynamics.

Today's thermodynamics is largely based on the combined law for equilibrium systems and statistical mechanics derived by Gibbs in 1873 and 1901, respectively, while irreversible thermodynamics for nonequilibrium systems resides essentially on the Onsager Theorem as a separate branch of thermodynamics developed in 1930s. Between them, quantum mechanics was invented and quantitatively solved in terms of density functional theory (DFT) in 1960s. These three scientific domains operate based on different principles and are very much separated from each other. In analogy to the parable of the blind men and the elephant articulated by Perdew, they individually represent different portions of a complex system and thus are incomplete by themselves alone, resulting in the lack of quantitative agreement between their predictions and experimental observations. Over the last two decades, the author's group has developed a multiscale entropy approach (recently termed as zentropy theory) that integrates DFT-based quantum mechanics and Gibbs statistical mechanics and is capable of accurately predicting entropy and free energy of complex systems. Furthermore, in combination with the combined law for nonequilibrium systems presented by Hillert, the author developed the theory of cross phenomena beyond the phenomenological Onsager Theorem. The zentropy theory and theory of cross phenomena jointly provide quantitative predictive theories for systems from electronic to any observable scales as reviewed in the present work.

Kaempferol inhibits the production of ROS to modulate OPN-alfavbeta3 integrin pathway in HUVECs

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that aldosterone regulates osteopontin (OPN)-related signaling pathways to promote nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and that kaempferol, a flavonoid compound, blocks those changes. Aldosterone induced productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS), OPN, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase 4 (Nox4), NF-κB, OPN, alphavbeta3 (αvβ3) integrin, and inhibitor of NF-κB alpha phosphorylation (P-IκBα) in HUVEC. HUVECs were pretreated with kaempferol (0, 1, 3, or 10 μM) for 1 h and exposed to aldosterone (10−6 M) for 24 h. Kaempferol reduced ROS, OPN, NF-κB, IL-6, and TNF-α levels; Nox4, αvβ3 integrin; and P-IκBα expressions. The effect of aldosterone was also abrogated by spironolactone (10−6 M). In addition, vitamin C (20 mmol/L) reduced ROS production. Vitamin C and LM609 (10 μg/mL) treatment decreased expressions of OPN, αvβ3 integrin, and NF-κB (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The present results suggest that kaempferol may modulate OPN-αvβ3 integrin pathway to inhibit NF-κB activation in HUVECs (AU)

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