The idea to use not only the charge but also the spin of electrons in the operation of electronic devices has led to the development of spintronics, causing a revolution in how information is stored and processed. A novel advancement would be to develop ultrafast spintronics using femtosecond laser pulses. Employing terahertz (10(12) Hz) emission spectroscopy and exploiting the spin-orbit interaction, we demonstrate the optical generation of electric photocurrents in metallic ferromagnetic heterostructures at the femtosecond timescale. The direction of the photocurrent is controlled by the helicity of the circularly polarized light. These results open up new opportunities for realizing spintronics in the unprecedented terahertz regime and provide new insights in all-optical control of magnetism.

Topographical cues of magnetically responsive tendon mimetic 3D scaffolds in combination with magneto-mechanical stimulation of human adipose stem cells synergistically boost their tenogenesis.

The application of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in tissue engineering (TE) approaches opens several new research possibilities in this field, enabling a new generation of multifunctional constructs for tissue regeneration. This study describes the development of sophisticated magnetic polymer scaffolds with aligned structural features aimed at applications in tendon tissue engineering (TTE). Tissue engineering magnetic scaffolds are prepared by incorporating iron oxide MNPs into a 3D structure of aligned SPCL (starch and polycaprolactone) fibers fabricated by rapid prototyping (RP) technology. The 3D architecture, composition, and magnetic properties are characterized. Furthermore, the effect of an externally applied magnetic field is investigated on the tenogenic differentiation of adipose stem cells (ASCs) cultured onto the developed magnetic scaffolds, demonstrating that ASCs undergo tenogenic differentiation synthesizing a Tenascin C and Collagen type I rich matrix under magneto-stimulation conditions. Finally, the developed magnetic scaffolds were implanted in an ectopic rat model, evidencing good biocompatibility and integration within the surrounding tissues. Together, these results suggest that the effect of the magnetic aligned scaffolds structure combined with magnetic stimulation has a significant potential to impact the field of tendon tissue engineering toward the development of more efficient regeneration therapies.

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An effective method to boost electrocatalytic activity of nickel phosphides in H 2 evolution reaction is reported. The method took advantage of density functional theory calculations that allowed design of highly active material based on combination of d-metal with p-metal within a phosphide structure. Furthermore, principle is proven experimentally through successful synthesis of self-supported ternary Al−Ni−P foam electrocatalyst by alloying of Ni and Al followed by gas transport phosphorization reaction. As a cathode for H 2 evolution reaction in acidic electrolyte, Al−Ni−P significantly outperforms pure Ni−P, and it has an exchange current density of 0.6 mA/cm 2 and Tafel slope of 65 mV/decade.