Actin-based cell motility and force generation are central to immune response, tissue development, and cancer metastasis, and understanding actin cytoskeleton regulation is a major goal of cell biologists. Cell spreading is a commonly used model system for motility experiments – spreading fibroblasts exhibit stereotypic, spatially-isotropic edge dynamics during a reproducible sequence of functional phases: 1) During early spreading, cells form initial contacts with the surface. 2) The middle spreading phase exhibits rapidly increasing attachment area. 3) Late spreading is characterized by periodic contractions and stable adhesions formation. While differences in cytoskeletal regulation between phases are known, a global analysis of the spatial and temporal coordination of motility and force generation is missing. Implementing improved algorithms for analyzing edge dynamics over the entire cell periphery, we observed that a single domain of homogeneous cytoskeletal dynamics dominated each of the three phases of spreading. These domains exhibited a unique combination of biophysical and biochemical parameters – a motility module. Biophysical characterization of the motility modules revealed that the early phase was dominated by periodic, rapid membrane blebbing; the middle phase exhibited continuous protrusion with very low traction force generation; and the late phase was characterized by global periodic contractions and high force generation. Biochemically, each motility module exhibited a different distribution of the actin-related protein VASP, while inhibition of actin polymerization revealed different dependencies on barbed-end polymerization. In addition, our whole-cell analysis revealed that many cells exhibited heterogeneous combinations of motility modules in neighboring regions of the cell edge. Together, these observations support a model of motility in which regions of the cell edge exhibit one of a limited number of motility modules that, together, determine the overall motility function. Our data and algorithms are publicly available to encourage further exploration.

SignificanceThe range of allowed deformation modes currently described for the actuation of microstructures is limited. In this work we introduce magnetic-field–guided encoding of highly controlled molecular anisotropy into 3D liquid-crystalline elastomer microstructures capable of displaying unique multiresponsive, shape-changing behaviors. The richness of the predetermined and self-regulated deformations and region-specific motions in these microstructural arrays gives rise to physicochemical insights, as well as potential applications in controlled adhesion, information encryption, soft robotics, and self-regulated light–material interactions.

Due to recent advances in nanofabrication, phasechange condensation heat transfer has seen a renaissance. Compared to conventional heat transfer surfaces, nanostructured surfaces impregnated with chemically matched lubrication films (hereinafter referred to as "nanostructured lubricated surfaces") have been demonstrated to improve vapor-side phase-change condensation heat transfer by facilitating droplet nucleation, growth, and departure. While the presence of nanoscale roughness improves performance longevity by stabilizing the lubrication film via capillary forces, such enhancement is shortlived due to the eventual loss of lubrication oil by the departing droplets. The objective of this study is to characterize oil depletion caused by pendant droplets during condensation. For our study, we nanostructured, chemically functionalized, and lubricated horizontal copper tubes that are widely used in shell-and-tube heat exchangers in power plants and process industries. Using high-speed fluorescence imaging and thermogravimetric analysis, we show that shedding droplets exert a shear force on the oil in the wetting ridge at the water−oil interface. The viscous shear draws the lubrication film from the nanostructured surface onto the upper portion of the droplet and forms a ring-like oil skirt. Through detailed theoretical analysis, we show that the thickness of this oil skirt scales with the classical Landau−Levich−Derjaguin (LLD) theory for dipcoating. Our results reveal that droplets falling from horizontal tubes break unequally and leave behind small satellite droplets that retain the bulk of the oil in the wetting ridge. This observation is in stark contrast with the earlier description of droplets shedding from tilted flat plates where the entire oil-filled wetting ridge is demonstrated to leave the surface upon droplet departure. By selecting lubrication oils of varying viscosity and spreading coefficient, we provide evidence that the contribution of the wrapping layer to the rate of oil depletion is insignificant. Furthermore, we show that due to the nanoscale features on the tubes, nearly half of the lubrication film remains on the surface after 10 h of continuous steam condensation at ambient pressure, 23 °C, and 60% relative humidity, a 2−3-fold improvement over previous results.The insights gained from this work will provide guidelines for the rational design of long-lasting nanostructured lubricated surfaces for phase-change condensation.

The development of new catalyst materials for energy-efficient chemical synthesis is critical as over 80% of industrial processes rely on catalysts, with many of the most energy-intensive processes specifically using heterogeneous catalysis. Catalytic performance is a complex interplay of phenomena involving temperature, pressure, gas composition, surface composition, and structure over multiple length and time scales. In response to this complexity, the integrated approach to heterogeneous dilute alloy catalysis reviewed here brings together materials synthesis, mechanistic surface chemistry, reaction kinetics, in situ and operando characterization, and theoretical calculations in a coordinated effort to develop design principles to predict and improve catalytic selectivity. Dilute alloy catalystsin which isolated atoms or small ensembles of the minority metal on the host metal lead to enhanced reactivity while retaining selectivityare particularly promising as selective catalysts. Several dilute alloy materials using Au, Ag, and Cu as the majority host element, including more recently introduced support-free nanoporous metals and oxide-supported nanoparticle “raspberry colloid templated (RCT)” materials, are reviewed for selective oxidation and hydrogenation reactions. Progress in understanding how such dilute alloy catalysts can be used to enhance selectivity of key synthetic reactions is reviewed, including quantitative scaling from model studies to catalytic conditions. The dynamic evolution of catalyst structure and composition studied in surface science and catalytic conditions and their relationship to catalytic function are also discussed, followed by advanced characterization and theoretical modeling that have been developed to determine the distribution of minority metal atoms at or near the surface. The integrated approach demonstrates the success of bridging the divide between fundamental knowledge and design of catalytic processes in complex catalytic systems, which can accelerate the development of new and efficient catalytic processes.

Male peacock spiders ( Maratus , Salticidae) compete to attract female mates using elaborate, sexually selected displays. They evolved both brilliant colour and velvety black. Here, we use scanning electron microscopy, hyperspectral imaging and finite-difference time-domain optical modelling to investigate the deep black surfaces of peacock spiders. We found that super black regions reflect less than 0.5% of light (for a 30° collection angle) in Maratus speciosus (0.44%) and Maratus karrie (0.35%) owing to microscale structures. Both species evolved unusually high, tightly packed cuticular bumps (microlens arrays), and M. karrie has an additional dense covering of black brush-like scales atop the cuticle. Our optical models show that the radius and height of spider microlenses achieve a balance between (i) decreased surface reflectance and (ii) enhanced melanin absorption (through multiple scattering, diffraction out of the acceptance cone of female eyes and increased path length of light through absorbing melanin pigments). The birds of paradise (Paradiseidae), ecological analogues of peacock spiders, also evolved super black near bright colour patches. Super black locally eliminates white specular highlights, reference points used to calibrate colour perception, making nearby colours appear brighter, even luminous, to vertebrates. We propose that this pre-existing, qualitative sensory experience—‘sensory bias’—is also found in spiders, leading to the convergent evolution of super black for mating displays in jumping spiders.