Materials & AI · glossary

Materials and AI glossary

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The examples explain the concept. For actual research results, see AI in materials에서 원문과 함께 확인하세요. 엄선한 용어 86개에는 Colab에서 바로 돌려볼 수 있는 실습 노트북이 있습니다. “AI 자동 추가” 표시가 붙은 용어는 새 이슈를 수집할 때 자동으로 추가된 것으로, 아직 사람이 검토하지 않았고 실습 노트북이 없습니다. 노트북의 데이터는 개념 확인용으로 생성한 값이며 실제 측정값이 아닙니다.

Materials basics · added by AI

Topology

Topology

The property and classification in which structure or connectivity is preserved under continuous deformation. In materials, it is used to distinguish different structural types by comparing the network connectivity of atoms, rings, and channels.

In materials terms

In a porous framework, even with the same composition, different topology can lead to completely different properties.

Adaptive Discovery of Uncharted Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Defect Topology

Defect Topology

It is a structural property that indicates how defects are spatially connected and arranged. It is useful for explaining how not only the simple number of defects but also the connectivity and geometry affect material properties.

In materials terms

The defect topology of oxygen vacancies can change charge trapping behavior.

Machine Learning Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics Reveals Key Influence of Topology of Oxygen Vacancies on Carrier Trapping and Recombination in SrTiO3 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics

Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics

It is a molecular dynamics method in which electronic state transitions and atomic nucleus motion occur together. Because it treats the coupled dynamics of electrons and nuclei, it is used to simulate excited-state processes and charge transfer.

In materials terms

Carrier recombination pathways in photoexcited oxides can be tracked with Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics.

Machine Learning Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics Reveals Key Influence of Topology of Oxygen Vacancies on Carrier Trapping and Recombination in SrTiO3 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

topological visibility

topological visibility

A concept that indicates how clearly topological features appear in observable data signals. If the signal is blurred by noise or temperature effects, topological visibility can be considered low.

In materials terms

In nanowire conductance, the higher the topological visibility, the easier it is to identify Majorana features.

Physical Review B - Accepted Paper: Avoiding dilution: Using diffusion and vision transformers to resolve Majorana features in nanowires at high temperature ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Charge Density

Charge Density

A physical quantity that indicates how charge is distributed at each position in space. In electronic structure calculations, it is a key result that describes the spatial distribution of electrons.

In materials terms

By learning the charge density obtained from DFT, it is possible to rapidly estimate the electronic structure properties of materials.

Efficient equivariant framework for universal charge density prediction | Nature Machine Intelligence ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Conformational Ensemble

Conformational Ensemble

A concept in which a molecule or polymer exists not as a single fixed structure but as a collection of multiple possible structural states. The occupancy or distribution of each structure is considered together.

In materials terms

When predicting the structure of a disordered protein, a conformational ensemble is generated instead of a single structure.

IDPForge: deep learning of proteins with global and local regions of disorder ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Site Heterogeneity

Site Heterogeneity

A phenomenon in which structure, composition, electronic state, and reactivity differ depending on location within the same material or surface. Because of differences in the local environment, variations arise that cannot be explained by the overall average alone.

In materials terms

In nanoparticle catalysts, the reaction differences among different active sites are interpreted as Site Heterogeneity.

Dynamic Site Heterogeneity in Nanoparticle Catalysis from Hierarchical Machine Learning ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Preparation Procedure Information Extraction

Preparation Procedure Information Extraction

The task of automatically finding information corresponding to experimental preparation procedures in literature or reports and extracting it in a structured form. In materials research, it is used to organize reproducibility-critical information such as reagents, sequence, and conditions into a machine-readable format.

In materials terms

From the body text of a paper, the mixing order of the solution and the heat-treatment conditions are extracted to create an experimental protocol database.

A training-free, domain-extensible LLM-based approach for automated extraction of standardized preparation procedures ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering · SERS

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering · SERS

A phenomenon in which the Raman scattering signal is greatly amplified at the surface of a metal nanostructure. It is widely used in spectroscopic sensors because trace molecules can be detected rapidly.

In materials terms

In materials sensors, SERS is used to detect low concentrations of contaminants or biomarkers.

T7 Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase-Triggered CRISPR/Cas13a and Branched HCR Cascade Amplification with Machine Learning for SERS Detection of Cardiac Troponin I ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Real-space Representation

Real-space Representation

A method of directly expressing physical quantities such as wavefunctions or electron density in spatial coordinates. It represents states with a focus on position dependence rather than reciprocal space or basis-function coefficients.

In materials terms

Real-space Representation is used in wavefunction approximations that directly handle the electron distribution around atoms.

Spin-adapted neural network wavefunctions in real space | Nature Communications ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Electron Tomography

Electron Tomography

An imaging technique that reconstructs the three-dimensional structure of a sample by using projection images acquired from multiple angles in an electron microscope. It is widely used to obtain atomic-scale structural information.

In materials terms

The three-dimensional atomic arrangement of a nanomaterial can be reconstructed by Electron Tomography and then corrected with AI.

Physics-aware neural networks enable robust and full atomic structure determination via low-dose atomic electron tomography | npj Computational Materials ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Electronic Nose

Electronic Nose

A system that distinguishes composite signal patterns produced by gases or volatile substances using a sensor array and a pattern-recognition algorithm. Rather than measuring odor directly, it identifies targets by learning combinations of responses from multiple sensors.

In materials terms

An electronic nose is used when classifying volatile organic compound types from the response pattern of a gas sensor array.

Scentronic: An artificial intelligence–assisted olfactory interface for remote odor sharing and transmission ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Liquid-Liquid Phase Diagram

Liquid-Liquid Phase Diagram

A phase diagram that shows how phase separation appears in two liquid phases or a liquid mixture as a function of composition, temperature, and pressure. The phase boundary and phase-separation region make it possible to understand the behavior of the mixture.

In materials terms

In an extraction process, the Liquid-Liquid Phase Diagram is used to find the composition range in which separation proceeds well.

Physics-Informed Site-Specific Molecular Interaction Learning Framework for Liquid–Liquid Phase Diagram Reconstruction and Extraction Process Design ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

onsite interaction · on-site interaction

onsite interaction · on-site interaction

It denotes the interaction strength acting between two particles at the same site, and it is a key parameter of the Hubbard model. It determines the strength of electron correlation and the energy cost of an occupied state.

In materials terms

In a qubit array model, the onsite interaction strength can be inversely estimated from data.

Machine-learning disordered Hubbard model underlying semiconductor quantum dot based two-dimensional spin qubit arrays | Phys. Rev. B ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

onsite energy · on-site energy

onsite energy · on-site energy

In a lattice model, it is the local energy term when an electron exists at each site. It can vary with the surrounding potential, impurities, compositional fluctuations, and gate voltage.

In materials terms

In a semiconductor quantum dot array, site-to-site deviations in onsite energy can be estimated.

Machine-learning disordered Hubbard model underlying semiconductor quantum dot based two-dimensional spin qubit arrays | Phys. Rev. B ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Hubbard model

Hubbard model

It is a lattice model of strongly interacting electron systems that simply describes the hopping and local interactions between electrons. It is widely used to explain problems such as strongly correlated electron systems, magnetism, Mott insulators, and quantum dot arrays.

In materials terms

In charge stability analysis of a quantum dot qubit array, Hubbard model parameters can be estimated.

Machine-learning disordered Hubbard model underlying semiconductor quantum dot based two-dimensional spin qubit arrays | Phys. Rev. B ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Constant Potential

Constant Potential

In an electrochemical system, this refers to a condition in which the electrode potential is maintained at a constant value. It is important when treating systems in which the charge distribution and surface reaction barriers vary with potential.

In materials terms

The surface adsorption energy and reaction barrier are calculated under constant potential conditions.

Thermodynamically Consistent Machine Learning Potentials for Constant-Potential Simulations | Phys. Rev. Lett. ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Passivation

Passivation

Passivation is the process of reducing surface defects, reactive sites, and charge traps to improve the chemical and electrical stability of a material. It can be implemented through methods such as coating, adsorption, and surface treatment.

In materials terms

In perovskite solar cells, interfacial passivation reduces recombination and improves efficiency and stability.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10482-y ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Potential Energy Surface · PES

Potential Energy Surface · PES

A functional landscape that shows how the energy of a system changes with atomic arrangement or structural coordinates. It is fundamental for understanding phenomena such as reaction pathways, stable structures, and diffusion.

In materials terms

The change in energy according to the relative sliding position of the bilayer is represented by a PES to examine stacking stability.

Transferable Atom-Pair Graph Neural Network for Few-Shot Reconstruction of Rigid Homobilayer Sliding Potential-Energy Surfaces ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Heterogeneous Formulation

Heterogeneous Formulation

A formulation in which different components, phases, particles, or additives are mixed non-uniformly. Because the composition or structure varies spatially, the properties can also vary depending on location.

In materials terms

In a composite coating, if particle dispersion is not uniform, the resulting heterogeneous formulation can lead to large property variations.

Articles in 2026 | npj Computational Materials ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Kinetic Stability

Kinetic Stability

A property in which a structure remains maintained for a long time under actual conditions because the barrier for structural transformation is large, even if it is not the thermodynamically most stable state. It is important when judging synthetic accessibility and the possibility of actual existence.

In materials terms

The candidate magnetic structure is checked to see whether it is kinetically stable in calculation.

Physical Review Materials - Recent Articles ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Atomistic Simulation

Atomistic Simulation

A computational method that models the structure and properties of materials based on interactions at the atomic level. Molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, and interatomic potential calculations belong to this category.

In materials terms

The phase stability of an oxide with an interface is compared using atomistic simulation.

Interface-controlled phase stability in polymorphic HfO2 revealed by machine-learning atomistic simulations | npj Computational Materials ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Additive Manufacturing · AM · 3D Printing

Additive Manufacturing · AM · 3D Printing

A manufacturing method that builds a desired shape and internal structure by stacking material layer by layer. It allows comparatively free design of the process path and local structure.

In materials terms

Pore structure and conductive distribution in aerogels or composites are controlled by additive manufacturing.

Machine Learning‐Guided Additive Manufacturing of Multilayer Aerogels for Ultrabroadband, Ultralow‐Reflection Electromagnetic Shielding - Zhou - Advanced Materi ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Quantum Modelling

Quantum Modelling

A modelling method that predicts material properties by describing the behavior of atoms and electrons in quantum-mechanical terms. It usually includes calculations such as density functional theory and deals with electronic structure and energy.

In materials terms

The binding characteristics of the passivation molecule can be evaluated by Quantum Modelling to narrow down candidates.

Autonomous closed-loop framework for reproducible perovskite solar cells | Nature ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Adsorption Heat

Adsorption Heat

This is the heat released or absorbed when a gas is adsorbed onto a surface. It is an important thermodynamic quantity that indicates the strength of the adsorption bond and the intensity of surface interactions.

In materials terms

Adsorption heat is used to evaluate how strongly hydrogen binds in MOF pores.

Physical Review Materials - Accepted Paper: Hybrid sampling approach to machine-learning potentials for gas adsorption: Hydrogen adsorption in MOF-303 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Adsorption Isotherm

Adsorption Isotherm

This is a curve that shows the relationship between adsorption amount and pressure or concentration at a constant temperature. It is used to compare a material's storage capacity, surface affinity, and pore-filling behavior.

In materials terms

When comparing MOF hydrogen-storage candidates, adsorption isotherms at different temperatures are calculated.

Physical Review Materials - Accepted Paper: Hybrid sampling approach to machine-learning potentials for gas adsorption: Hydrogen adsorption in MOF-303 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Gas Adsorption

Gas Adsorption

This is the phenomenon in which gas molecules adhere to and remain on a solid surface or inside pores. Adsorption is divided into physisorption and chemisorption, and it is strongly governed by the pore structure and surface properties of the material.

In materials terms

When evaluating the hydrogen-storage performance of porous MOF, gas adsorption isotherms are calculated.

Physical Review Materials - Accepted Paper: Hybrid sampling approach to machine-learning potentials for gas adsorption: Hydrogen adsorption in MOF-303 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Spectroscopic Property

Spectroscopic Property

A spectroscopic property refers to measurable optical responses that appear when a material interacts with light, such as absorption, emission, and fluorescence lifetime. It can vary depending on the electronic structure, local coordination environment, and defect states.

In materials terms

In rare-earth-doped materials, spectroscopic property is used to predict emission spectra and lifetimes.

Machine learning-enabled prediction and interpretation of spectroscopic properties in Nd and Y co-doped fluorite platform via local coordination engineering | n ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Tensor

Tensor

A multidimensional physical quantity that generalizes scalars and vectors, and whose value can vary with direction. It is used to represent direction-dependent material properties such as stress, strain, and piezoelectric coefficients.

In materials terms

A piezoelectric tensor has different components depending on the crystal orientation, so it must be predicted in tensor form.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41524-026-02139-1 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Substructure

Substructure

A repeated or functionally meaningful partial structure within a larger molecule or polymer structure. It is used as a unit of description when the whole molecule is difficult to handle directly or when interpretability needs to be improved.

In materials terms

When evaluating polymer dielectric candidates, descriptors are generated for each substructure and used for screening.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41524-026-02139-1 ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Ferroelectric

Ferroelectric

A material that has spontaneous polarization even without an external electric field, and whose polarization direction can be changed by an electric field. It is widely used in non-volatile memory, sensors, and actuators.

In materials terms

The change in the polarization state of a Ferroelectric affects charge transport characteristics.

Polarization-controlled ultrafast carrier dynamics in sliding ferroelectrics revealed by machine learning-accelerated nonadiabatic dynamics simulations | npj Co ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Carrier Dynamics

Carrier Dynamics

A concept that describes the generation, motion, scattering, and recombination processes of charge carriers, that is, electrons and holes, in semiconductors or insulators. It is central to understanding the electrical and optical responses of materials.

In materials terms

We analyze whether Carrier Dynamics change according to polarization changes through ultrafast simulations.

Polarization-controlled ultrafast carrier dynamics in sliding ferroelectrics revealed by machine learning-accelerated nonadiabatic dynamics simulations | npj Co ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Nonadiabatic Dynamics

Nonadiabatic Dynamics

This deals with dynamics in a state where the motions of electrons and atomic nuclei are not separated and are strongly coupled to each other. It is especially used in processes where electronic state transitions are important, such as excited states or charge transfer.

In materials terms

After photoexcitation, the ultrafast charge transfer in the material is simulated with Nonadiabatic Dynamics.

Polarization-controlled ultrafast carrier dynamics in sliding ferroelectrics revealed by machine learning-accelerated nonadiabatic dynamics simulations | npj Co ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Phonon

Phonon

A quasiparticle formed by quantization of atomic vibrations in a crystal, and a fundamental concept for describing lattice thermal conductivity and heat transport. It is used when treating the collective behavior of vibrational modes.

In materials terms

When analyzing heat transfer at an alumina interface, phonon scattering and transmission are considered together.

Unveiling inelastic phonon scattering at Al-Al2O3 interfaces by machine-learning molecular dynamics | npj Computational Materials ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Inelastic Scattering

Inelastic Scattering

A phenomenon in which a particle or quasiparticle exchanges energy with a material during interaction, so the energy before and after scattering differs. Because it is accompanied by energy loss or generation, it is important for interpreting spectroscopy and transport phenomena.

In materials terms

If phonons undergo inelastic scattering in interfacial heat transfer, the energy transfer pathway can change.

Unveiling inelastic phonon scattering at Al-Al2O3 interfaces by machine-learning molecular dynamics | npj Computational Materials ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Effective Hamiltonian

Effective Hamiltonian

An Effective Hamiltonian is a Hamiltonian that approximates a complex physical system with fewer degrees of freedom. It retains only the energy ranges or interactions of interest to simplify the calculation.

In materials terms

To quickly calculate the electronic dynamics of a photoexcited crystal, one can learn and use an Effective Hamiltonian.

Learning effective Hamiltonians for crystals exposed to nonresonant optical excitation | Phys. Rev. B ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

magnetic diffuse scattering

magnetic diffuse scattering

An abnormal scattering signal that appears when magnetic order does not achieve complete long-range periodicity or when thermal fluctuations are present. It reflects specific spin correlations and short-range magnetic order.

In materials terms

In powder neutron diffraction, the magnetic diffuse scattering pattern can be used to back-calculate interaction parameters.

Machine learning magnetic interactions from neutron powder diffraction data ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Reaction Network

Reaction Network

A reaction network is a system that represents the connection relationships among chemical reactions and species as a graph. Each node and edge expresses a possible reaction pathway and transition relationship.

In materials terms

In catalytic CO2 hydrogenation, the possible elementary reactions are gathered to construct the reaction network.

Data-driven massive reaction networks reveal mechanistic pathways underlying catalytic CO 2 hydrogenation ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Vacancy Formation Energy

Vacancy Formation Energy

The energy required to remove one atom from a crystal and create a vacancy. It is used to gauge how easily defects form and the stability at high temperature.

In materials terms

In Ni-based superalloys, vacancy formation energy is predicted to compare diffusion behavior.

Prediction of vacancy formation energies in Ni-based superalloys by density functional theory calculations and machine learning | npj Computational Materials ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Phase Stability

Phase Stability

It is the degree to which a given phase is thermodynamically more likely to be retained than other phases under specific temperature, pressure, and composition conditions. Higher phase stability makes it easier to maintain the desired crystal phase or microstructure.

In materials terms

When the alloy composition is changed, low phase stability can increase the formation of undesired precipitated phases.

Discovery of Multicomponent Invar Materials With Low Thermal Expansion, High Curie Temperature, and Superior Phase Stability Assisted by Active Learning ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Thermal Expansion

Thermal Expansion

It is the phenomenon in which a material's length, volume, or lattice parameter changes when the temperature changes. It usually expands as temperature rises, but depending on composition or structure, very small or even negative values can also appear.

In materials terms

When designing low thermal expansion alloys, the linear thermal expansion coefficient is predicted according to temperature change.

Discovery of Multicomponent Invar Materials With Low Thermal Expansion, High Curie Temperature, and Superior Phase Stability Assisted by Active Learning ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Curie Temperature

Curie Temperature

It is the critical temperature at which spontaneous order such as ferromagnetism or ferroelectricity disappears due to thermal fluctuations. Above this temperature, the material's magnetic or polarization behavior changes significantly.

In materials terms

In Invar alloys, the Curie Temperature is an important property index when understanding the correlation between magnetism and thermal expansion.

Discovery of Multicomponent Invar Materials With Low Thermal Expansion, High Curie Temperature, and Superior Phase Stability Assisted by Active Learning ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Octahedral Crystal Field · Octahedral Field

Octahedral Crystal Field · Octahedral Field

The electronic level splitting and energy environment that arise when the ligand arrangement around a transition-metal ion has octahedral symmetry. It has a large influence on electron configuration, spin state, and magnetic properties.

In materials terms

When classifying 2D magnet candidates, Octahedral Crystal Field information can be used as a descriptor.

Physical Review Applied - Accepted Paper: Octahedral-field-informed machine learning for accelerated discovery of two-dimensional magnets with perpendicular mag ↗
Materials basics · added by AI

Order-Disorder Transition

Order-Disorder Transition

A phase transition in which the arrangement of atoms or point defects changes between an ordered state and a disordered state. Depending on temperature, composition, and heat-treatment conditions, the microstructure and properties of a material can change significantly.

In materials terms

In alloy precipitation processes, the Order-Disorder Transition governs the formation of the initial phase.

Machine learning interatomic potentials for solid-state precipitation | Phys. Rev. Materials ↗