Featured
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News & Views |
Turning powders into fibre via cellulose
A wide range of zero-dimensional powders can be converted into versatile, high-performance one-dimensional micro-/nanofibres by using two-dimensional cellulose sheets as a mediator, preserving the particles’ nanostructural features and acting as building blocks for complex geometric shapes to satisfy application requirements.
- Xizheng Wang
- & Liangbing Hu
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News & Views |
Rescuing magnetic oscillations by microwave shocks
‘Two colour’ pump–probe experiments on yttrium iron garnet discs demonstrate how to harness dissipation of magnetic oscillations. This may have important implications for the use of magnetic materials for information processing.
- Takis Kontos
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News & Views |
Forming denser glasses on soft substrates
Physical vapour deposition of small-molecule glass formers onto soft substrates enhances the local dynamics at the top free surface, leading to the formation of denser glasses and providing access to states deeper in the potential energy landscape.
- Connie B. Roth
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Editorial |
Organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors progress at pace
A synthesis method for large-scale conjugated polymers as well as studies under operational conditions show that research on organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors continues to progress.
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News & Views |
Slow on, fast off
The slow turn-on speed in accumulation-mode organic electrochemical transistors is explained by asymmetric ion transport in switching kinetics.
- Hang Yu
- & Jenny Nelson
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News & Views |
Bulk van der Waals materials by low-temperature moulding
Strong bulk van der Waals materials can be created from water-mediated densification of two-dimensional nanosheets by near-room-temperature moulding, establishing a pathway for the energy-efficient fabrication of a wide range of bulk van der Waals materials and even composites for various applications.
- Tom Lawson
- & Liming Dai
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News & Views |
Driving organic electronics to new heights
Modified Suzuki–Miyaura polymerization procedures provide a scalable and reproducible route to regioregular conjugated polymers.
- Mario Leclerc
- & Serge Beaupré
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Article |
Electrochemomechanical failure in layered oxide cathodes caused by rotational stacking faults
Degradation is one of the most common causes of capacity deterioration in high-energy-density cathodes. Rotational stacking faults in layered lithium transition-metal oxides are shown to play a critical role in determining their structural and electrochemical stabilities.
- Donggun Eum
- , Sung-O Park
- & Kisuk Kang
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Article |
Giant electron-mediated phononic nonlinearity in semiconductor–piezoelectric heterostructures
Efficient phononic nonlinear processes are demonstrated in an acoustoelectric heterostructure combining a high-mobility semiconductor indium gallium arsenide film heterogeneously integrated onto a lithium niobate thin film.
- Lisa Hackett
- , Matthew Koppa
- & Matt Eichenfield
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Article |
Investigating chiral morphogenesis of gold using generative cellular automata
The emergence of chiral morphologies from achiral building blocks is not well understood. Deep learning-based interpretation provides representative models for the process of symmetry breaking and chiral development during the growth of gold nanoparticles.
- Sang Won Im
- , Dongsu Zhang
- & Ki Tae Nam
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Article
| Open AccessNon-thermal phonon dynamics and a quenched exciton condensate probed by surface-sensitive electron diffraction
The thermalization of acoustic phonons after photoexcitation is traced by electron pulses in TiSe2, and the excitonic contribution to the structural order parameter of the material’s charge density wave phase is quantified.
- Felix Kurtz
- , Tim N. Dauwe
- & Claus Ropers
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Article |
Mobile iodides capture for highly photolysis- and reverse-bias-stable perovskite solar cells
Iodide-related defects pose serious challenges to the irradiation, thermal, light or reverse-bias stabilities of perovskite solar cells. Here, the authors find that by using the iodide/polyiodide capture and confine effects of perfluorodecyl iodide interfacing with perovskites, inverted perovskite solar cells achieve much improved stabilities.
- Xiaoxue Ren
- , Jifei Wang
- & Yongbo Yuan
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News & Views |
Nano-oxides boost aluminium heat resistance
Adding homogeneously dispersed oxide nanoparticles to aluminium pushes its high-temperature strength up to 500 °C.
- Alexis Deschamps
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Research Briefing |
Synergistic work hardening by rapid multiplication of dislocations in a multi-principal-element alloy
In a multi-principal-element VCoNi alloy, premature necking during Lüders banding has been harnessed to produce rapid dislocation multiplication, leading to both forest hardening and hardening induced by regions of local chemical order. The result is ductility of 20% and a yield strength of 2 GPa, during room-temperature and cryogenic deformation.
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News & Views |
Injectable and retrievable soft electronics
Liquid bioelectronics based on a permanent fluidic magnet made from three-dimensional assembled magnetic colloidal particles can be injected into the surface of the heart for cardiovascular monitoring and subsequently retrieved after use.
- Jiahong Li
- , Yadong Xu
- & Wei Gao
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Article
| Open AccessElectrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces
Electrode arrays for neurological diagnosis and treatment carry a risk of nerve injury. Nerve cuffs with tiny voltage-controlled shape-reconfigurable electrode arrays have been reported, allowing active wrapping around delicate nerves.
- Chaoqun Dong
- , Alejandro Carnicer-Lombarte
- & George G. Malliaras
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Article |
Permanent fluidic magnets for liquid bioelectronics
The magnetism-mediated assembly of non-Brownian magnetic colloidal particles into a three-dimensional oriented and ramified magnetic network yields permanent fluidic magnets that are used in a self-powered, liquid-based wireless cardiovascular sensor.
- Xun Zhao
- , Yihao Zhou
- & Jun Chen
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Article |
Plutonium oxide melt structure and covalency
The molten structure of plutonium oxide—a component of mixed oxide nuclear fuels—is measured, showing some degree of covalent bonding. Its atomic structure is similar to that of cerium oxide, which could be a non-radioactive structural surrogate.
- Stephen K. Wilke
- , Chris J. Benmore
- & Richard Weber
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Article |
Heat-resistant super-dispersed oxide strengthened aluminium alloys
An interface modification strategy has been developed to uniformly distribute high-density sub-10 nm coherent MgO particles in an Al matrix, resulting in high strength and creep resistance at temperatures up to 500 °C.
- Xiangren Bai
- , Haonan Xie
- & Chunnian He
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Article |
On-device phase engineering
A strategy of on-device phase engineering of two-dimensional materials is proposed, allowing the in situ realization of various lattice phases with distinct stoichiometries and versatile functions.
- Xiaowei Liu
- , Junjie Shan
- & Feng Miao
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Article |
Elementary excitations of single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride
Combining resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy, an elementary excitation in hexagonal-boron-nitride-based single-photon emitters has been demonstrated, giving rise to multiple regular harmonics that can explain the wide frequency range of these emitters.
- Jonathan Pelliciari
- , Enrique Mejia
- & Gabriele Grosso
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Article |
Observation of giant non-reciprocal charge transport from quantum Hall states in a topological insulator
The authors report diode-like resistance in a non-magnetic topological insulator in the quantum Hall regime.
- Chunfeng Li
- , Rui Wang
- & Fengqi Song
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Article |
Understanding asymmetric switching times in accumulation mode organic electrochemical transistors
The turn-off time is generally faster than the turn-on time in accumulation mode organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), but the mechanism is less understood. Here the authors find different transient behaviours of turn-on and turn-off in accumulation mode OECTs, and ion transport is the limiting factor of device kinetics.
- Jiajie Guo
- , Shinya E. Chen
- & David S. Ginger
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Article |
Manipulating chiral spin transport with ferroelectric polarization
The authors report a modulation of the magnon spin current by electric polarization reversal.
- Xiaoxi Huang
- , Xianzhe Chen
- & Ramamoorthy Ramesh
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Article |
Experimental observation of current-driven antiskyrmion sliding in stripe domains
Electric current pulses are used to move antiskyrmions, by coupling them with a helical track.
- Zhidong He
- , Zhuolin Li
- & Baogen Shen
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Article
| Open AccessHarnessing instability for work hardening in multi-principal element alloys
Harnessing premature necking produces a rapid multiplication of dislocations to interact with local chemical orders for work hardening in VCoNi alloy, achieving ductility of 20% and yield strength of 2 GPa during room-temperature and cryogenic deformation.
- Bowen Xu
- , Huichao Duan
- & Xiaolei Wu
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Article |
A correlated ferromagnetic polar metal by design
The authors report coexisting ferromagnetism, polar distortion and metallicity in quasi-two-dimensional Ca3Co3O8, providing a platform to exploit magnetoelectric coupling in a metallic system.
- Jianbing Zhang
- , Shengchun Shen
- & Pu Yu
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Research Briefing |
Drift-free iontronic sensing enabled by a creep-free polyelectrolyte elastomer
Soft pressure sensors drift under prolonged high stress because of the creep of soft materials, which causes inaccurate measurements. Now, through molecular-level design, a leakage-free and creep-free polyelectrolyte elastomer is synthesized, and an iontronic sensor using the polyelectrolyte elastomer shows very low signal drift under a high static pressure.
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Article |
Solution-phase sample-averaged single-particle spectroscopy of quantum emitters with femtosecond resolution
Combining fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and ultrafast spectroscopy, the sample-averaged dynamics of defects are studied with single-particle sensitivity in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride heterogeneous emitters.
- Jiaojian Shi
- , Yuejun Shen
- & Aaron M. Lindenberg
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Article |
Ferroelastically protected reversible orthorhombic to monoclinic-like phase transition in ZrO2 nanocrystals
Ferroelectric phase stability is a pivotal challenge for fluorite-structure ferroelectrics. Using electron microscopy, a ferroelastically protected reversible polar-to-non-polar phase transition in ZrO2 is observed and the critical strain state to break the reversibility is measured.
- Xinyan Li
- , Zhuohui Liu
- & Lin Gu
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Article |
1T′-transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers stabilized on 4H-Au nanowires for ultrasensitive SERS detection
High-phase-purity and stable 1T′-transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers are grown on 4H-Au nanowires by a facile and rapid wet-chemical method, enabling ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection.
- Zijian Li
- , Li Zhai
- & Hua Zhang
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News & Views |
Efficient blue emitter with a hoop
Highly efficient matrix-free hyperfluorescent organic light-emitting diodes are constructed with remarkably supressed Dexter transfer utilizing narrowband blue emitters encapsulated with hopped alkyl chains.
- Yuewei Zhang
- & Lian Duan
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News & Views |
Goosebumps drive microstructures
Light-driven artificial goosebumps enable the simple yet precise actuation of microstructures.
- Jaeil Kim
- & Hoon Eui Jeong
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News & Views |
Identifying single spin defects in gallium nitride
Single spin defects are identified in gallium nitride at room temperature, exhibiting a spin readout contrast of up to 30%.
- Jin-Shi Xu
- & Chuan-Feng Li
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News & Views |
A soft crystalline packing with no metallic analogue
Pentagonal polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based giant atoms self-assemble into Frank–Kasper phases that have not been previously observed in soft-matter systems.
- Pengyu Chen
- & Kevin D. Dorfman
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News & Views |
A noticeable absence
Better control over the quality of materials dissipates doubts about charge order in infinite-layer nickelates and indicates that a previously observed superstructure is probably a spurious effect related to other crystalline phases. This finding strengthens the similarities between nickelates and cuprates.
- Giacomo Ghiringhelli
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Review Article |
Heterostructures coupling ultrathin metal carbides and chalcogenides
Non-layered transition metal carbides (TMCs) and layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can form various heterostructure configurations through chemical conversion. This Review highlights the progress in the fabrication and control of TMC/TMD heterostructures and the exotic properties arising from these interfaces.
- Alexander J. Sredenschek
- , David Emanuel Sanchez
- & Mauricio Terrones
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Article |
Light-induced electronic polarization in antiferromagnetic Cr2O3
A light-induced polar electronic state is generated in Cr2O3; the symmetry reduction occurs on an ultrafast timescale, ruling out contributions from the lattice or spins.
- Xinshu Zhang
- , Tyler Carbin
- & Anshul Kogar
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Perspective |
Potential and challenges of computing with molecular materials
Molecular materials for computing progress intensively but the performance and reliability still lag behind. Here the authors assess the current state of computing with molecular-based materials and describe two issues as the basis of a new computing technology: continued exploration of molecular electronic properties and process development for on-chip integration.
- R. Stanley Williams
- , Sreebrata Goswami
- & Sreetosh Goswami
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News & Views |
Diving into interlayer confinement
Noble gas atoms sandwiched in bilayer graphene are directly visualized with scanning transmission electron microscopy, revealing solid and liquid-like dynamics of two-dimensional cluster structures at room temperature under encapsulation.
- Tao Xu
- & Litao Sun
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Article |
Phase patterning of liquid crystal elastomers by laser-induced dynamic crosslinking
Lack of local phase patterning in liquid crystal elastomers has hindered their broad implementation. The authors report a laser-induced dynamic crosslinking approach with allyl sulfide groups to achieve reconfigurable high-resolution patterning of multiple liquid crystalline phases in a single film.
- Seok Hwan Choi
- , Ju Hee Kim
- & Seung Hwan Ko
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Research Briefing |
Electrocaloric effects at a phase transition created by strain
Electrocaloric effects have not hitherto been experimentally studied at a phase transition created by strain. It is now shown that the continuous transition created by epitaxial strain in strontium titanate films greatly enhances electrocaloric effects over a wide range of temperatures, including room temperature.
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Article
| Open AccessHighly reversible extrinsic electrocaloric effects over a wide temperature range in epitaxially strained SrTiO3 films
Electrocaloric effects are large in a limited set of materials that display hysteretic first-order phase transitions. Here epitaxial SrTiO3 thin films are strain engineered to achieve anhysteretic second-order phase transitions, with electrocaloric effects enhanced by one order of magnitude over bulk.
- S. Zhang
- , J. Deliyore-Ramírez
- & N. D. Mathur
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Article |
Effect of pre-intercalation on Li-ion diffusion mapped by topochemical single-crystal transformation and operando investigation
Pre-intercalation with alkali-metal ions is attractive for accessing higher reversible capacity and improved rate performance in Li-ion batteries. Topochemical single-crystal transformations in a tunnel-structured positive electrode are used to clarify the effect of pre-intercalation in modifying the host lattice and altering diffusion pathways.
- Yuting Luo
- , Joseph V. Handy
- & Sarbajit Banerjee
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Article |
Creep-free polyelectrolyte elastomer for drift-free iontronic sensing
Conventional iontronic pressure sensors suffer from signal drift and inaccuracy owing to creep of soft materials and ion leakage. Here the authors report a leakage-free and creep-free polyelectrolyte-elastomer-based iontronic sensor that achieves a drift rate two to three orders of magnitude lower than those of conventional iontronic sensors.
- Yunfeng He
- , Yu Cheng
- & Chuan Fei Guo
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Research Briefing |
Semiconducting black phosphorus nanoribbons grown on insulating substrates
Single-crystal black phosphorus nanoribbons have been grown through chemical vapour transport, using black phosphorus nanoparticles as seeds. The nanoribbons orient exclusively along the zigzag direction and have good semiconductor properties that render them suitable for use as channel material in field-effect transistors.
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Article |
Inverse chirality-induced spin selectivity effect in chiral assemblies of π-conjugated polymers
The authors report the inverse effect of chiral-induced spin selectivity in an organic material.
- Rui Sun
- , Kyung Sun Park
- & Dali Sun
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Article |
Near-room-temperature water-mediated densification of bulk van der Waals materials from their nanosheets
Strong bulk van der Waals materials are fabricated by the compressive moulding of two-dimensional nanosheets near room temperature through water-mediated densification, providing an energy-efficient way for synthesizing various van der Waals materials and a potential for tailoring compositions.
- Jiuyi Zhu
- , Fei Li
- & Hui-Ming Cheng
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Article |
Prediction of DNA origami shape using graph neural network
Limited datasets hinder the accurate prediction of DNA origami structures. A data-driven and physics-informed approach for model training is presented using a graph neural network to facilitate the rapid virtual prototyping of DNA-based nanostructures.
- Chien Truong-Quoc
- , Jae Young Lee
- & Do-Nyun Kim