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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 |
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 |
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
| 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 |
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
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Article
| Open AccessSuppression of Dexter transfer by covalent encapsulation for efficient matrix-free narrowband deep blue hyperfluorescent OLEDs
Suppressed Dexter transfer is needed to achieve efficient and stable hyperfluorescence, but complex matrices must be involved. A molecular design strategy has been proposed where Dexter transfer can be substantially reduced by an encapsulated terminal emitter, leading to ‘matrix-free’ hyperfluorescence.
- Hwan-Hee Cho
- , Daniel G. Congrave
- & Hugo Bronstein
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News & Views |
Mobile ion confinement for better thermoelectrics
Restricting the directional segregation of mobile ions via strategic local ion confinement allows remarkable thermoelectric performance with better stability.
- Animesh Bhui
- & Kanishka Biswas
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Article |
Highly stabilized and efficient thermoelectric copper selenide
Cu2Se is of interest for thermoelectrics as it is environmentally sustainable and has a high figure of merit ZT; however, copper ion migration impacts device stability. Here a co-doping strategy that combines steric and electrostatic effects is shown to improve device stability as well as improving ZT to 3.
- Haihua Hu
- , Yiwei Ju
- & Jing-Feng Li
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Article |
Lyophilized lymph nodes for improved delivery of chimeric antigen receptor T cells
Implants made from patient-derived lyophilized lymph nodes loaded with chimeric antigen receptor T cells improve T cell delivery and inhibit tumour recurrence.
- Jiaqi Shi
- , Wei Wu
- & Zhen Gu
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Article |
An intelligent DNA nanodevice for precision thrombolysis
An intelligent DNA nanodevice, composed of DNA origami nanosheets and a thrombin-responsive DNA fastener, accurately delivers the appropriate dose of tissue plasminogen activator following activation by distinct thrombosis events.
- Jue Yin
- , Siyu Wang
- & Lianhui Wang
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News & Views |
Unveiling the intricate moiré of moiré texture
The atomic reconstruction and stacking arrangement in twisted trilayer graphene with a range of varying twist angles are elucidated by four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy, revealing the hierarchical moiré of moiré superstructures that govern the structural symmetry at different length scales.
- Ruichun Luo
- & Wu Zhou
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News & Views |
A thicker skin for better immune evasion
Cancer cells adjust the composition of their glycocalyx to increase its thickness and create a physical barrier that shields them from immune recognition and engagement.
- Edward N. Schmidt
- & Matthew S. Macauley
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of orbital ordering in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x
An orbitally ordered state in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x is revealed, which splits the energy levels of oxygen orbitals by ~50 meV.
- Shuqiu Wang
- , Niall Kennedy
- & Shane M. O’Mahony
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Article
| Open AccessTrapped O2 and the origin of voltage fade in layered Li-rich cathodes
Oxygen redox cathodes deliver higher energy densities than those based on transition metal redox but commonly exhibit voltage fade on extended cycling. The loss of O-redox capacity and voltage fade is shown to arise from a reduction in O2−/O2 redox process reversibility and O2 loss.
- John-Joseph Marie
- , Robert A. House
- & Peter G. Bruce
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Article |
Fibration of powdery materials
A universal and non-destructive technique is developed to process diverse types of powder into micro- or nanofibres, providing flexibility for material design and applications based on functional particles.
- Hanwei Wang
- , Cheng Zeng
- & Huiqiao Li
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Article |
Seeded growth of single-crystal black phosphorus nanoribbons
Single-crystal black phosphorus nanoribbons are grown uniformly on insulating substrates by chemical vapour transport growth with black phosphorus nanoparticles as seeds, demonstrating potential for application in nanoelectronic devices and the exploration of the exotic physics in black phosphorus.
- Hongya Wang
- , Yichen Song
- & Yuanbo Zhang
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Article |
Nanosecond solvation dynamics in a polymer electrolyte for lithium batteries
Solvation dynamics at picosecond timescales critically affect charge transport in aqueous systems, but conflicting values have been reported for organic electrolytes. Lifetimes on the order of 1 ns for mixtures of organic polymer and lithium salt exhibiting ultraslow dynamics of solvation shell break-up are now reported.
- Neel J. Shah
- , Chao Fang
- & Nitash P. Balsara
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Article |
Nanofeather ruthenium nitride electrodes for electrochemical capacitors
Fast charging is driving extensive research on enhanced electrodes for high-performance electrochemical capacitors and micro-supercapacitors. Thick ruthenium nitride pseudocapacitive films are shown to exhibit enhanced capacitance with a time constant of less than 6 s.
- Huy Dinh Khac
- , Grace Whang
- & Christophe Lethien
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Article |
High-density stable glasses formed on soft substrates
Controlling substrate elasticity during physical vapour deposition allows access to high-density stable glasses that would otherwise be formed under prohibitively slow deposition conditions on rigid substrates.
- Peng Luo
- , Sarah E. Wolf
- & Zahra Fakhraai
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Article
| Open AccessDrinkable in situ-forming tough hydrogels for gastrointestinal therapeutics
Sequential drinks of crosslinker and polymer solutions form a tough hydrogel in the stomach, enabling delivery of drugs and biologics in this harsh chemical environment.
- Gary W. Liu
- , Matthew J. Pickett
- & Giovanni Traverso
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Article |
Bridging length scales in organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors through internal strain and mesoscale dynamics
Understanding mesoscale structure and dynamics in organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors is crucial. Mesoscale strain kinetics and structural hysteresis have been studied, and they uncover the coupling between charge carrier dynamics and mesoscale order in organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors.
- Ruiheng Wu
- , Dilara Meli
- & Christopher J. Takacs
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Perspective |
Creating chirality in the nearly two dimensions
Two-dimensional (2D) materials, despite their small thickness, can display chirality that enables prominent asymmetric optical, electrical transport, and magnetic properties. This Perspective discusses the intriguing physics enabled by the structural chirality and the possible ways to create and control chirality in 2D materials.
- Hanyu Zhu
- & Boris I. Yakobson
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Article |
Angle-resolved transport non-reciprocity and spontaneous symmetry breaking in twisted trilayer graphene
Angle-resolved transport measurements on twisted trilayer graphene reveal evidence for a variety of correlated states with spontaneous symmetry breaking, and offer evidence of momentum polarization.
- Naiyuan James Zhang
- , Jiang-Xiazi Lin
- & J. I. A. Li
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Article
| Open AccessSpatially reconfigurable antiferromagnetic states in topologically rich free-standing nanomembranes
Topological antiferromagnetic states are generated and spatially reconfigured in free-standing crystalline membranes of haematite through strain design.
- Hariom Jani
- , Jack Harrison
- & Paolo G. Radaelli
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Article
| Open AccessHybrid oxide coatings generate stable Cu catalysts for CO2 electroreduction
Active and stable catalysts to accelerate the transition from fossil fuel to renewable feedstocks, reduce energy consumption and minimize environmental footprints are needed. Electrocatalysts based on copper nanocrystals encapsulated in hybrid alumina shells stable against structural reconstruction during CO2 electroreduction are reported.
- Petru P. Albertini
- , Mark A. Newton
- & Raffaella Buonsanti
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Article |
Room temperature optically detected magnetic resonance of single spins in GaN
Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is an efficient mechanism for quantum sensors and has been discovered in a few systems, but all have technological limitations. Here the authors report room temperature ODMR in single defects in GaN, promising for integrated quantum sensing applications.
- Jialun Luo
- , Yifei Geng
- & Gregory D. Fuchs
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Article
| Open AccessArtificial-goosebump-driven microactuation
Light-induced artificial goosebumps on liquid crystal elastomer skin are used to precisely manipulate passive microstructures, achieving a localized and controllable system for programmable micromachines.
- Mingchao Zhang
- , Aniket Pal
- & Metin Sitti
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Article |
Persistent magnetic coherence in magnets
Precession phase of a magnetic material is shown to be recalled over timescales far exceeding that of Gilbert damping.
- T. Makiuchi
- , T. Hioki
- & E. Saitoh
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Article |
High-temperature Josephson diode
A large Josephson diode effect has been reported at liquid-nitrogen temperatures in twisted flakes of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ.
- Sanat Ghosh
- , Vilas Patil
- & Mandar M. Deshmukh
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Article |
High-quality nanocavities through multimodal confinement of hyperbolic polaritons in hexagonal boron nitride
Exploiting optical multimodal confinement, the deep-subwavelength confinement of hyperbolic phonon polaritons is demonstrated in isotopically pure hexagonal boron nitride, enabling nanoscale polariton manipulation.
- Hanan Herzig Sheinfux
- , Lorenzo Orsini
- & Frank H. L. Koppens
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Article |
Photochemical tuning of dynamic defects for high-performance atomically dispersed catalysts
Developing active and stable atomically dispersed catalysts is challenging because of weak non-specific interactions between catalytically active metal atoms and supports. A general method for synthesizing these catalysts via photochemical defect tuning for controlling oxygen-vacancy dynamics is proposed.
- Chan Woo Lee
- , Byoung-Hoon Lee
- & Taeghwan Hyeon
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News & Views |
Chromogenic identification of breakdown
Early detection of electrical degradation can be identified by colour change due to the chromogenic response of blended molecules in dielectric polymers.
- Gregory A. Sotzing
- & Pritish S. Aklujkar
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News & Views |
A moiré proximity effect
Electronic moiré patterns can be imprinted remotely onto a target quantum material, inducing exotic interacting behaviour.
- Arpit Arora
- & Justin C. W. Song
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News & Views |
Stronger together
Considering responsive materials as transient collective assemblies rather than individual shape-changing objects allows for emergent functionalities that cannot be derived from the properties of single objects but are driven by interactions between them.
- Arri Priimagi
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Research Briefing |
Mechanism of plastic deformation in metal monochalcogenides
Metal monochalcogenides — a class of van der Waals layered semiconductors — can exhibit ultrahigh plasticity. Investigation of the deformation mechanism reveals that on mechanical loading, these materials undergo local phase transitions that, coupled with the concurrent generation of a microcrack network, give rise to the ultrahigh plasticity.
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Correspondence |
Advanced materials provide solutions towards a sustainable world
- Lars Hultman
- , Sara Mazur
- & Magnus Berggren
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Article
| Open AccessUnlocking Li superionic conductivity in face-centred cubic oxides via face-sharing configurations
Oxides with a face-centred cubic anion sublattice are generally not considered as solid-state electrolytes. Li superionic conductivity in face-centred cubic oxides with face-sharing Li configurations have now been created through cation over-stoichiometry in rocksalt-type lattices via excess Li.
- Yu Chen
- , Zhengyan Lun
- & Gerbrand Ceder
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Article
| Open AccessQuenched lattice fluctuations in optically driven SrTiO3
Intense light pulses can induce symmetry breaking, as for the generation of ferroelectricity in SrTiO3. Using ultrafast X-ray diffuse scattering at a free-electron laser, nonlinear phonon interactions that occur on such mid-IR excitation are observed, with a theory for the dynamics presented.
- M. Fechner
- , M. Först
- & A. Cavalleri