News & Views in 2015

Molecular layers show antiferromagnetic ordering up to room temperature and are able to exchange bias a ferromagnetic electrode, demonstrating that molecules could be much more than a simple vehicle for transporting spin.

A supramolecular polymer that is stable in the acidic environment of the stomach but dissolves in the neutral-pH environment of the intestines prolongs the safe retention of gastric devices.

Collective cell migration and jamming in the bronchial epithelium helps to understand the pathophysiology underlying asthma.

The coupling of the electronic structure of organic semiconductors with the electromagnetic field in the vacuum by means of plasmonic antennas allows for a mobility boost.

Ultrathin, flexible and lightweight perovskite solar cells with improved stability in air can now power model airplanes for several hours.

A colloidal particle straddling an air/water interface experiences an unexpectedly large viscous drag.

Ultrashort laser pulses create strain waves that generate highly mobile charges at an oxide interface. These charges propagate into the oxide layer destroying its antiferromagnetic ordering and insulating properties, providing insight into the physics of metal–insulator transitions.

Thermal cycling of a metallic glass to cryogenic temperatures has been found to cause atomic-scale structural rejuvenation.

Time-resolved measurements of the exciton dynamics in tungsten diselenide monolayers reveal ultrafast radiative recombination of the exciton ground state (∼150 fs) and the interplay between optically bright and dark excitons.

The unique properties of 2D materials, such as graphene or transition metal dichalcogenides, have been attracting much attention in the past decade. Now, metallically conductive and even superconducting transition metal carbides are entering the game.

Negative pressure in ferroelectric nanowires has been achieved by exploiting a phase transformation between crystal structures with differing densities, leading to substantial property enhancement.

Solid-state organic materials that convert low-power visible light into higher-energy radiation have been synthesized using metal–organic frameworks. This approach could be used to make polymers that increase the efficiency of photovoltaic devices.

With Bragg coherent diffractive imaging it is now possible to image the evolution of the entire dislocation network within a microcrystal during growth and dissolution.

Shape memory alloys have been developed that are free of functional fatigue, a key step in obtaining versatile actuators.