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The crucial interaction between reactive elements and water vapour during the oxide scale growth of alumina-forming alloys is revealed, providing insights to improve corrosion resistance of high-temperature alloys.
Observation of charge order in the overdoped (Bi,Pb)2Sr2CuO6+δ superconductor using resonant X-ray scattering and angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, over a wide temperature range.
An optimized two-step deposition process allows the formation of uniform layers of metal halide perovskites on textured silicon layers, enabling tandem silicon/perovskite solar cells with improved optical design and efficiency.
The gastrointestinal tract is a therapeutic target for type-2 diabetes. An orally deliverable sucralfate-based material is shown to form a physical coating in the gut, capable of limiting glucose uptake and also administering drugs to the gut lining.
Islet transplantation for diabetes treatment requires immunosuppression to control rejection. A microgel presenting Fas ligand with immunomodulatory properties is now shown to prolong the survival of allogeneic islet grafts in vivo.
A conducting metal–organic framework with charge delocalization by reductive potassium insertion is demonstrated. Integration into a field-effect transistor shows similar mobilities to semiconductors, with a mobility estimated to be at least 0.84 cm2 V–1 s–1.
Polymer synthesis can provide control over chain microstructure and conformation. Well-controlled chain folding in sulfonated polyethylene, leading to highly uniform hydrated acid layers of subnanometre thickness with high proton conductivity, is demonstrated.
Authors investigate graphene/cobalt and graphene/nickel interfaces, and observe a non-zero Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction that they attribute to the Rashba effect; calculations suggest the effect can be enhanced in van der Waals heterostructures.
Liquid metal droplets dispersed in an elastomer can form conducting paths when the composite is exposed to extreme mechanical pressure. This ability is used to realize flexible circuits that autonomously electrically self-heal after puncturing or tearing.
Mechanical cues play critical roles in embryonic development. A micropatterned neuroectoderm developmental model based on human pluripotent stem cells now reveals how morophogenetic signals such as cell shape and contractility regulate neural tissue development.
Stimulation of angiogenesis after stroke is not always an effective therapy. An injectable hydrogel with pro-angiogenic and immune-modulating factors is now shown to support blood vessel, axonal and functional recovery following stroke.
Films of exfoliated crystals of two-dimensional hybrid metal halide perovskites with phenyl groups as organic cations show increased molecular rigidity, reduced electron–phonon interactions and blue emission with photoluminescence quantum yield approaching 80%.
Quantitative analysis of polymer LED degradation under current stress provides insight on the role of hole traps and their formation. Blending of the emitting material with large-bandgap semiconductors leads to trap dilution and improved stability.
Pyroelectric energy conversion in a thin-film relaxor ferroelectric is studied under an electric field, resulting in high energy and power densities. Performance is equivalent to a ZT = 1.16 thermoelectric, competitive for low-grade thermal harvesting.
Metallic zinc is an ideal anode material for aqueous batteries but suffers from irreversibility issues. An aqueous electrolyte based on Zn and lithium salts using either LiMn2O4 or O2 cathodes now brings unprecedented flexibility and reversibility to Zn batteries.
Electrostrain, an important value for actuators, larger than 1% is only achieved in single crystals. Here, a pseudo-ternary polycrystalline ferroelectric with spontaneous lattice strain has 1.3% electrostrain, which may enable cheaper piezoelectrics.
Inorganic α-Ag2S semiconductor, which has preferential slip planes in the crystal structure and irregularly distributed bonds of silver atoms preventing cleavage, demonstrates metal-like ductility at room temperature.
Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with nanometre spatial resolution and low-energy electron microscopy/diffraction reveal that interaction with the Cu substrate can induce up to 7.5% lattice expansion in graphene adlayers.