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Two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, are currently considered as energy storage materials. A generic Lewis acidic etching route for preparing high-rate negative-electrode MXenes with enhanced electrochemical performance in non-aqueous electrolyte is now proposed.
A number of grain boundary phenomena in ionic materials, such as anomalous charge transport, have been attributed to space charge effects. Space charge potential at grain boundaries in lightly doped, high-purity ceria is now shown to vary by almost an order of magnitude.
Repulsive dipole–dipole interactions between localized interlayer excitons are shown to modify the optical response of van der Waals heterobilayers, forming the basis to obtain strong optical nonlinearity and excitonic many-body states in two-dimensional materials.
The spectral range of long-lived and confined phonon polaritons in a polar van der Waals crystal is shown to be tunable by intercalation of Na atoms, expanding their potential for nanophotonic applications in the mid-infrared domain.
Electric-field tunable plasmonic excitations in semiconducting carbon nanotubes are shown to behave consistently with the nonlinear Luttinger liquid theory, providing a platform to study non-conventional one-dimensional electron dynamics and realize integrated nanophotonic devices.
Bi2TeI is identified as a dual topological insulator. It is a weak topological insulator with metallic states at the (010) surfaces and a topological crystalline insulator at the (001) surfaces.
Counter-propagating chiral edge states are demonstrated in a photonic structure able to effectively incorporate fermionic time-reversal symmetry, thus providing the photonic implementation of an electronic topological insulator.
Vectorial electromagnetic modes in coupled metallic nanolasers are used to emulate the behaviour of complex magnetic materials, providing an integrated nanophotonic platform to study spin exchange interactions and map large-scale optimization problems.
Internal ion-gated organic electrochemical transistors operating in enhancement mode are shown to record electrophysiological signals in vivo, with a speed and sensitivity that enable the detection of action potentials from individual neurons.
NiCoFeGa single crystals exhibit large non-hysteretic superelasticity over broad temperature and composition ranges. It is attributed to the continuous phase transition with applied stress, which is related to the fluctuation of entangled ordered and disordered crystal structures.
Single-crystal 2D metals are stabilized at the interface between epitaxial graphene and silicon carbide, with strong internal gradients in bonding character. The confined 2D metals demonstrate compelling superconducting properties.
Scanning atomic electron tomography is demonstrated to determine the 3D atomic positions and defects of Re-doped MoS2 monolayers and other 2D materials, providing picometre precision atomic coordinates that can be used as direct input to DFT to reveal more accurate electronic band structures of these systems.
Here, using an interfacial growth strategy, UiO-66 MOF nanocrystals are asymmetrically embedded into conical pores in a polymer membrane. These pores have a mono/divalent cation selectivity of 103, which can be tuned by pH, and act as ionic rectifiers.
Doping through spontaneous electron transfer between donor and acceptor polymers is obtained by selecting organic semiconductors with suitable electron affinity and ionization energy, achieving high conductivity in blends and bilayer configuration.
Fast oxide ion and proton conductors at intermediate temperature are required to improve the performance of ceramic fuel cells. An undoped hexagonal perovskite Ba7Nb4MoO20 electrolyte with high proton and oxide ion conductivity (4.0 mS cm−1) at 510 °C is now reported.
The progressive stiffening of the solid–solid contacts that freeze dense colloidal suspensions are shown to cause the macroscopic ageing of such materials.
Defects in hexagonal boron nitride exhibit room-temperature quantum emission, but their unknown structural origin challenges their technological utility. A combination of optical and electron microscopy helps to distinguish at least four classes of defects and correlate them with local strain.
The bandgap of 2D molybdenum disulfide can be tuned uniformly, reproducibly and precisely over a large range by using a glass sphere support and changing the diameter of the spheres.