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An ensemble of spins associated with an intrinsic defect of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride is shown to be optically addressable, allowing spin polarization of its triplet ground state and providing evidence of spin coherence.
Two-dimensional zeolite MFI nanosheets show ultra-selective separation of xylene isomers, but it was not known why this occurs. Here, using electron microscopy and atomistic simulation, it is shown that one-dimensional intergrowths of zeolite MEL enable selectivity by formation of more rigid pores.
The application of metal fluorides as cathodes for lithium ion batteries has been hindered by inadequate understanding of their electrochemical capabilities. Reversible conversion reaction in iron fluoride nanocrystals is shown to be due to topotactic cation diffusion and nucleation of metallic particles.
Unlike dynamic control of electrical conductivity, tuning thermal conductivity by means of electric potential is challenging. Electrochemically induced phase transition control of oxygen and proton concentration in a SrCoOx oxide provides a way to tune bi-directionally thermal conductivity.
Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)–Ras oncogenes have now been shown to reprogram normal primary human and mouse cells into tumour precursors by empowering cellular mechanotransduction, in a process requiring permissive extracellular-matrix rigidity and intracellular YAP/TAZ/Rac mechanical signalling sustained by activated oncogenes.
The contribution of non-ideal mixing for the crystallization of supercooled mixtures of argon and krypton is reported, showing that this process is well described by classical crystal growth theories when such thermodynamics is considered.
Methylammonium is shown to influence the crystallization process in hybrid lead halide perovskites, leading to a more homogeneous chemical distribution of caesium and formamidinium and improved charge transport between grains in multi-cation systems.
The electrochemical performance of supercapacitors can be enhanced with porous electrodes. Molecular dynamics simulations can now help to clarify the double-layer structure and capacitive performance of supercapacitors composed of MOF electrodes and ionic liquid electrolytes.
The coexistence of chiral edge states and chiral spin textures in magnetic topological insulator sandwiches provides a platform for proof-of-concept dissipationless spin-textured spintronic applications.
A large spin Hall angle and long spin diffusion length are found in the low-symmetry, few-layer semimetal MoTe2 at room temperature, thus identifying this material as an excellent candidate for simultaneous spin generation, transport and detection.
Anisotropic honeycomb crystal of black phosphorous is found to have pseudospin polarization greater than 95% at room temperature, attributed to the merging of Dirac cones. This bipolar pseudospin semiconductor may be useful for pseudospintronics.
Type-II van der Waals interfaces formed by different two-dimensional materials enable robust interlayer optical transitions, regardless of common issues such as lattice constant mismatch, layer misalignment or whether the constituent compounds are direct or indirect band semiconductors.
Photocatalysts formed from a single organic semiconductor can suffer from inefficient charge generation leading to low photocatalytic activities. Incorporating a heterojunction between a donor polymer and non-fullerene acceptor in organic nanoparticles leads to enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
Nitrogenases use transition metals to selectively capture weak π acids such as N2 by employing backbonding interactions. Here, a metal–organic framework with exposed vanadium sites is presented that uses this approach for selective capture of N2 from CH4, with impressive selectivity and capacity.
Immobilization of radionuclides in glass or ceramic forms in stainless steel in deep geological repositories is planned in the US for disposal of nuclear waste. Under simulated repository conditions, corrosion could be significantly accelerated at the interfaces of different barrier materials.
Quantum-assisted de-trapping in tungsten leads to diffusion rates orders of magnitude higher than naive classical estimates suggest. This phenomenon may be generic to any crystalline material.
Protein channels are highly selective, but application in membranes is limited due to low protein content. Here, protein channels are embedded into block copolymers to form nanosheets using rapid solvent casting, with better water permeability and similar molecular exclusions relative to other membrane systems.