Reviews & Analysis

By exploiting subfemtosecond control of light pulses, researchers demonstrate an ultrafast logic gate based on the waveform-dependent photocurrent generated by real and virtual carriers in graphene.

Periodic nanostructures create brilliant colours, termed structural colouration, through light scattering and refraction. Now, using a simple and scalable method, stress- and strain-induced dynamic colour shifts are realized in stretchable polymers.

Planar Josephson junctions with Nb electrodes and a composite weak link barrier combining heavy metal Pt and ferrimagnetic Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ enable a large supercurrent diode effect at ⁴He fridge temperatures in the absence of an applied magnetic field.

Epitaxial heterostructures of multi-dimensional halide perovskites are demonstrated by ligand-assisted welding, providing a platform for realizing hybrid systems with unique combined properties.

By maximizing cell–substrate force transmission, cancer cells can migrate towards either stiffer or softer substrate regions.

Structuring surfaces coated with nanoparticles in the subwavelength range allows almost complete control over the optical appearance of an object.

The direct manipulation of a new kind of ferroelectric state, arising from the sliding of van der Waals layers in a coordination polymer, is demonstrated.

Observation of large remnant polarization in epitaxial yttrium-doped hafnium oxide thin films demonstrates that small-grained or ultrathin microstructures are not required to achieve robust ferroelectric behaviour.

Understanding, at the atomic level, the effect of the stacking and twisting of different layered two-dimensional materials is a major challenge for the future of twistronics. Optical excitations evidence twist-angle-dependent whirlpool-shaped distortions in such materials.

Individual fullerenes containing switchable electric dipoles have been demonstrated to function as single-molecule memory and logic at room temperature.

By precisely stacking two sheets of graphene at a specific angle, the resulting moiré superlattice superconducts. Extending this notion, researchers have now found superconductivity in four- and five-layer graphene moiré stacks.

A hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cell consisting of a nickel-based anode and a cobalt–manganese–oxide cathode is shown to achieve a power density of 488 mW cm^–2 at 95 °C.

Giant exciton–polaritons come to the scene from a thin Cu₂O crystal sandwiched by a microcavity. Their anticipated strong interactions may facilitate the development of a promising Rydberg solid-state platform for quantum technologies.

Dynamic recrystallization helps to refine grain structures in metals and tune their properties. Confining recrystallization within prior nanoscale twinning provides a path for reaching exceptional grain refinement.

Ultrathin CrSBr, a two-dimensional magnet, has been shown to exhibit very rich magnetic behaviours, from an unexpected magnetic order to optical emissions coupled to its magnetic state. This material has great potential for use in ultra-compact spintronics devices.

Excitonic states with hybrid dimensionality in layered silicon diphosphide exhibit interesting features such as linearly dichroic photoluminescence and unusually strong exciton–phonon coupling.

Fruit flies injected with magnetic nanoparticles and genetically modified to sensitize neural circuits to the rate of change in temperature have enabled subsecond behavioural responses to magnetic stimuli and multi-channel magnetic control.